Any Success Stories of Lumbar Stenosis Surgery?

Thank you for a great and uplifting reply. I'm slowly recovering from an operation at L4 and L5. You did a better explanation of the operation than my surgeon. He just said that he had reviewed my x-rays and I had two choices: stay on the opioids and Gabapentin or the operation. I took the operation. I'm off the opioids etc. I have pain-free days and Tylenol Extra Strength usually works other days. I'm working on doing more walking and exercises.
You're inspiring me to do more.

Oh thank you so much your kind words mean the world to me! I'm glad you gave the surgery a try and that it is working. If Tylenol works on days when you have some pain, I'd call that a success. Way better than opioids or gabapentin.

Adding some core exercises will further protect your lumbar spine. Think of it as everyday PT. A search will take you to a bunch of core exercises. Pick some that you like and take it from there.

I wish you all the best, and thank you again for your very kind words.

Like you I had a laminectomy on L1-L3and was considered a failed surgery. Had 2 more surgeries to try and relieve nerve pain in my right thigh. When you say you had leg pain and lower lumbar pain, was this nerve pain? No pain medicine makes the pain go away. The pain finally got so bad that I spent the last 2 days in bed. For the first time in 2 years I didn't have pain so I got up and tried to stand awhile and as soon as I put weight on my leg the pain was back. Is this anything like your pain that you experience? I live in Chicago and have access to some very good medical care. I am going to reach out to an orthopedic group at Rush Hospital to see if there is anything that can be done for the lower back pain and nerve pain. I don't want to live on pain meds forever and I sure don't want to be restricted to bed. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Best of luck for your continued relief.

Try to find a place who will give you a radio frequency nation/ injection ( rfa/rfi) two kinds - a hear and a pulse. Heat works for me! There is dispute whether it can be done in facet joints where there is hardware. Also - find a good deep myofascial release therapist. It’s like a bad painful massage. That you have to pay for because ridiculous is that insurance won’t pay for it. Make sure you have the best orthopedic surgeon you can find. My forth opinion was the prince! That front thigh pain is from nerves being impinged. You need diagnostic testing (epidural or cortisone injection) to diagnose the specific nerve roots which are being a problem. Find a position where you can still keep your body exercising even if it is laying horizontal. Get an order for physical therapy. If you had a failed surgery fix it with another with a GREAT orthopedist. You might not be failed, you just might need more levels attended to. Good luck! Ps - I have had what you exhibit but I had a magnificent surgeon- yet still complications can arise over time. You need to be with an orthosurgeon you trust and see once a year as you age.

Front thigh pain is a result of compressed nerves coming out of the spine or the facet joints. An RFA or an RFI will stop that front thigh pain. When no medicine will. I can’t tell you the stupidity of the medical system when people don’t understand referred pain. I am sorry you are not getting the attention you need to deal with that, if you can still have an RFA or an RFI your facet joints then I suggest you find a pain management clinic that will do it. There are two kinds and pulse, and only the heat worked for me and sometimes you have to have it done twice before it really steps , but for me, it stuck for 15 years the first time and then three years the second time and that’s when we all knew that I was ready for surgery. They should diagnose you which level in your spine is causing your pain each area that you get referred into , correspond to a different nerve root coming out from your spine or facet joints. In other words your pain management doctors should be doing diagnostic treatments to determine exactly where the pains originating from it’s not coming from your thighs.

Thank you for your suggestion. My pain management Dr keeps saying my nerve pain is coming from all the scar tissue from 3 back surgeries añd the nerves are entrapped there. I am sending my MRI to the neurosurgeons at Rush Hospital in Chicago to review and see if the can help.

If you have a good surgeon they can remove the scar tissue and bring relief. Also be sure - there are diagnostic tests that pinpoint WHICH levels. I have pain but my surgery L3-5 is perfect. Its the areas where I didn't have surgery which are now compressing the nerves. It would be best if your pain clinic, nerve, neurology and spine doctor were in the same medical center. OR - you see your orthopedic surgeon and use his referrals to get farmed out to people he works with. That thigh pain is the WORST. In the meantime, find a place that does RFI/RFA that you can go to.

Sorry I guess I missed what does RFI / RFA stands for ?

Wow, sounds like you've been through it all. I have made a list of questions for my pain doctor. My neurosurgeon and pain doctor are in the same facility, however I am losing faith in both. If these things are possible why would they let me suffer for over two years? Maybe I am expecting too much. Over the almost two years I have had nerve blocks, epidurals, RFA or ablation and now a spinal stimulator. I am gathering my procedures and MRI and sending to the neurosurgeons at Rush Hospital to review and get a second opinion. I just have that feeling that it will be up to me to try and find relief. Please keep me posted on your progress.

Why? because they aren't giving you their full attention! COVID wrecked everything. They young people aren't experienced enough. The good people make you wait 8 months to see them. Got to be creative! Ask for video visits. Ask to be on cancellation list. Call up in the morning to see if they have cancellations. Become friends with the nurse assistant to the surgeon. The surgeon just needs a simple xray he should do in his office. Or you go to a local radiology (he provides the order to where you tell him). be sure he gets the results, and ask his team to be sure he sees it.
I had the pain mgt doctor (a very very good one) say my laminectomy failed. It hadn't. The surgeon knew best. The stuff around the work is degenerating. YES, it takes time. They try to stretch it out because you will continue to degenerate. So you have to wait until something big shows up. I am there waiting now as I degenerate around the GREAT work he did. The myofascial deep tissue release should have been part of my arsenal a LONG time ago. Not the stupid chiropractics or P.T. But it is not covered. So they don't recommend it. Its considered a luxery massage. But it IS a medical necessity! I feel SO MUCH better having it every two weeks. I like the opiod for 25 years, the percocet. I always just took enough to knock off the pain in my tailbone. No one wants to work on the tailbone where I live (San Diego/UCSD) ergo, lets just rid me of the pain. I really try to do everything in order to see if it 1) diagnosis where my pain is located 2) relieves me of the pain.
Since I can no longer have RFAs in the facet joints where the surgery was done I will do the steroid injection when I get the front thigh pain. I have to have a couple over 6 months and then it is gone for a while. I have a shot of Toridoil in my butt for the sciatic pain on occasion and that has worked great as well. I stay away from trendy stuff like the stim implants but have an old Tens unit. I use a lot of topicals like Diclofec (3% not the 1%) aspricream, arnica, capsicum (be careful you don't burn your skin off!), and BioFreeze. (love that stuff. And lidocaine patches (5%) or creme. Not a day goes by without pain but I don't think about it UNLESS I can't move. Arthritis is a big problem. But with the summer weather and the AC I am pretty comfy lately. Make sure your posture is as good as you can get it and figure out how to exercise and do some cardio like walking.
The scar tissue takes time to develop so that is why its not an emergency. Find something you love to do. (I am an artist). Sometimes it is hard (like too much standing or too much sitting, too much incorrect posture.) but I lose myself in the things I love. It is best to have some of that on hand when all else fails! Complain, complain, complain... squeaky wheel gets the oil!