fusion pain

[calvinindiana]

i had a spinal fusion 14 months ago. i still have allot of pain and spasms. i am on vicoden and robaxin for the pain and spasms. I also take gabapentin for nerve pain in my leg. the pain meds work ok, but it only lasts about 4 hours. i was taking percocet, but was concerned about taking it to long, so my doctor and i decided to try vicoden. like i said, they work ok, but only for about 4 hours.  not sure what to do now. my doctor says to take the pills every 8 hours, but they do not last that long. my doc is a neourosurgeon. what should i do now? i don't want to have the surgey again, the doc says it may not fix the problem. are there drugs i should be asking for so i don't have to take pills every 8 hours that only work for 4? what is the answer for long term pain management? how can i discuss it with my doc with out sounding like some kind of drug addict? he seems upset that the surgery results are not good.

[Rootsgal]

EXERCISE has led my FOUR level cervical fusion to now have neural foraminal narrowing & SPURRING from C-2-6 & now, as an added bonus, I have subluxation in C-7 & T-1.
EXERCISE makes it worse once NARROWING occurs.
Traction might help but so far, no one has offered to order it.
KADIAN worked for me for a year. Then I decided to wean off all those narcotics. I did it for 2 years.
Now, my neck is obviously doing much worse.
Not having any luck convincing my primary care doctor, to switch me off of oxycodone and back to just Kadian ER.

[3DArtist]

how did you snap a bolt - i just had fusion in my lower back 4 weeks ago so im just curious how that kind of thing happens. I saw my xrays and there are 10 screws in my back with some other stuff.. call me the tin man.

[threef]

I was fused L2-L4 in 1992 and the pain got better after a few years.  Rolfing and Yoga really helpe a bunch.  I ended up snaping a bolt in L4 2 years ago and am now fused L1-L5 and have been dealing with lots of pain.  I was on a bunch of Oxycotins, 80mg 5x a day but took too many and now I am on the Fentenal patch.  THey started me on the 100mgh patch but I have gotten clear down to the 25mgh patch.  I am trying to not take anything.  It has been a long hard ride aand if you can help it don't get stronger meds but pain is also dibilitating.  I would find a pain specialist if need but try to get your body strong and flexible.  Rolfing help get the muscles working right again and will help you feel good.  BEst of luck and keep in mind it will keep getting better all of the time

[Jaybay]

I have 2 fused discs in my neck, and was in the same boat as you back in the Stone Age - 1997.  :-)  You will not find the solution in a bottle of pills.  The only thing that cured me was working with weights to build up my muscles to the point that they supported my bones.  Start with a physical therapist, and use those pills for those sessions and afterward.  PT will do no good unless you do the work at home as well.  And yeah, it's going to hurt like hades - but not forever.  

I ended up hiring a personal trainer at a gym because I was desperate.  I didn't even have pain pills or any help from my doctors, so I figured Why Not?  A month later, I had no more pain.  Ever.

Sometimes surgeons rely so much on their own work "fixing" their patients, that they forget the patient has work to do as well.  Your surgeon did the cutting, but it's up to you to do the rest of the heavy lifting.  Nobody else and no bottle of pills is going to get you out of it.  Get your mind right that you MUST do the rehab work, and have all the usual ice packs and heating pads and annti-inflammatories ready to go.  And don't forget, it's going to hurt.  Pain makes you miserable but it won't kill you.  Pain meds have much more potential to harm you than rehab does.