Spinal fusion: Hardware removal

@solom174 I hope your surgery was successful for the reason it was performed? Post operative pain is common after a big surgery. Considering the muscles that needed to be manipulated or cut for your procedure I hope you didn't expect to not have any pain? I had my fusion L4-S1 in 1990 and continued to have surgical site pain for about a year and donor site for bone marrow was sore for longer than that. Suggest you work with PT when you are able and never stop doing your PT. Your back will thank you for it.

Hi @jenatsky thanks for your comment. I was told that I would be recovered within 4 weeks by the surgeon - so in my view it is misleading communication by the medical professional - it was a significant understatement of how this would impact me and I did not have full information about the consequences. It is easy for the surgeon to say the surgery was successful - yes that part is true - but it is more involved than that - I needed to know how my life would change, apparently for years, due to the pain and spinal immobility which is not something one can ignore! To be clear I have been doing exercise, including PT, religiously and eating healthy - so it is not my behaviour, it is that my life has drastically changed and the surgeon left me unprepared and uninformed ex post facto. I am not ready to live with such major disability. I was very active pre-surgery and had no pain in my spine so the freedom I had with my body pre-surgery is not something I am willing to give up now and it was just glossed over by the surgeon who was only focussed on surgery being a "success" regardless of how patient feels after and what patient life priorities are.
Are you able to do whatever activities you want now despite fusion? I still want to be able to do gymnastics.

It has been 9 1/2 years for me. I went in an was told they would put a cement gel between the bad discs. Never during the 8 hours surgery did anyone let my husband know why it was taking so long as we had been told 3 hours. When I woke up in recovery my pain was tremendous. I was told it would bet better. Not only did a nurse give me a shot in my IV for pain, but never did they ask why or what I wore the allergic red bracelet. Needless to say it made my heart react and they had to give me oxygen plus put me on a heart monitor. I went home after 3 days and did my exercises and everything just like my therapist did when she come every day. When I went in for my two week and 4 week appointments I told them how bad my pain was. I have a very high pain tolerance or did. At my six week checkup I was told my back had healed very well and they would see me after 6 months and re-evaluate my pain.
I continued too do my exercises. I only wish I had made contact with someone else who had back fusion before hand. My pain has got worse ever since. Now the 2 above and the two below have blown. My pain doctor has tried me on everything and I have a reaction and can't breathe, I have continued with my exercises at home, I decided I would use something natural for my pain. It had to be better than what I was doing. I have finally got my pain under control a little. My primary care provider sent me to physical therapy in the water 3 months ago. I am now out of therapy and do an aquasize class 4 days a week by putting on a wide waist floater and exercising in the water where my feet don't touch the bottom. I am so thankful for everyone that has encouraged me and my goal now is to just be able to continue to go to the inside pool at the YMCA and doing as much as I can to keep moving and my pain controlled. Both of my aquasize leaders know I am limited and can't twist so when they do those I just water walk till the next exercise. I have developed neuropathy really bad and if I don't take my meds right on time my spasms get so so bad it puts me in bed. I know I will never be able to work again but I do volunteer to help me get out and around other people. I wish you the best. Never give up. but you will have to decide what enough is. Before surgery I was walking 6 miles every other day and I will never be able to do that again but I am so thankful that I can go do aquasize and play with my grandkids. It is not what I thought I would have to live like but I will always stay happy and do whatever I can to tell people make sure and have someone who has had a procedure done explain the outcome they have had. Stay strong and face one day at a time.

Hi @betty1954, I wish I had your strength and determination but I am made of Jello. I really cannot reconcile having my back in this condition when I had no pain pre-surgery and full flexibility. I never even gave a thought about my spine and now it consumes my every waking moment. Not a way to live. The spine is an area that affects all other areas of the body and impossible to ignore or compartmentalize. Now I go to try gym classes that I would have found effortless before and I can barely do anything and I look like I am totally disabled. It is ridiculous.

I can’t say I don’t have some bad days, but I can say I am mostly pain free except in weather changes and that is very hard. I guess I can say as I have watched my 4 year old great nephew go through cancer treatments he has taught me how thankful I should be. I make sure and keep socks on my feet at all times and wear sturdy shoes to support my feet. Keep looking up. We can train our minds to move forward. I am 70 and it would be easy to say forget it.

Solom - I am curious why you had surgery if you didn't have pain and had full flexibility preop? Maybe I missed a post?

I had an intradural tumor in my spinal canal known as a meningioma. Had to remove the tumor to prevent eventual permanent damage to spinal cord. So not usual case where there is degenerative spinal disease. My spine was very healthy but had the tumor growing out of the meninges. The only available solution I was told, in order to complete the tumor resection, was to cut the spinous process off the healthy vertebrae by laminectomy and fuse them using bone graft and titanium instrumentation.

I’ve had progressive pain since my fusions. First one was in 2021 (L4-5, and L5-S1). The second one was in 2023 (L3-4 and L2-3). Have had extensive PT, multiple trigger point injections, epidurals, and Botox injections. I get massages and do home exercises. I’ve just started chair Yoga. Nothing helps.
I had no idea hardware removal
was possible!
I’ve been going to Pain Management for 3 years and the pain just gets worse!

kendallchase I feel like I'm in the same boat. I had L5-S1 fusion in 2010. I had a fracture and after lots of tests the orthopedic surgeon said the only solution was fusion. He said all regular activities would be normal in 9 months. That never came. I had pain before fusion but still had full mobility. Now I have more pain, in different areas, and a lack of mobility. Solom, I feel like you do, the pain has controlled my life; it's with me constantly. I've been going to Mayo for past 2 years and the next step is a spinal stimulator implant. I'm not sure about it, I with there were other options. I've asked multiple doctors if the hardware could be causing the pain but none has been willing to remove it. I think forums like this are great for those of us with fusions to share our experiences.

Thank you for your response. This is very helpful. Tomorrow will be my 1-year anniversary of having my Lower Spinal Back Fusion Surgery L4-S1. Like you I am in more pain than before. I have been on pain meds up until last weekend and they were not helping at all. My Surgeon wants me to go see a Pain Management doctor and I refuse to go after my 1st initial visit. They wanted to do the injections on me that I tried way before having my surgery and none of them worked. Since my surgery, my Surgeon has had me on Tramadol 50mg tablets 3 times a day (that are Opioids), and I was terrified to take them and slowly over time reduced the dosage myself and I was only taking a 1/2 a pill once a day along with two other prescriptions he gave to me Gabapentin 300mg Capsules (3 time's a day) and Cyclobenzaprine 10mg tablets for muscle spasms as often as needed.
In the beginning, before surgery he informed me I will not need to have physical therapy. But after a few months I asked him again and he informed me yes if I wanted to he will have me go to physical therapy. So I did it for 8 weeks and I was not feeling better at all. After I had physical therapy, the next day I would be in a lot more pain.
I ice my back everyday. Even when I sit still my lower back is hurting. It NEVER stops.
On my last appointment with my surgeon, I begged him to take out the equipment, that it hurts and I'm in worse pain than prior to surgery. He told me he could not do that. All of my equipment is Titanium. How do we go about getting the equipment removed? HELP PLEASE HELP!!!