Post lumbar laminectomy

Hey Sandra38042

I'm 52 yr old female and I had spinal stenosis twice. 7 was ago I had a laminectomy on my L-3 l-4 and instantly felt healed until a week later. Same complaints as u! I'm just laying here in bed waiting for someone to bring me some ice packs or something. My lower back feels like it pinched the hell outta my nerves all across my back both sides and my legs are cramping up and involuntary muscles are spazzing in my legs. My norco don't seem to be working at all. This is the second time this happened to me since my surgery. I requested another MRI & did find out that I have edema fluid sacs in my spine & it's makes it more swollen. Try to lose top weight I need too. I get a lot of rest too but this pain keeps happening. All we can do is pray cuz I don't want to end up in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. My surgeon said the edema fluid is normal. I hope! I also broke my femor bone when I was 16 yrs old. That leg grew longer causing my S-1 l-5 & l-4 l-5 to wear and slip their disc and I have to live with those bones touching.they have gotten to degenerteated & too late in my life to fuse them. WEll Sandra, I'm just as miserable as u. Hang in there. God bless us both!

Hi, I'm 50, and just had an L5/S1 lumbar fusion with laminectomy. I also have cadaver bone to help support my discs. I was in terrible pain for about 3-4 weeks after surgery. The next few weeks seemed to be getting better a little at a time. All of a sudden, the numbNess is back in my right thigh with a vengeance. This is so annoying. I thought I was on my way to recovering. Now I have trouble standing up again without assistance. So frustrating! !!

What is OD

I had thi L4 L5 S1 fused in 2006. I have problems with low back pain all the time and both leg are in pain and twitch. All the doctors have done for was give me a fentenal 75 mg patch , Vicodin and muscle relaxers. The doctors don't know what they are doing. If I wasn't to do this again I wouldn't. Thanks Rick

Sandra38042 I have had the exact surgery several years ago 2012 to be exact however, what you describe above is amazingly the exact pain and problems I'm having today! I can't believe I have found someone who finally suffers this pain the way I do, now, I just DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT! I am sick of seeking answers and always given the same answers which always lead to more surgery. Please contact me if you should find my response relatively helpful. Maybe together we can find it possible to stand more than 10 minutes without looking for a chair. The pain is getting worse! NOT BETTER!!😖

Hi, it's me again & I just want to ask you if you ever did request another MRI from your neurosurgeon? It's what you need to do. If your still having those pains in your hips, groin and thighs, you may have a spinal cord injury. Get a second opinion, too, from another surgeon & show that surgeon ur post op MRI, too! Wish you all the best!

Hi , I am 5 weeks out from lumbar fusion L3/4 and had a large cyst that was pressing on my spinal cord. I am walking around , still waking up at night in pain and yes there are tears at times I feel achy over my entire body right now I'm not sure what that is all about but maybe I'm coming down the something. I probably have been doing more than I should and we are moving it is not the most opportune time to go through this. But had to be done as my left leg went numb from pressure . If I didn't address it I could've wound up paralyzed

The pain is horrible I am on medication but I faithfully take when I miss a dose or sleep through others , I wind up in tears from the pain. Before surgery I was told I would be driving after two weeks well we're at five or six weeks and there is no way I could get behind the wheel. I know we're not in the same spot but I agree the pain is horrible

I hope your feeling better !!

MJ

Hi new to the forum I just had a fusion of the l-5.l-4 a month ago my question is how do I ask a question on this forum, because today I sneezed and fell to the ground it was like having a knife stab in my right side then I have been able to stand with out the loan being so severe it was like the day after the surgery any idea????

I am 6 years post op with fusion at L4/L5 and L5/S1 and to this day, I cannot walk or stand for more than 10 minutes. The pressure I feel in my lower back is so painful it brings me to the floor if I don't sit myself down. But... life must go on and having gotten married a year and s half ago, I have an obligation to show up for my life partner, pain or not. He's amazing and I'm so blessed to be his wife, he doesn't demand anything of me. I place certain demands on myself because he deserves a wife who is the kind of partner he is.

But that's not easy, doctors refuse to prescribe pain meds because I'm so young, not even 40, and dependence will eventually render them ineffective. Completely disregardING my diminished quality of life. Like you, getting up in the morning is so painful, some days it takes me three hours. Getting up from sitting for any length of time world be comical of I was watching it on TV. But I'm not. It's me that looks like an old lady, awkwardly and slowly rising from my chair as I wait for my spine to release the ever constant seizing. It's mortifying to know my husband see's me like this.

