Cauda equina syndrome (CES)

Posted by sheabebabe @sheabebabe, May 2, 2017

2011 I started with pain down my legs I could hardly walk it was so painful. After the MRI didn't come out well at a clinic I went to the hospital suicidal saying I'd rather die than live like that another day. They did MRI and found I had L5S1 slipped disk. They admitted me for pain management and started me on pain meds. I was relived finally I knew what was wrong and had meds to help the pain. Found a pain clinic and my first injection was wonderful took the shooting leg pain away. I tried a couple more with little success then the last on he knick something which caused a large hematoma. So very painful. Swore I'd never do it again. Last nov I turned from the sink heard a pop and instant pain I thought it was like other times where some prednisone would do the trick. It got worse I started loosing feeling below and pee just poured out when I stood. I went right to ER. The surgery they said I could not have because of weight was finally being done. 5 months later I still have tons of nerve type pain and I have a foley cuz I have Cauda equina syndrome (CES).

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

Profile picture for skiprel1957 @skiprel1957

I can't seem to find a group for cauda equine syndrome so I chose chronic pain. So if there are People on here with CES please respond. My name is Skip, had back surgery and had a blood clot after surgery. It compressed the nerves at the nerve root, have most of the normal problems. Bad back pain, numbness down my legs, pins and needles in my feet, have to use a cane or wheelchair, loss of bladder function, terrible rectal nerve pain, I could go on, but if you have CES you no what I mean. Have had this for about 8 months now and I would like to hear from anyone who has had treatment for CES. My pain Dr. has no clue what to do. Just on pain meds now and would like to know if spinal injections would help. This stuff is really bad, Lyrica doesn't seem to help, Morphine and Oxycodone help but in no way takes the pain away. I really hate the mornings when the meds have wore off a bit and I have to get out of bed, sometimes I take a pain pill and give it a half hour or so then get up. The pain just continues to worsen and I'm concerned about the future. My Surgeon just stuck his head in the sand, wouldn't even discuss my diagnosis with me just wrote it down so I could Google it. He has virtually told me nothing. Will never go back to him. See a new Surgeon in a couple of weeks. Would love to hear your stories.

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Generally in CE urinary incontinence is considered a red flag warning in CE and requires immediate attention of a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon.
https://www.ceslife.org/red-flags.html

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Profile picture for jenatsky @jenatsky

Generally in CE urinary incontinence is considered a red flag warning in CE and requires immediate attention of a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon.
https://www.ceslife.org/red-flags.html

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Thank you so much I working on getting a Neuro.

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Profile picture for jenatsky @jenatsky

Generally in CE urinary incontinence is considered a red flag warning in CE and requires immediate attention of a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon.
https://www.ceslife.org/red-flags.html

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Do you think that a neurosurgeon is required for pudendal problem? I am presently working with an anesthesiologist.

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Profile picture for skiprel1957 @skiprel1957

I can't seem to find a group for cauda equine syndrome so I chose chronic pain. So if there are People on here with CES please respond. My name is Skip, had back surgery and had a blood clot after surgery. It compressed the nerves at the nerve root, have most of the normal problems. Bad back pain, numbness down my legs, pins and needles in my feet, have to use a cane or wheelchair, loss of bladder function, terrible rectal nerve pain, I could go on, but if you have CES you no what I mean. Have had this for about 8 months now and I would like to hear from anyone who has had treatment for CES. My pain Dr. has no clue what to do. Just on pain meds now and would like to know if spinal injections would help. This stuff is really bad, Lyrica doesn't seem to help, Morphine and Oxycodone help but in no way takes the pain away. I really hate the mornings when the meds have wore off a bit and I have to get out of bed, sometimes I take a pain pill and give it a half hour or so then get up. The pain just continues to worsen and I'm concerned about the future. My Surgeon just stuck his head in the sand, wouldn't even discuss my diagnosis with me just wrote it down so I could Google it. He has virtually told me nothing. Will never go back to him. See a new Surgeon in a couple of weeks. Would love to hear your stories.

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An anesthesia pain doc is a good place to begin and if that doc isn’t successful in controlling your symptoms ask about a neuro referral.

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Profile picture for jenatsky @jenatsky

An anesthesia pain doc is a good place to begin and if that doc isn’t successful in controlling your symptoms ask about a neuro referral.

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Pretty well got the pain controlled it's the incontinence that is not being controlled and is a big problem. Thanks for the reply.

