Lower Back Spinal Fusion Update, Six Days Post Op.

[Montecfo]

My surgery was decades ago, but I wore a brace for 6 months and had little physical activity other than walking.

It took several months for the sciatic nerve pain to go away-nerves heal. Slowly.

Mine was a neurologist, which was good I suppose since I had a complication and ended up needing a 2nd surgery a couple of months in.

 

[frayne]

Just another comment, there are plenty of youtube videos detailing individual experiences with back surgery that are well worth watching.

 

[JoeWras]

My surgery was done by an Ortho, although he did a fellowship with a Neuro. Lower back. Success.

 

[Walt34]

Do you mind sharing what type of surgeon you are seeing?

This was a neurosurgeon, several months ago. The first thing he said to me was "You are not a candidate for surgery". I have mixed thoughts on that - I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of surgery, but that's now off the table as an option too. The good news is that it does seem to be very slowly resolving by itself. Perhaps counterintuitively when I stopped going to the gym because of COVID concerns that resulted in, or at least coincided with, a huge improvement.

So for now "Doing nothing" seems the best course to take.

 

[JoeWras]

This was a neurosurgeon, several months ago. The first thing he said to me was "You are not a candidate for surgery". I have mixed thoughts on that - I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of surgery, but that's now off the table as an option too. The good news is that it does seem to be very slowly resolving by itself. Perhaps counterintuitively when I stopped going to the gym because of COVID concerns that resulted in, or at least coincided with, a huge improvement.

So for now "Doing nothing" seems the best course to take.

I waited a year because bouts before usually resolved in a few months for the previous 30 years. Most insurance plans put you through a protocol that will take many months before surgery. This usually make sense. There are some rare exceptions such as if you have lost bladder control.

I had constant 5-level pain with spikes to 10-level every day. 10-level pain in my book completely incapacitates you, crumples you to the floor. Happened to me every day. My co-workers got used to it and gave me space knowing it wasn't a heart attack.

I knew I was in trouble when when I'd tilt my head down a few degrees, a shot of pain would rip through my calf. Via my surgeon, I later learned that the nerves in your spine freely stretch through the canal. One of my roots was rubbing on a sharp spur. After surgery, I did an excercise called "flossing the nerve." Sitting in a chair, I raise my leg and then bend back and forward the neck. Amazing that a neck movement translates to nerve movement in the lumbar region. This is a good exercise for anyone with sciatica, not just surgery candidates pre- or post-.

 

[big-papa]

L5-S1 lumbar discectomy around 2007. Long term golfer and had both backpain and sciatic pain that wouldn't go away. Went through all of the usual things
- pain management including 2 cortisone injections. Nope.
- First round of PT that went with pain management. Nope
- Second route of PT that happened after contacting surgeon. Nope.
- Finally, the surgery. Yep!

After pain management, it became obvious to me that the problem was structural. After two rounds of PT, I had the world's strongest back - that still hurt.

Quick recovery and back at it. I do have some minor pain very occasionally, but it's orders of magnitude less than pre-surgery!

cheers.

 

[Dinker01]

DH is looking at spinal fusion. Multiple neuro surgeons confirmed that it’s just a matter of when for him. Can anyone give advice on whether you prepped for surgery and recovery - losing weight, building muscle, etc beforehand, I’m concerned he will have a hard time with recovery carrying ~30 extra lbs and weak muscles.

 

[JoeWras]

DH is looking at spinal fusion. Multiple neuro surgeons confirmed that it’s just a matter of when for him. Can anyone give advice on whether you prepped for surgery and recovery - losing weight, building muscle, etc beforehand, I’m concerned he will have a hard time with recovery carrying ~30 extra lbs and weak muscles.

The prospect of surgery should be a huge motivator. You want to be as healthy as possible going into it.

A few tips:

• Continue to do any and all exercises prescribed, despite the pain. Yes, you need the muscle. I suggest swimming, although that is difficult in COVID times.
• Walk, walk, walk. Your main exercise after surgery, at first, will be walking. Get a head start and build those muscles.
• Try to lose some weight but don't go on starvation. Some people lose weight and it fixes their problem!
• Avoid alcohol and all other sin stuff.
• Keep a positive outlook.
• Once you make your decision avoid youtube videos of past patients. There are many good stories, but there are also a slew of bad stories. Yes, there are bad outcomes. It doesn't do any good to obsess over them once you decide to do surgery. I'd avoid this board too.
• Buy a quality grabber. You may get one as part of your OT package. It doesn't hurt to have multiple.