I expected the agony of my annular tears, a result of a car accidenthat. I was a passenger, riding with my feet on the dash when a 94 year old man plowed into us at 55 mph, never hitting the breaks. I was crunched like a taco and blew out my bottom 2 discs and bashed my head into the passenger side window. This left me with a concussed inert ear canal, severe pain and 50% loss of hearing in my right ear. All of which continues, untreatable, right along with my back pain. I'm not a self pittying kind of woman and despite all of this, am still an eternal optimist. I just want a little relief from all of this pain.

I've read a few accounts from back surgery patients who had the same post op symptoms that are relieved with surgery to remove their hardware. I'm going to see if this is an available option and hope for the best. I hope everyone posting here finds relief. God bless

Also, a year and a half post surgery, my 90 pound puppy, in her excitement to greet mommy coupled with needing to go potty, accidentally knocked me off my porch steps. There are 5 of themy so it was quite a fall. I landed on rocks, on my left side and broke my shoulder and several ribs. They did x-rays and said my back was fine. A year later my gp ordered an mri and found a collapsing vertebrae at L1 that he gauged had been healing for about a year. This has increased the work load of all the other vertebrae, the pressure even more intense.

Does anyone have any thoughts? I could really use some guidance, any kind of information that would revive my hope tank

Hello I'm also 50 years of age I had a spinal fusion in 1994 L4-5 S1 so this means 2 rods with 6 screws, they also take bone from your hip area to make cement to cover foreign objects.

Prior to my operation I was in constant pain, now a days it's no different just manageable or that's what I say to myself constant medication.

22 yrs later my biggest problem is straightening myself my lower back is always stiff soreness to the left side of my back Chiropratic has not been able to fix this problem over the last 12 months.

Exercise is a must but like a lot of people I have struggled over years of depression because of the pain and loss of enjoyment.

So Sandra be strong meditate 90% of our pain is in our head the other 10% feels like 1000% lol

Hi, I have had long standing severe low back pain (>20 yrs.) which has caused the muscles on the right side to become spastic,so much so it has torqued my spine and has caused scoliosis.  I had a fusion almost 4 mos ago at the same level as you did and yes I am going thru the same type of pain.  I am trying to get to aqua therapy once to twice a week and it's great being in the pool - I can move almost normally!  But it is difficult once I get out of the pool.  I have also added weekly therapeutic massages to try to break up the spastic muscles as my back tries to right itself.  It is painful and while muscle relaxers/antianxiety meds help nothing really takes that pain away.  I don't know the answer but I know it took 20 years for my back to get this bad, and I guess its going to take a while for everything to right itself.  I have heard many wonderful stories from the members who have done this consistently - many of which have greater damage than me.  I think it has to be some combination of PT (which I don't think I could do traditional PT) and someone who is experienced in massage meant to try to break up some of these spasms.  At times I feel disgusted - I mean I had the surgery, I should be doing more without pain.  But consider what it took for your back to get so bad over time.  It's going to take some time before you receive total relief.  Try not to be so hard on yourself, try aqua-therapy & therapeutic massages (not poo-poo feel good spa massages and not sports medicine massages but someone who knows and will work with you to break down the muscles, fascia and allow your back to get a break.  Most of all - you must put together a rehab plan together with your surgeon.  Also of note:  I was told to not do anything for the 1st 3 mos. to allow the surgery to completely heal.  Good luck and I hope that you start feeling better soon.

 

Oh wow I'm about 3 years late ... your story sounds like mine right now . How did you resolve it ?

I am a 68 year old female who had L4, L5 laminectomy in October 2016.  I have a rod with 6 screws.  I also had a spinal fusion at S1 level at same time.  Prior to surgery I was in severe pain and was barely able to walk.  After surgery I was able to walk with a walker for awhile.  After a couple of months, along with some pain meds, I seemed to be walking better and then could walk on my own.  I was also taking minimal pain medication.  This past February 2016 I started to get bad spasms in legs, often have hip pain on left side.  I now struggle to get up and down from chairs or the toilet seat.  It is very uncomfortable for me to get in and out of car.  I use a cane when I have to go out in public for stability.  I was told that I would probably show signs of improvement after 6 months after surgery, but after 6 months it has gotten worse.  I am now told that it will take approximately a year for more healing.  Was told that pain probably caused by muscle, nerves, and ligamints that were damaged needed to heal.

I have had physical therapy, I can exercise some but I cannot walk properly.  I am always in a low grade cronic pain.  While I am sitted or lying down I not in pain.  When I have to get up I get pain and stiffness in hips.  I try not to sit or lay too long.  Just enough for a little relief.  When I am stranding straight and in place my back feel wonderful - no pain.

I have such pain walking that when I need the exercise I go to one of the big, air conditioned stores, Target, for instance, and I get myself a cart and walk the perimiter of the store several times and also like to go up and down all aisles.

Hope my comments have been helpful.  I appreciate input from anyone else who has gone through this process.