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Grade III spondylolisthesis – bilateral, unrelenting pain

Posted by katie215 @katie215, Mar 31, 2019

Woman, age 70, 11 mm grade 3 spondylolisthesis, L5S1, severe facet arthropathy L5S1, severe bilateral foramenal stenosis L5S1 and compression on bilateral exiting nerve root. Severe calf and thigh cramping, numbness toes and foot arches, no surgical option going forward. Feeling STUCK with unrelenting muscle pain, on OxyContin, baclofen (both low doses which I manage religiously). PCP doesn't know how to help me. I'm feeling like I'm slipping emotionally.

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Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Apr 5, 2019
In reply to @bernese53 "Hi, I have been reading your posts with great interest and thought it might be helpful..." + (show)
@bernese53

Hi,

I have been reading your posts with great interest and thought it might be helpful to share my experience at Mayo in Rochester. I am having surgery on my cervical spine at Mayo two weeks from today. I will be 66 this summer, have asthma, and am a Type II diabetic. I also weigh 250 pounds. My orthopedic surgeon at Mayo thinks I will have a good outcome from surgery despite my other health issues...he just wants my blood glucose to be under a certain level.
I was a self-referral to Mayo about three years ago because of issues related to my lower spine. I will need lumbar fusion in the future but the orthopedist at Mayo found the cervical spine issues on an MRI and believes the cervical spine fusion needs to come first. Do not hesitate to contact Mayo. Please let me know if you have questions.

All the best,
Helen

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@bernese53 Good luck with your surgery, Helen. I'll be thinking of you. You will be in great hands at Mayo and everyone is so kind there. I had a fusion at C5 C6 and had a great recovery, and it didn't hurt as much as I had imagined, and I didn't use pain medication post op and I could manage OK. I also have asthma, and did have some extra phlegm after the anesthesia and had to use my nebulizer, so watch for that and use your medications if you have trouble breathing. You'll be tired, so pay attention to your breathing. You might ask for the breathing exercise thing people use after surgery to keep lungs clear, and being up and walking will help too. Pneumonia can be a complication after surgery if you don't get your lungs cleared. I was also a self referral to Mayo too.

REPLY
lifeofriley4 | @lifeofriley4 | May 8, 2019

<p>Has anyone had spondolythesis and had surgery to relieve the pain</p>

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Moderator
Justin McClanahan, Moderator | @JustinMcClanahan | May 8, 2019
In reply to @lifeofriley4 "Has anyone had spondolythesis and had surgery to relieve the pain" + (show)
@lifeofriley4

<p>Has anyone had spondolythesis and had surgery to relieve the pain</p>

Jump to this post

Hello @lifeofriley4, welcome to Connect. I moved your discussion and combined it with an existing discussion titled, "grade III spondylolisthesis, bilateral pain." I did this so all the members talking about this diagnosis and how they treated it would see your message and so you could do the same. You can see the new location of your discussion by clicking on VIEW & REPLY in your email notification.

@lifeofriley4, is surgery something you are scheduled for or considering?

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