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Severe spinal stenosis

Posted by gotoandrea @gotoandrea, Oct 5 1:48pm

Severe spinal stenosis in elderly. Tried hydrocodone, spinal injection and not interested in surgery. Currentky taking a blood thinner for atrial fibrillation. What gives you relief?

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whilloba | @whilloba | Oct 8 12:32pm
In reply to @gently "doriskay, spondylo means vertebra. Lythesis is sliding downward. litis is inflammation . losis word is problem..." + (show)
@gently

doriskay,
spondylo means vertebra. Lythesis is sliding downward. litis is inflammation . losis word is problem referring medically to the wearing down of the spinal vertebra.
Any one of these can cause pressure on the nerves exiting the spine. These conditions can cause periperal neuropathy resulting in foot twitching, restless leg or numbness.

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My doc said this week the numbness and tingling in legs snd feet from nerve compression in spine is not neuropathy but radiculopathy!!!! Good to know.

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gently | @gently | Oct 8 1:18pm
In reply to @gotoandrea "My Mom has had stenosis for at least 20 years. She has some discomfort upon waking..." + (show)
@gotoandrea

My Mom has had stenosis for at least 20 years. She has some discomfort upon waking in the morning and uses walking aids throughout day. She has experienced “flares” about twice a year, with it she has extreme pain for approximately 7-10 days. The last flare was torture-very little relief with twice daily hydrocodone. The most recent CT scan revealed severe multi-level lumbar degenerative disc disease/malalignment and mild lumbar dextroscoliosis, most pronounced at L4-L5 indicating severe central spine stenosis. L3-L4 right central disc extrusion and progression of L2-L3 degenerative disc disease. Severe chronic bilateral sacroilititis.

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gotoandrea,
no surgeries, would she consider injections. Radiofrequency ablation might help pain related to the spinal nerves. Some get great relief with epidural injections t L4-5, L2-3.
Steroid injections in the SI joints might help. They didn't help me at all.

Mom says that hydrocodone only makes you not care as much that you are in pain. She thinks percodan works better and fentanyl works best of all. Pain buster creme is her topical. It's just a distraction, though.

20 years is a lot of suffering.
Hoping she finds relief.

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2 replies
gotoandrea | @gotoandrea | Oct 8 1:41pm
In reply to @gently "gotoandrea, no surgeries, would she consider injections. Radiofrequency ablation might help pain related to the spinal..." + (show)
@gently

gotoandrea,
no surgeries, would she consider injections. Radiofrequency ablation might help pain related to the spinal nerves. Some get great relief with epidural injections t L4-5, L2-3.
Steroid injections in the SI joints might help. They didn't help me at all.

Mom says that hydrocodone only makes you not care as much that you are in pain. She thinks percodan works better and fentanyl works best of all. Pain buster creme is her topical. It's just a distraction, though.

20 years is a lot of suffering.
Hoping she finds relief.

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She has tried the spinal injection with no relief. You are correct about hydrocodone. I will look into the ablation and definitely the fentanyl and percodan. Thank you for the suggestions!

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vicscats | @vicscats | Oct 12 2:36pm
In reply to @domiha "Hello @loyal Other than restless leg ... and the fact that I'm 73.... our stories are..." + (show)
@domiha

Hello @loyal Other than restless leg ... and the fact that I'm 73.... our stories are pretty much alike. I recently saw a new NP in a neurosurgeon's office. I will be having more MRIs and X-Rays.... but he did prescribe Robaxin, a muscle relaxer I had never heard of, to be taken three times a day. After just a few days, I've been surprised at the difference. Not a miracle.... but less muscle and nerve pain than before. I really didn't want to take a muscle relaxant, as I have used Flexaril and it makes me groggy all day. But they told me this one would cause less grogginess... and so far that seems to be true. Just sharing for what it's worth. Different people react differently to different things... and I can't say this would have the same effect for you. But perhaps something to ask your doctor about. I, too, take Eliquis for AFib. Lyrica helped me gain 35 pounds before I stopped it. Gabapentin made me loopy. So I no longer take those. You've found a great spot for information here at Connect. I hope you find something that helps! Best wishes! Mike

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I enjoy hearing others issues. I have severe stenosis cervical and lumbar. Everything is getting more pronounced
Balance/neuropathy/ leg pain all day everyday/ spasms/
My restless legs consist of visible muscle spasms starting at panty line down to knee in electrical fashion
I get injections regularly in neck low back left chest area/ occipital/ and shoulders
Did health care and was a reckless tomboy.
At 70 I’m getting down. Can’t and don’t want to do anything!
Any suggestions how to cope?
Also diabetic/ Graves’ disease. It’s a viscous circle ?

