SPINAL FUSION 7 YEARS AGO. EXCEEDINGLY BAD PAIN LUMBAR REGION

Oh and go and see your doc tomorrow if you can, taking diazapam long term is highly addictive and Iv done withdrawal from them once before and it was awful, you may need some anti inflamitories 😊

Carolineq8 cheers for getting back, I do not usually take Diazepam only if I get Muscle Spasms in my back. I was on Anti-inflammatories and my GP took me off of them because now i have recently gone on to HRT Patches I am 58 now.  I have A rthritis both knees and my left hip, I had hip surgery last year on my other hip. I also have Arthritis in  2 toes. I recently had my blood pressure taken is was high so at the time my GP could not put me on HRT patches until my BP went down,  I am on AMLODIPINE 5mg. for my BP.  I have to take 9 Gabapentin a day  30mg, so many other meds too.   I do not know if my screws a loose I am just guessing they may be ok, I will not know until I  have an x-ray. Mri Scan. My meds are just masking the pain i need to get to the root of the problem. When I walk the pressure is taken off of my back so the pain is a little less. I do not sleep much I only get a couple of hours a night. My back problems are my facet joints. Before I had my surgery I had the spinal injections which were great which took the pain away so then that was the go-ahead for surgery. I can't have the Titanium taken out as it acts like scaffolding as my discs are fine, well i hope they are, The difficult thing is that all the middle of my back takes the pressure goes into spasms, I go out for a walk and it takes me 4 days to get over it, my body takes ages to recover just from a walk, my whole body hurts when i get home.  

Sorry guys 300mg Gabapentin not 30 lol x

I have the faucet joint and SI joint injections 3 time per year, why are you not still having them? You should ask to start them again, I know I would have no life at all without them.

I also have upper back and neck spasms (rhomboid and trapezius) the operation caused a thoracic arachnoid cyst compressing my spinal cord and I take diazapam but very sparingly after withdrawals I don't want to go through that again, Iv also done withdrawal from opioids and Ye they did mask my pain as well.

I can't walk to the bottom of my path now without wanting to buckle with the pain and just had a letter saying he won't be operating or removing the screws so I'm waiting for a second opinion.

Hopefully it's a flare up your having and will settle soon without any more surgery, it seems youve had a lot to cope with😊

You should ask for a second opinion😊

Also you say your fusion didn't take but the screws are being used like scaffolding, now this is guess work but I'm assuming that when my fusion did not take my screws also acted like scaffolding but eventually wirh the added weight on them this is how they became loose, now like I say I'm not a doc but seems probable to me😊

I have not been back to see my back surgeon. I trained as a Holistic Therapist many years ago so I know how the systems of the body work. I have had so much happen to me since my spinal surgery one thing after the other. I forgot to mention to you that I have had neck pain for months, i am seeing a Physio in November. I am one of those people that before I had back pain many years ago I hardly went to the doctors. My neck cracks and is so loud I am unable to turn my neck to the right very well.  Will let you know how that goes. I was working at the time many years ago and my back just started hurting and did not stop, it got so bad I had to give up work. Caroline, what was wrong with your back originally? if you do not mind me asking what meds are you taking?, Having hip surgery twice last year was the pits it almost broke my spirit. x

Your story sounds like mine, I also have cervical spondylosis because of all this and like you was never ill, I was a personal trainer and beauty therapist and my back got really bad while doing beauty treatments to the point my back started going into spasm and I would be laid up every other week for a week and couldn't take care of my children.

I started on fentalyn but became really ill then one opiod after another but I don't think I tolerate them well but then was put on palexia/tapentadol 300 mg per day for 2 years, I went down to 6.5 stone (5ft7) and was basically surviving on chocolate because I could not eat, I new I was unwell but looking back the drug had altered my thoughts, got the strength from somewhere to stop them and went through 6 months of hell, I still get PAWS a year on and in chronic pain but despite all this I'm in a much better place mentally.

If I was you go back and see your GO and ask to be referred again to a new surgeon, can I ask what you do now for faucet joint pain? 😊

What part of your back was fused?` x

Sorry, l4/5 I had a prolapsed disc, they removed it used artificial bone from the spinosis process a cage 4 screws and 2 plates, still didn't work😂😂

My neck has c2.3.4.5.6 bulging discs, multi level bone spurs and lordosis, never had a problem with any other part of my spine until this op, wish I'd never let them touch me, I was 32 at the time now 46 😊

My spine as it is, my discs at the time were fine, he told me my facets joints had basically had it, so he put Titanium rods and the screws it. Because I had L5 S1 done it restricts that part from moving rightly so hence having all the metal in it. I remember when I tried to wash our grandson's bottles at the sink I could not do them thank goodness for my darling husband who is on hand. Just brushing my teeth I have to lean against the sink. You know what I  am talking about. I would say that the pain I get aches in my middle and upper back and the spasm in the middle, I  can't even lift my grandson up so upsetting. I do not get the pain I had before my surgery which is a blessing. Are you on Facebook? What do you think is wrong with my neck?, If I am laying still say on my side it is fine, I only have 1 pillow. I  never lay on my tummy as is suppresses my spine and it hurts. When I had hip surgery I had to lay on my back for 16 weeks I am not a back sleeper how I  did it looking back I will never know, I have 2 walking crutches x I think I have Arthritis in my neck. I have read that some people have the hardware taken out if they are in pain, but I am not in that sort of pain and I could not have mine out anyway it is acting as my facet joints x

 

I think you would benefit from injections again or at least try.

Sometimes the discs go above and below, mine have a little bit there not compressing anything so I know there not causing pain, did you know you can get chiropractic pillows or water pillows, they worked great for me at first but then became to heavy, I also have one really flat pillow, have you tried chiro treatment I see mine 1-3 times per week he's absolutely brilliant and I swear he's kept me out of a wheelchair so far.

What about ice/heat packs I get mine from Lidl there really good and ice works brill for my neck, I'm not sure and wouldn't like to say what is wrong with your neck but ask for an MRI of your whole spine and neck, you have to shout loud otherwise youl still be like this a year down the line and no further forward.

I remember a couple of years back my friend had a baby and she put her in my arms and I couldn't hold her weight she was 2 weeks old, from then I have wandered how I will cope if I'm ever a granny and it does really upset me.

My husband and kids are brilliant but the guilt of not being able to work or simple daily tasks kills me. I also have 2 crutches and back braces but I don't go many places now so don't need the crutches to much,

Ye I'm on Facebook

Caroline Hopkinson from Newcastle 😊

My surgeon did not take any of my hip bone, he does not do that, i think that is my my body rejected it because my own hip was not part of the process x

Ye they say it's the best part to take it from to get the best results But I have read that this also causes a lot of pain after suregery as well 😊