 

[Bamaman]

I just got out of surgery on two days agony UCSF. I have stenosis, which caused a painful topical burning sensation as if a hot iron was on my left thigh! I been on Lyrica, Advil and Tylenol nightly. I had T12 and L3 decompressed on the outer side which will relieve the pinch. The nerve is still active due to the chafing even though it is now free from the vertebrae pinch. I am hopeful that this will do it since I have been battling my leg pain for 6 years. Surgery was my last option but I think it was my only choice.

I will update in a few weeks to see how successful the surgery has been for me!

I assume you had a laminectomy for the stenosis. My wife had the surgery about 15 years ago as her leg started buckling while walking. She fell down the steps twice and really hurt herself.

You were very fortunate to have gone 6 years in your condition. Hopefully the surgery solved your problem. Doctors are getting better and better in many areas of medicine.

I'm getting ready this a.m. to take my wife for her monthly visit to the pain management clinic. Anyone with debilitating pain really should be under the care of such a physician. We've just seen too many people be "HE MEN" and not taken any action to address serious pain. Very often, they're too late going to the right specialist and the damage done cannot be reversed medically or surgically.

We'll be optimistic that you're on the path to great improvements.

 

[Bamaman]

I have 2 nerve ablations for L4-5 scheduled in a few weeks. The first set a couple years ago gave me fantastic relief for about 10 months. First time in many years I had NO lower back pain. The second set this past February only lasted 2 months. I recently had an MRI and have the 2 NA's scheduled (insurance won't let my doc do them together anymore). If this NA doesn't work then he'll probably send me to a surgeon. I may try a chiropractor that specializes in decompression therapy before that though. Thankfully I can get by without pain pills so far. But am limited in physical activities.
Hope your back surgery solves your problems and you get back to activities soon!

I assume you've already been through a protocol of steroid shots prior to the nerve ablation. My wife's had a couple of ablations over the years, and they did a good job for her. She remains under care of a great anesthesiologist with a fellowship in pain management. Don't worry about the pain medicine, as if you need it you need it.

If your physical activities are limiting you activities and quality of life, get a referral to a good pain management clinic.

If you go to the right doctor, you will have no need for a chiropractor. Some of them are good, but many scare me. I'd avoid them.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Our clients that used neurosurgeons had the best outcomes by far. My second husband had the surgery 40 years ago with a good neurologist and he is still fine.

 

[folivier]

Quick update, the last nerve ablation lasted until late fall then the pain started coming back slowly. I'm now back to almost daily pain of about 2-4 but still able to do almost anything I want or need to do. I had planned to have steroid injections in late Nov. or Dec. but didn't because of, well don't need to say. I'm seeing my pain management doc this week and will see if we can schedule another round of NA. Hopefully that'll get me through the summer. I do have some pain after the NA's when I overdo things but only for a couple days. I've also been taking CBD oil sublingually for a year now and it helps quite a bit with the daily pain. I'm no longer taking any nsaids or pain pills so that is a +.

 

[Ologist]

I had an anterior posterior inter body L4-L5 fusion in 1995. In 2002 I had the screws and rods removed due to “painful instrumentation”.
I had the surgery due to DDD, degenerative disc disease with instability. Put off having the surgery for at least five years before going under the knife.
In 95 I was 43 yrs old with a wife and two small kids. Now I have been retired since 2016.
Occupation, anesthesiologist did not want to have surgery knew the risks. After surgery worked part time till retirement.
In the past 30yrs there have been improvements in surgical technique but it still not 100% successful, not even close.
Would I do it again, have the surgery. Certainly would not let them cut me both front and back.
Anyone contemplating lumbar fusion think long and hard and get multiple opinions! My belief for the lower back the less invasive the better.

 

[Ian S]

This summer will mark 40 years since I had L4-5 surgery to deal with a ruptured disc. My surgeon was a pioneer in using a microsurgical technique that, for the time, was minimally invasive. I had dealt with sciatica for over two years trying just about any non-surgical therapy available at the time. My surgery was a success, no fusion was required, and with some temporary setbacks over the years, my back has been pretty pain free. I suppose it helped that at the time of the surgery I was only 29. No MRI at the time; the definitive pre-surgical test was a myelogram which caused more discomfort for me than the surgery itself. I guess they are still used sometimes.