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1 reply
domiha | @domiha | Oct 12 7:53pm
In reply to @vicscats "I enjoy hearing others issues. I have severe stenosis cervical and lumbar. Everything is getting more..." + (show)
@vicscats

I enjoy hearing others issues. I have severe stenosis cervical and lumbar. Everything is getting more pronounced
Balance/neuropathy/ leg pain all day everyday/ spasms/
My restless legs consist of visible muscle spasms starting at panty line down to knee in electrical fashion
I get injections regularly in neck low back left chest area/ occipital/ and shoulders
Did health care and was a reckless tomboy.
At 70 I’m getting down. Can’t and don’t want to do anything!
Any suggestions how to cope?
Also diabetic/ Graves’ disease. It’s a viscous circle ?

Jump to this post

These problems with aging are no fun, for sure! Have you tried any physical therapy? And what about a spinal cord stimulator (SCS)? Perhaps you could ask your Pain Management doctor if he thinks it might help with the constant pain? There are discussions here on Connect regarding the SCS and people have shared their experiences. I can understand the wanting to not do anything feeling.... but sometimes we have to force ourselves to keep going and doing what we can. It's easy to get down/depressed with these new limitations. Depression hates a moving target. So I try to keep doing the things I still can. I go for short walks. I paint/create art. I do little jobs in my garden. I read a good book. I find a good movie that will life my spirits and distract me. I wish you well! Mike

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neshomaker123 | @neshomaker123 | Oct 13 9:30am

The only thing that has ever worked consistently for me is prayer. For healing, for endurance, for patience. I’m praying for you all.

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gotoandrea | @gotoandrea | Oct 17 1:38pm

Has anyone tried fentanyl patches for severe spinal stenosis?

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3 replies
Moderator
Justin McClanahan, Moderator | @JustinMcClanahan | Oct 17 4:51pm
In reply to @gotoandrea "Has anyone tried fentanyl patches for severe spinal stenosis?" + (show)
@gotoandrea

Has anyone tried fentanyl patches for severe spinal stenosis?

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Hello @gotoandrea, I combined your discussion on fentanyl patches for severe spinal stenosis with your previous discussion titled, "Severe spinal stenosis" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/severe-spinal-stenosis-1/.

I did this so the members you connected with like @loyal, @doriskay79, @gently, and @dlydailyhope would see your question about trying fentanyl patches.

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dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | Oct 17 6:22pm

@gotoandrea
Is the stenosis in the cervical spine or lumbar spine and at what level(s)?

Physical therapy and gentle stretching and strengthening have helped my lumbar stenosis/sciatica some. Lidocaine pain patches like Salonpas have also helped (haven’t tried fentanyl patches). When I had lumbar spine surgery in August 2024, they used fentanyl in my IV for pain but it didn’t help me. They needed to switch to dilaudid/morphine and that worked much better.

Depending on the cause of the stenosis (disc bulge/herniation, shifting of vertebrae or osteoarthritis/bone spurs), surgery may be the only real relief since the degeneration continues over time.

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dstone501957 | @dstone501957 | Oct 18 12:05pm
In reply to @gotoandrea "Has anyone tried fentanyl patches for severe spinal stenosis?" + (show)
@gotoandrea

Has anyone tried fentanyl patches for severe spinal stenosis?

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I had tried the Buprenorphine 10 MCG 7-day patch but ended up going back to Hydrocodone 7.5 - 325. I may need to change to Oxycodone 10 Mg soon though. I have what a Radiologist just reported on Cervical MRI on October 10, 2024, as "extremely severe foraminal narrowing (spinal stenosis) on right and left C5-6. I am currently waiting to hear from an Orthopedic Surgeon for a consultation after my Cervical MRI is reviewed. I had previously seen this Orthopedic Surgeon in August 2023, but he did not think surgery was required at that time. I am a 67-year-old male that has been dealing with symptoms that have increased in duration and intensity for the past 18 months

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