Spinal fusion plif

Posted , 5 users are following.

I had surgery 13/2/2017 and ended up with slight infection . After mri i was told it looks like its in right place . I was then moved back to may 11 to see my neurosurgeon . Ive been in weekly contact with my gp ever since and meds have been upped and added . Having numbeness in legs and pain across my buttocks and numbeness round my groin area since the op yesterday sat 22/4/17 i lost control of my bladder and ended up in my local a&e for over 5 hours to be told i need to go to hull a&e for mri as dont do it here . I was given diazapam and told to see what im like in the next 72 hours . Im getting annoyed now as im being passed from pillar to post . .

No one seems interested after surgery done . Im under pt and occupational health as moving is hard and imposiible without my stick ...any ideas on moving forward from this situation would be appreciated ...#veyannoyedand peedoffnow....

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Posted

    hi paul have u had surgery if not and u have no bladder control then u may have caudia equina not sure if spelt right but this is quite serious and needs medical investigation urgently so go to your local a&e for that if you have had surgery andn3 months down the line and you have had more pain or diffrent symthons then i would say go back to gp or if your gp no good get referred to pain team all gps can refer you mate ive had spinal fusion 2 years ago and i am still in pain everyday and on opiates like candy and not worked for over 3 years and i recently been told ive got chronic pain syndrom which is totally incapicated me from doing most normal things in live so you are not alone mate inbox me if you wanna chat about what you going through i might be able to give u some tips regards Jamie

    • Posted

      Yes had surgery 13 feb this year . Plif screws bolts and cage put in lower back l4 l5 +s1 . Been to my local a&e and they are not able to do anything as not specialist ... they want me to go to hull royal ..i feel no one is listening and sick of all this . I have an appointment for paon specialist and also started physio all of which i had to do my self . My meds currently are 80mg zoromorph 12 hrly,900 mg gabapentin 3 times a day , Cyclazine anti sickness . 20mls oramorph 3/4 hrs daily, 75mg amatripyline nightly and now 5mg diazapam (from my local hospital) and 2 muscle spasm tabs 3 times a day ..i can self catherterise but i do not know when i need to pee . I lost bladder control yesterday at 4pm and a&e scanned bladder 8pm and approx 150mls .( i haddnt drank oat ) havent been to or had urge to pee still and its nearly 24 hrs later ...

    • Posted

      Wow i thought i was on some drugs as im on Oycodone 25 mg twice a day & Oxynorm 10 mg in morning & evening & 5 mg lunch & dinner.

      Amitripline 35 mg in evening .

      Lyrica or gabapentin as its same name 200 mg twice a day. Plus senna for constipation and ventolin inhalers for asthma.

      which hospital did the surgery as surely they should be responsible for your after care. And if you have all them problems they need to investigate so what did they say after they scanned your bladder.

      i had similar surgery L5/S1 tlif 4 bolts and screws and cage in feb 15 and im still struggling as you on Zoromorph which is not as strong

    • Posted

      is not as strong as oxycodone you seem to be on alot of drugs bet you like a Zombie mate
    • Posted

      Yeah feel like it at times ....i just want to get better and return to work ...its getting silly now
  • Posted

    Contact yr the hospital who preformed the op they should have a pals hospital liaison complaint s line, I've used mine in the past and they have been spot on , put yr hospital number name and address on email and explain yr situation. Explain if you get no joy with in 7 days yr taking it higher .

  • Posted

    Obviously you aren't in the US and I am a retired US doc, but loss of bowel or bladder that soon after a surgery is considered an emergency and a probable surgical complication.  I am betting that small infection wasn't so small after all and got into the area where the nerves that control your bladder function are and thus caused your problem.  The slow progression of your increasing pain problems indicates to me further evidence of a creeping infection just winding its way along your spinal pathways until it finally hit your nerves to your bladder.  In the states I would suggest a call to your neurosurgeon's office stating your emergency and then arriving at the ER of the hospital where your surgery was done asking them to call your neurosurgeon to come see you.  I really have no idea how your system works, but this problem to me clearly belongs to your neurosurgeon, not your gp or pain management docs.  You need immediate surgery to drain that infection, they will want to do an MRI to see what's going on in there before he does anything, but I am pretty sure you will be seeing the operating room again, or should be.  Losing bladder control after fusion isn't right or expected.

    • Posted

      I had a mri scan 3 weeks after op due to pain .. i was told it looked ok . I then received a letter from my neurosurgeon ( who moved my follow up from 23 march to 11 may ) saying get back to normal and ignore any pain ....

      I will av to go to hull royal a&e for a mri and if anything comes of it transfered to castle hill hospital but it will probably be a'' all looks ok" and sent home .

      Something isnt right all i want is to be treated properly

      And im in uk . A 38 yr old male ...

    • Posted

      Maybe look for medical help out side the area yr Gp can refer u to a private hospital on the nhs . U have every right to ask u just say yr not happy with the previous consultant
  • Posted

    I have to agree with Jessica, if that is how your system works, something is just not right.  Losing bladder function is truly an emergency.
    • Posted

      Hi all just a quick update .. saturday i went to my local a&e with numb legs and bladder loss ...was given diazapam and told if no better come back monday ....monday after being told by neurosugeon nurse to go back to a&e ....8 hours in there they scanned my bladder (75%) full and catherterised me . Did mri scan and told to come back today 25/4/17. After 9 hrs i was rang and sed mri looked ok and my neurosurgeon wants me refered to urology ( which i already was under ) and also wants me refered to a psychyologist......i am really disappointed as im now cathererised till at least 1 june ( urology app) and feel like im being made a liar.... and yes im still on all my previous meds as mentioned .....HELP!!!!! Really disappointed in the system and neuro app 11 may still ....any advice anyone ???

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.