Connect
← Return to Radiculopathy vs Peripheral Neuropathy - weakness in calves
Discussion
Radiculopathy vs Peripheral Neuropathy - weakness in calves
Neuropathy | Last Active: Nov 2 10:07pm | Replies (46)Comment receiving replies
@heisenberg34 What "additional surgery" has been proposed? A re-do of the fusion? More fusion? After my laminectomy, when I began noticing the numbness in my feet, the spine surgeon said, "If I had gone ahead and done the fusion of L4/L5/S1 at the time of the laminectomy, that would probably have prevented the issues with your feet. That was over a year ago and he hasn't mentioned surgery since. They I read that you HAD a fusion and it still did NOT resolve your issues. So it does give me pause. If I felt the fusion had a "good chance" of improving my radiculopathy, I'd jump on the OR table right away. But, of course, there are no certainties or guarantees with surgery. The way he explained it makes perfect sense. "If we fuse, we remove the disc tissue between the vertebrae and place a spacer, which will increase the space back to its original height between the vertebrae. Since I have NO disc left at L5/S1, this would add half an inch just in that one space. Returning the height between vertebrae would open the foramen on each side and allow more space for the nerves to exit the spine without being compromised." So.... mechanically.... it sounds like the perfect solution. But no guarantee. š Obviously, the skiing may have aggravated or worsened something. Seems it would at least be time to ask for another MRI to take a closer look!!
Replies to "@heisenberg34 What "additional surgery" has been proposed? A re-do of the fusion? More fusion? After my..."
Mike thanks for your inquiries and search. As mine is similar from obviously different circumstances. As they all are, Iāll try and be brief which is difficult with these situations. As the devilās in the details and they grow fastā¦ Couple ?s to start if ya donāt mind. The feelings in Ur feet is it like numbness and pressure. With occasional searing or shooting pain from a toe or toes? Now the pain/numbness in your feet, doesnāt radiate down Ur leg, right? More so isolated to Ur feet? Also curious why it was 9 mos. Before seeing a neurologist? Alright now to your ?s my situation and my reasoningsā¦ Ultimately kind of addressing ?s in cpl. of Ur posts. Iām gonna skip the pregame and try to stick to my points for Ya. I had a long onset drop foot on my left side. Never felt it, just slowly noticed it slapping the floor more. Had a cpl. Incidences where it caught the floor and I went down. Never wore an AFO brace until Jan. of 23. So Apr. 29th of 23 I had a TILF with hardware from L3 -L5. Skipping L5-S1 stating that it would shorten surgery time. But may require maintenance in the future. So of course at the time I thought thatās going to allow me more flexibility. So I went along with the plan. The surgery wasnāt done to address the drop foot but because of tightness I had developed in my glutes and hamstrings. Initially after surgery I wasnāt walking as much as I was supposed to, due to the drop foot. And concern I may catch it and go down with my new fusion and hardwareā¦ So I started a new job on Aug 20th a desk job. And began walking more, not crazy amounts but more. And both my feet start to feel odd. Numb as well as pressure like an Ace Bandage wrapped around them. And became aware of three spots on my back. Two at the belt line, one about 6-7 inches up close to my spine all left side. So I called my surgical team to tell them about it and request an EMG. So his PA said weāll just do another MRI. MRI & L5 nerve root injection later, I get my 90 min. EMG and NCS. 4 days later meet with my surgeon, explains nothing to me. Basically has 4 sheets of paper. Points out the name of the diagnosis, with a pen and circles it. U just have to remember this Mononeuritis Multiplex associated w/ Vascilitis. And weāre sending an order to your primary to refer U to someone who practices neuromuscular medicine at the U of M. So I get the call from the scheduler, who sayās un-solicited They said to send U to a regular Neurologist. Which I didnāt ? as I assumed āTheyā know wut there doing. 1st avail. Appt. 4 months, mind you Now on top of studying constantly. The fields of Orthopedics and Neurology. I get to add Autoimmune diseasesā¦ Vasculitis attacking the feet is not a pretty topic. So in Feb. I ask my primary Dr. to refer me to a Rheumatologist with another health care system. Meet with them and they state. I have no idea how they come up with a diagnosis of Vasculitis without any tests. Then Finally April 2024. I meet with the Neurologist who states the tests donāt match the symptoms. So weāll have to run them again and weāll schedule a visit the same day. Go to the Lobby next avail. Appt. 4 mos. Going to 2 part this - last long reply I attempted had difficulty posting. But I will Ultimately pull it all together for U and any other interested Hearers... END PART 1
Connect
Indeed. My fusion may have helped stabilize the vertebrae at L5-S1, but it did nothing to help with the pain. I am getting ready to go to the surgery center and get my old spinal cord stimulator removed. Once healed, will get another MRI to hopefully see what's going on with the back.