Spinal Fusion L4L5 for nerve pain

Good morning
About 5 months ago I had my second lumbar spine fusion in 18 months. The first was great until the disc below herniated, so 5 months ago I had my second fusion. It’s very painful the first couple of weeks post-op. You have to be motivated and be as active as surgeon will allow. I get up early and am nonstop until I go to bed. I started walking immediately post-op and today I walk 2.25 miles 4-5 times a week and I am just finishing 2 months of PT. I have to be honest I still have pain but nothing like the pain before surgery and when the weather is bad that is when it hurts. Myself, I would say it was worth it. Prayers with you and keep us updated.

@ou14mejc
Do you mind me asking what your issue was? How did the TOPS surgery help?

@tbeck23 I have DDD, with severe lumbar stenosis, where nerves are actually contacted in two places. The most severe is L 4-5 where I also have spondylolisthesis. I have seen 4 surgeons, all wanting to do a laminectomy to make room for the nerves that are contacted. Because of the slipped disc at L 4-5, it would destabilize my back to remove bone and whatever is causing the stenosis. That's why I also need a fusion. However, I do not want a fusion, as it causes adjacent segment disease and it's a long recovery. I started researching the TOPS and reached out to several people online who have actually had the surgery. It is fairly new in the US but has been done in Europe for more than 10 years. The reason I chose the TOPS is that that device allows movement, where a fusion is fixed and doesn't move. By allowing movement, it is supposed to prevent further surgeries on adjacent discs that often deteriorate after a fusion. My brother had three failed back surgeries, the l last of which was the 360, and his back is worse than ever. Recovery for the TOPS is supposed to be much quicker than a fusion. Hope this answers your questions. I am not scheduled to have the surgery until September, but I will certainly keep everyone posted. Premia Spine has a website where all the doctors are listed in every state that perform this procedure.

I had a spinal fusion 8 weeks ago. they went thru my abdomen where i have had surgery for abdominal hernia operations more than once> nOW i AM HAVING SEVERE PROBLEMS WITH PAIN IN MY COLON ABDOMINe and very severe constipation. i had chronic constipation before but not like this. I think they did something wrong Has anyone else experienced this. It is awful. I am trying to set up an appointment with a colo rectal doctor. I also have a prolpsed colon.

I have an L4/L5 herniated disc. What is everyone’s experience with TOPS? I am scheduled for a fusion soon. Really don’t want that based on reading everyone’s experiences.
Thanks!

@ivycos - sounds awful to have severe problems with abdominal pain and constipation.

Is it feeling the same way so far today? Have you been able to secure an appointment with a colorectal doctor? If so, how soon can the doctor see you?

@backissue There is a TOPS support group on facebook and possibly one on Mayo. I have been able to reach out to several people there who had the TOPs.

Hi @ou14mejc and @backissue - here are some Mayo Clinic Connect discussions on TOPS:

- Familiar with "TOPS" spine surgery? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/have-you-heard-of-new-tops-spine-surgery/

- TOPS device instead of spinal fusion https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tops-device-instead-of-spinal-fusion/

backissue - what about fusion makes you the most concerned?

I had a lumbar infusion at L4L5 it’s been about 2 years now at L4L5 I have vertebrae on vertebrae. ( I don’t know what they can do for that).
I wish I wouldn’t have had that first surgery cus now I hurt worse.
I did have the steroid shots and they didn’t help nor did PT now they are offering spinal cord stimulator. I think I’ll try the weak trial but I hear so much bad about that procedure.
Good luck to you

I have had three different SCS. One was back in 2005 and that was made by Medtronic. I got so I didn’t like the buzzing feeling, and I needed an MRI, so I had it removed. The one’s they made back then you couldn’t get an MRI done. Then in 2013 I had a morphine pump put in by Medtronic, and I thought it was really starting to work, until I got a 104.5 temp on the day that my middle son was graduating from Spring Arbor University with honors, a 3.85 gpa, and I wasn’t going to miss it. But I passed out just after the ceremony and was taken to Henry Ford Hospital and put in ICU with mrsa, gran negative, e-coli, and meningitis. Had to do infusion’s four times a day for six weeks. And then had another SCS put in, made by Boston Scientific, in 2017, because my pain doctor wouldn’t put back in a morphine pump. I wasn’t happy he wouldn’t even try another one because I really thought it was going to work. They were going to put Dilaudid in it and I told them I would take all of the risk. So the second one I got was supposedly not going to have any buzzing feeling because of the newer tech. And the trial’s on both of my SCS were good, but something about putting them in permanently messed something up?? The Boston Scientific was less buzzing, and in the trial I had no buzzing with some pain relief. But then when I had it permanently put in, in order to get any pain relief, I had to turn it up so high that it did buzz quite bad, and I didn’t like the feel. But I left it in for over a year to give it a good run. But then it stopped working because the wiring came unhooked. So when I decided to just have it taken out, was in surgery, and the pain doc came out and told my wife and daughter that he had a new one he would really like to try, and they agreed to it. I guess I should’ve made it more clear to them, that I didn’t want another one put in! So he tricked me into getting another one because he gets around a 30% cut on each one he puts in! And the SCS alone cost $100,000, back in 2017, so he got an extra $30,000 on me, because I told him I didn’t want another one!!! So that was the last time I seen him. I had another pain doc take it out. So, all of this long comment just to tell you, unless the technology has got a lot better, I personally would try a morphine pump, or dilaudid, and see if that works. Unless you like the buzzing feeling in your leg’s, then I would get the SCS. Everybody is different, it just wasn’t for me. Because if you turn the SCS high enough it will make your legs go numb, not so bad if you have awful nerve pain. Good luck. I know I wasn’t very much help, but I’ll be praying for you.🙏🙏