Pain when sitting, walking or standing

[InPain4evr]

I had a laproscopic hysterectomy and TVT-O procedure done 4/08/08 and since waking from surgery I have pain, numbness and tingling in my buttocks and the backs of my thighs.  Feels like I'm sitting on a steel bar that I can't get off of. I can't sit, stand or walk without pain. Also, where the ends of the tension free vaginal tape are imbedded there is a constant burning pain that radiates down my inner thighs and sometimes makes my vagina feel numb and painful as well.  It burns when urinating, I don't have a UTI and my doctor can't SEE anything wrong. EMG was normal. I have not been able to return to work. Pain meds (vicodin, dilaudid, demerol) do nothing for the pain and make me nauseous. I was told I was in the low lithodomy position for 2.5 hrs and another 1.5 hrs in high lithodomy position for the TVT-O. Any suggestions as to where to turn for relief? I'm going out of my mind with the pain and lack of quality of life.

[wishforchange]

Hello.  I just came onto this forum a few hours ago to post a question and noticed your post.  It worried me so I really want to share my concerns with you.  This combination of pain, numbness and urinary problems are potentially serious.  It sounds as though either from the positon you were in for the surgery, or from the surgery, unacceptable pressure was put on your spinal nerves, likely the nerves at the base of your spine (cauda equina), or alternatively the sacro-ilial ligaments.  This can only be evaluated by a lumbar spine and/or pelvic MRI and I am surprised this has not been done as a matter of urgency.  Your doctor needs to take this seriously, or you need to go back to the hospital and explain exactly your symptoms.  Without treatment there may be a significant possibility of disability.  The pain is the worst symptom for you, but it is the numbness and urinary symptoms which I believe at this stage are more clinically relevant.  I am not a doctor, trained as a nurse, but I am really quite worried about what you are describing.  The procedure you had done was major surgery, be it laparascopic, and this inevitably involves damage to surrounding tissue.  You MUST get this fully evaluated.  If necessary ask your doctor on what grounds they have not ordered an MRI, and change doctors if necessary.  I really hope for the best for you and that this is not as serious as I am describing, but it is better to be safe, and these are symptoms you or your doctors must not ignore.  If this at any point dramatically worsens, just go directly to the emergency department.  Right now this is not an issue of pain management, it is one of trying to find whether you have nerve compression in the lower spine.  This is irreversible, so the sooner it is treated, the less the damage.  I am being very dramatic here, but I believe with good reason.  You need to take this very very seriously.  Please do let us know how you get on.  If you get the all clear - great.  THEN you can concentrate on the pain, but right now you need to find the source of this numbness.

[InPain4evr]

Thank you for your post. I have tried, since waking from surgery, to make my doctor believe that there was something very wrong. She never did and still doesn't. I've spent hundreds of hours researching online the various symptoms I have and came up with plenty. All nerve related. The doctor will not listen. I have been treated for infection twice. As soon as I finish with the antibiotic the infection returns. I currently have another infection(unknown origin) and the doctor won't treat me as I don't seem to get better with the antibiotic.
An MRI was done of my spine but not pelvic. My doctor is of firm belief that all the pain is from a very mild case of stenosis(she insists I had prior to surgery) and only wants to give me an epidural steroid injection.  I can assure you I did not have a numb, tingly and painful butt/legs, urinary problems/infections or pain when sitting, standing or walking before surgery so it definately happened in the operating room.
I did go to another doctor for a second opinion who feels I have pelvic floor muscle spasms. He prescribed pelvic PT for that. He also found the infection(vaginal/urinary) and said I should follow that up with my PCP. My PCP has since sent me to another doctor with in the group, who I won't see until 6/22, for evuation of pelvic pain as she is at a loss for what to do.
From the things I described the new doctor felt I have nerve related problems and put me on gabapentin. I don't particularly care for the drunken feeling but the pain has dulled and I can finally sit and walk like a normal person.
Symptoms are being treated. Now all I need is a doctor who can find the cause of all this and try to fix it. I really need to get rid of this infection.
My ideas: femoral neuralgia, pudendal neuralgia, piriformis syndrome; a combination of all 3, obturator nerve damage caused by wrong angle of insertion of TVTape, possible cause for infection; body trying to reject stitches at vaginal cuff and polypropelene TVTape still imbedded in groin.