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Considering Laminectomy for Spinal Stenosis to relieve neuropathy pain

Posted by bttpe1961 @bttpe1961, Apr 11 5:52am

I've recently determined with help from a Nurse Practitioner that I likely have neuropathy in both feet due to Spinal Stenosis. 12 years ago I sought treatment separately for both conditions. The Orthopedic Surgeon simply said too bad your back pain is stenosis and you have no surgical options, lose weight (20 lbs overweight) and follow his stretching plan. I did both religiously for 19 years with no relief. I did begin facet injections 5 years ago and that helps immensely for a few months. Duloxetine and Lyrica mask about 30% of the problem with my feet. The NP tied these two timelines together and offered an Epidural Injection test to see if the Lidocaine offered immediate relief of foot neuropathy (yes for about 3 hours). It addresses pain, tingling, fire, pins but not numbness and I think that is what it is supposed to do. I'm on day three after that injection. The neuropathy is back and I'll report her feedback after my April 25 2025 appointment.

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bttpe1961 | @bttpe1961 | May 15 8:13am
In reply to @bttpe1961 "UPDATE: 8 days after laminectomy on L3/L4 and L4/L5. I get about 3 days of Lidocaine..." + (show)
@bttpe1961

UPDATE: 8 days after laminectomy on L3/L4 and L4/L5. I get about 3 days of Lidocaine induced relief to my feet and this was comparable to a recent lumbar injection w/steroids. While the 1/2 life of Lidocaine is short (3-4 hours) I get pain relief that lasts longer. So, at day 8 the pain is back. It is maybe 10% less severe but hard to put an exact number to. If it was level 8 prior it is now maybe a 6. I'm researching was MD's say about long term resolution. The stenosis was considered moderate to severe. In the MRI I could not see any space between the dura and the nerves. The surgeon said it was nearly completely closed in his opinion but not offset or pinched. I have sciatica on my right leg that was apparent before surgery. That may be irritation from how I sit or lay. I have some infrequent leg "jumping" that is involuntary. A couple of specific pain points are better. Outside of left foot and big toes on both feet are a little better. I think time will only tell on this one. I'll report back in several weeks or if something changes.

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UPDATE: two weeks after laminectomy, cautiously I believe that I have reduced pain in both feet. Both feet are still very numb but some of the associated feelings have gone away or are reduced. They don't feel normal but have much less negative sensation than before surgery. I've gained strength in my right foot (per doctor visit this week). I do have visible foot drop in the right foot. I also have nighttime sciatica that we are treating with ibuprofen 3x / day. I'm feeling positive, walking some barefooted indoors which I never did before. Very little pain from the surgery area, just a little odd feeling that I think I have after any operation.

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bajjerfan | @bajjerfan | May 15 10:04am
In reply to @bttpe1961 "UPDATE: two weeks after laminectomy, cautiously I believe that I have reduced pain in both feet...." + (show)
@bttpe1961

UPDATE: two weeks after laminectomy, cautiously I believe that I have reduced pain in both feet. Both feet are still very numb but some of the associated feelings have gone away or are reduced. They don't feel normal but have much less negative sensation than before surgery. I've gained strength in my right foot (per doctor visit this week). I do have visible foot drop in the right foot. I also have nighttime sciatica that we are treating with ibuprofen 3x / day. I'm feeling positive, walking some barefooted indoors which I never did before. Very little pain from the surgery area, just a little odd feeling that I think I have after any operation.

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My numbness in my feet never really changed much after laminectomy. The biggest bummer was the return of a corn on my right foot starting about 2 weeks after surgery. My foot drop is largely due to nerve damage from being pre-diabetic. Also have hypercortisolism which can lead to diabetes, high BP, osteoporosis among other things. Have you looked into having your cortisol level checked. Mine was found by accident when a serendiptous MRI showed growths on both adrenal glands.

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