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Nerve Pain from HELL
I have Neuralfibromatosis Type1. I had a L3/L4 fusion in 2020 at the apex of my Scoliosis to relieve back pain. That went fine. With my condition I have several internal fibromas inside my body. One of which was on my L5/S1 Vertebrae that was pinching a nerve sending pain down my left leg. It was inside a myelin sheath, and when the surgeon operated on me in August of 2025 he had to quote: 'Sacrifice a nerve' end quote. I woke up to my left leg numb, dead, lifeless.. I thought it was nerve block, but no. I was told it was permenate. I could move my leg and foot, just couldn't feel anything. Fast forward a few weeks after the surgery. From the knee to my ankle still feels numb, like Novocaine when you go to the dentist. When you get home and you're smacking your face in the mirror. Know what I mean? You feel your hand touching your face, but you don't really feel it. That's what my leg feels like. My foot however is hypersensitive and in constant pain. Just touching it is excruciatingly painfull. I cannot walk on it, or even touch it. Putting a sock on is beyond painfull. Plus I get these electric pulses that are rythmic, that intensify the pain and take it up a notch. It's now Insane Pain. They gave me muscle relaxers, pain pills, Pregabalin (it was Gabapentin), and nothing works. My foot is in CONSTANT 24/7 pain, and the jolts I get make the pain 10X worse. I can't sleep, I can't even walk on it. I hop around on one foot with my walker, and can't do anything. I can take pain, but this constant nerve pain is totally insane. I don't know what to do. Seeing 5 Dr's that don't know what to do either. All the mends they gave me for Neuropathy do NOTHING.
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@ccchang Hello Cori, yes, the fusion has eliminated the pain I had from the collapsed disc. I have been surprised with how little pain I have had from the surgery itself. If I didn't have an issue with my flank / oblique muscles, this would have been an easy recovery for me.
I live on the West Coast, the surgeon's name is Dr. Neel Anand, and he is with Cedars-Sinai. He found the disc issue from a full-body x-ray done at his location. Something I should mention is that he is not in any insurance plan network, so you pay him and his team directly before the surgery.
@ccchang does no use electrified needles. Are you thinking of like a TENS unit or dry needling?
My acupuncturist uses just needles and engages my Chi. Works wonderfully.
See a different orthopedic spine surgeon. Spine surgery for me was delayed because of really crappy doctors and being with a neurosurgeon instead of with an orthopedic surgeon. I have permanent leg numbness because of misfiring crushed nerves out of the major nerve root L4 L5. Then like you I have nerve irritation in my foot. Mine is all manageable. But I have complained a lot over the years and I do a lot of work to get the nerves to rebuild and relax. A couple things to recommend is acupuncture on a regular basis and MFR therapy on a regular basis. It can take 10 years for nerves to remodel and rebuild themselves. I think you need to start with a good orthopedic surgeon and see if you are permanently disabled and then how you deal with the reactive nerves. I found that good doses of B12 and iron together have really relieved a lot of my foot neuropathy ridiculous neopathy Problems. You’re going to have a problems exercising if your leg is too numb to support your weight. If so, you need to be into rehabilitation and physical therapy program to make sure that the right things happen overtime. Good luck.