Sciatica, it's crippling me: Who to turn to?

My non medical opinion is that she now has iatrogenic spondylolisthesis from a simple laminectomy

As far as i know thy were interspinious spacers outside of the spine attached to spinous process
to give the nerves more room. Anyway post laminectomy with removal of spacers pain is now unbeareable 10++++++++

Final comment: Either removing the 3 interspinious spacers caused spondylolisthesis or just the fact that having a "simple" laminectomy for spinal stenosis caused spinal shift, in any case bottom line is now she has incredible
back and leg pain that did not exist before operation/ Spinal surgery no worth the risk in my opinion.

Spinal surgery not worth the rusk

@anoyymous123 Thanks for your response. I can see why the surgeon recommend a fusion (OLIF) then. Have you thought about working with a health coach about these spine issues? I was just at a workshop with a demonstration by a health coach and it is really valuable in helping to explore all the details and possible issues related to medical decisions.

As patients, when we are in the midst of a stressful and painful problem, it is sometimes hard to know what to do that would benefit us the most. Having a poor experience with a doctor doesn't help, and that can be mitigated with new opinions about how to solve the problem.

If no decision is made for an intervention, the time can expire during which the issue could have been addressed, and that can leave permanent disability, and a burden on those who need to care for that person who can no longer function well on their own. Hired help is very expensive if you can find it or afford it. Lifting a patient is not handled by typical caregiver agencies. When I was caring for my dad at the end of his life, I needed to have a Hoyer lift to get him in and out of bed and chairs as he could not do this himself and there were no agencies in the area that I could hire for this. It was incredibly difficult and exhausting to take care of him. This also impacted me financially because I couldn't work other than taking care of my parents.

These are things to think about in how to prepare for the future. I was suddenly thrust into being a round the clock caregiver for my parents because they refused to live anywhere but in their own home. How does your wife see her future going forward? What if her pain can be reduced with a new surgeon? I know from my spine experience, that was possible for me. Is that something you want to explore?

77 year old male. Both buttocks and both legs have aches, some numbness, difficulty hiking and walking. Sitting, even standing ok.
Had it for 10 months. Mri shows severe stenosis L3,L4 and L5.
However started a statin days before problems began, stopped statin twice during the period and both times, aches resolved after 1-3 weeks.
I'm trying to figure out if aches are from statin or stenosis.

Hi Jennifer:
Thanks for kind advice: Wife will not go back to surgeon who did laminectomy While she had bad pain in back and leg from stenosis it was nothing compared to very terrible pain that she has now after the operation 7 months ago. X rays show spine column has now shifted post op
with misalignment Do not trust this surgeon do revision surgery for problem that he created
in first place. Here in NY no other orthopedic surgeon will see her or even comment on future options once they are aware of prior surgery.Obviously some thing bad happened as a result of what was supposed to be a simple laminectomy.

@anoyymous123 I do agree, and I wouldn't trust that surgeon either. I wanted you to know that surgeons are not all the same. Some are excellent and gifted, and I had one of those. I spent 2 years trying to get help for my stenosis and 5 surgeons missed the correct diagnosis because my symptoms were unusual, so none would help me. There was only one out of those 5 that I would have trusted, but he thought surgery would make me worse because he thought my pain symptoms was an inflammatory problem like MS. He is a top surgeon and department head at a major medical center, and he still missed it. I actually found a case like mine in medical literature, and with that in hand, I contacted a surgeon at Mayo. I think the difficulty of being dismissed so many times helped me get into Mayo Clinic to the best of the best places for spine surgery. I think my surgeon at Mayo would help your wife if you have the ability to travel for care and if your insurance is in network for Mayo. I tried to stay local, and was turned away 5 times, so I got progressively worse. The CEO of Mayo at the time responded to my complimentary letter saying that my spine neurosurgeon was one of Mayo's top surgeons and that was pretty exciting for me to get his personal letter.

May I ask a favor? Would you have your wife read the exchanges we have had here on Connect? She is welcome to join Connect. I learned so much about spine surgery in those 2 years I was searching, and reading medical literature and watching online recordings from spine surgery conferences. I am here to help any way that I can, so please ask questions.

Well, who is this gifted surgeon? The answer is in this post in the "Spine Operation" discussion that you started.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/954224/
Please share your thoughts.

Jennifer

My Right- sided sciatica, going from my butt all the way down to my ankle has now crippled me. The pain is excruciating and I am having difficulty sitting, standing and walking. My question is: Who do I turn to for treatment? and what treatment/procedures or surgery can be done to help this? My back condition is: Lumbar spinal stenosis which I believe is the cause of the sciatica and I have had an MRI. I'm scheduled to have an epidural steroid injection, but it's only a band-aid and don't think it will help. What treatments has anyone else had for this debilitating condition?

I went to a highly recommended neurologist. This was after epidurals and nerve blocks were of no help, She did nerve conduction tests. Ultimately she prescribed tramadol, diadepam, and gabapentin. It took my body 2 or three days to adjust to the drugs; effects, but it sure helped a lot. A real game changer, as they say.