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Profile picture for Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung

Hi @jwm61, I moved your question about cauda equina symptoms and surgery to this existing discussion:
- Cauda Equina Syndrome: Pain, symptoms, management & prognosis
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/cauda-equina/
I did this so that you can join the discussion, read previous posts and connect easily with members like @debicottle @jenniferhunter @angelicscripts @debkl @jenatsky and many others.

What symptoms are you experiencing? Are you considering surgery?

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Experiencing some pain, but the main thing is the problem of incontinence. Not considering surgery at this time. Thanks for your input on this condition.

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Profile picture for skiprel1957 @skiprel1957

I can't seem to find a group for cauda equine syndrome so I chose chronic pain. So if there are People on here with CES please respond. My name is Skip, had back surgery and had a blood clot after surgery. It compressed the nerves at the nerve root, have most of the normal problems. Bad back pain, numbness down my legs, pins and needles in my feet, have to use a cane or wheelchair, loss of bladder function, terrible rectal nerve pain, I could go on, but if you have CES you no what I mean. Have had this for about 8 months now and I would like to hear from anyone who has had treatment for CES. My pain Dr. has no clue what to do. Just on pain meds now and would like to know if spinal injections would help. This stuff is really bad, Lyrica doesn't seem to help, Morphine and Oxycodone help but in no way takes the pain away. I really hate the mornings when the meds have wore off a bit and I have to get out of bed, sometimes I take a pain pill and give it a half hour or so then get up. The pain just continues to worsen and I'm concerned about the future. My Surgeon just stuck his head in the sand, wouldn't even discuss my diagnosis with me just wrote it down so I could Google it. He has virtually told me nothing. Will never go back to him. See a new Surgeon in a couple of weeks. Would love to hear your stories.

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Depending on where you live maybe a university teaching hospital and the bigger the better. You want to have the best poking around inside your spine.

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Profile picture for jenatsky @jenatsky

Depending on where you live maybe a university teaching hospital and the bigger the better. You want to have the best poking around inside your spine.

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willing to travel!

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Profile picture for jwm61 @jwm61

willing to travel!

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@jwm61 Are you considering a place like Mayo or Cleveland Clinic? There will be a wait time to get in if you have insurance that they accept. I am a Mayo spine surgery patient and the care there is excellent.

Here is Mayo's insurance and billing information.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance
If you wanted to apply at any Mayo Campus, here is a link to get started.
http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
There are also smaller hospitals under the Mayo Clinic Health System and you may find a neurosurgeon at the Mankato, MN hospital. These hospitals have access to send patients to Mayo for testing, etc, while providing surgery at their local hospital. The wait time may not be as long as for Mayo Clinic. I do know Dr. Murphy at Mankato because she was a resident neurosurgeon when I was at Mayo Clinic for spine surgery and she helped with my discharge.
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/locations/mankato
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/locations/mankato/services-and-treatments/neurosurgery
Jennifer

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Profile picture for skiprel1957 @skiprel1957

I can't seem to find a group for cauda equine syndrome so I chose chronic pain. So if there are People on here with CES please respond. My name is Skip, had back surgery and had a blood clot after surgery. It compressed the nerves at the nerve root, have most of the normal problems. Bad back pain, numbness down my legs, pins and needles in my feet, have to use a cane or wheelchair, loss of bladder function, terrible rectal nerve pain, I could go on, but if you have CES you no what I mean. Have had this for about 8 months now and I would like to hear from anyone who has had treatment for CES. My pain Dr. has no clue what to do. Just on pain meds now and would like to know if spinal injections would help. This stuff is really bad, Lyrica doesn't seem to help, Morphine and Oxycodone help but in no way takes the pain away. I really hate the mornings when the meds have wore off a bit and I have to get out of bed, sometimes I take a pain pill and give it a half hour or so then get up. The pain just continues to worsen and I'm concerned about the future. My Surgeon just stuck his head in the sand, wouldn't even discuss my diagnosis with me just wrote it down so I could Google it. He has virtually told me nothing. Will never go back to him. See a new Surgeon in a couple of weeks. Would love to hear your stories.

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Hello,

I have Cauda Equina Syndrome which is getting worse everyday. I was operated on over 3.5 years ago which made everything worse. I have a lot of other issues and on both immunosuppressants and nerve pain medications. Just asking if anyone is in the same boat and has any useful advice

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