Connect
Post-Lumbar Fusion Recovery Question
I am scheduled for a Lumbar Spinal Fusion Sept 10. I can hardly wait, the pain I am experiencing is almost unbearable. I consider myself to have a high pain threshhold, but this is absolutely the worst. Limited to 2 hydrocodoneNorco tablets per day, plus advil. And lots of ice packs. It will be an ALIF surgery, as my L4 vertebrae has slipped on L5 and they have to stablilize my spine from the front with the spacer before putting the rest of the hardware on thru the back. My lower spine has an almost 90 degree slope to the abdominal wall. QUESTION: has anyone has this fusion at this location before (L4-L5), and how did the recovery go? Pain-wise, activity-wise, what to do, not to do,etc. Give me all your thoughts. Thank you in advance!
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Spine Health Support Group.
Connect
@celia16 . I have no idea what that is but I'll go look. Thank you so very much!
@celia16. That is not it but thanks. The pain covers the front of my thighs from knee to hip.
I had a L5-S1 fusion 11 years ago. the back and leg pain is still there. In fact, it got worse than before the fusion.
I work with a pain specialist and the only thing that lets me live a semi-normal life is Norco 4 times a day. I cannot walk a mile or travel like I loved to do in the past. I was recommended to try a pain pump. I will see my doctor on Monday to talk about it.
First - I am 80 years old. In very good health - I walk 3 miles a day and work around my home doing the
yard work and all repairs necessary
Several years ago I had a L-4 / L-5 fusion - great success and no pain for years. Pain in the Legs returned. Six months ago I had an additional fusion at L-4 / L-3. Less pain in walking and sitting BUT now pain in
the front of my thigh. I am discouraged but am determined to find a solution.
I will be back in touch with you to help get a resolution for our thigh PAIN.
peter-paul
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 Reactions@peterpaul
Sorry to hear about the returning pain. I have had a laminectomy in 2002, then an L2-L3 fusion in 2017; both 100%; Last year, the left side lower back and leg pain, dull ache, returned. Minimally invasive "cleanout" on 28 Oct for two interior vertebrae, lumbar. Now, there is a persistent dull ache over left hip and down entire left leg when I stand or walk very long. Doc says I have room in the area operated on; but the nerves around it are not settled on my left side only. I'm 76. We chose to do this instead of expanding my previous 1-level fusion to a second level. Now I wonder.
In reflection, in 2010, when some pain returned from the original op, I had 2 spinal injections directly into the facets, with medicine, and that made everything settle down...until 2016. They wanted to insert a TENS wire into my spine to stimulate--I said absolutely not.
Good luck, don't give up. Hang in there and ask your surgeon to try to do something!
S12 l4 fused 2 and 1/2 years ago. I just got the hardware out 60 days ago. My experience is you need to get your core stronger than you ever have in your life start with the big three. The only way to progress is to get so strong that those muscles won't trigger like they are right now. Sorry there's no shortcuts you have to do it yourself.
The next thing you need to work on are your abductors and abductors. Find a physical therapist that really gets it. For me I couldn't ride a bike but I could ride an assault bike. Walking is super boring so I can do that. I found this thing called a proteus machine and I think it saved my life
I've been thinking about you and maybe that's a little too much too soon. One of the things that helped me tremendously was many 12x14 ice packs in the freezer ready to go that I would use,, by wrapping around my waist a 12-in wide Velcro stomach wrap that I got on Amazon. I did this up to four times a day directly on my skin and it worked. Anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes later the symptoms were highly mitigated.. I probably did this 6 months into the surgery and up to 2 years after until I got the hardware out.. I also did Epsom salt baths and that helped. What I did then and for the past 5 years even regularly today, especially at night, is using magnesium treonate.. I get mine from Life extension out of fort Lauderdale.