RE: 2 weeks post of posterior L5-S1 Fusion with hardware

January 14, 2011

,

Those are very low doses of pain med for sure...Scopolamine is an antihistamine

that can help with nausea...I assume you get that from your pain meds. The

tramadol is a non-narcotic pain med that words on the opiate receptors, so your

brain thinks it's an opiate. It usually causes less bothersome side effects, but

it's still common to have them.

The fact that you are two weeks out from an instrumented fusion and are only on

Tramadol..and weaning off it...wowser! After my last fusion, It took more than

six months to be able to only take something as needed...maybe longer. Two weeks

and I was in excruciating pain...granted I had a lot of damage in there from

previous fusions gone wrong and broken screws....but boy...I cannot imagine

feeling so good so soon. I'd say you're ahead of the eight ball so relax. When

you come off meds, you will feel an increase in pain and notice pains you didn't

notice before.

You CAN however tell the difference when it's surgery related...it just feels

different. Your fusion is just as new in there as it was they day they did it.

It takes months for the bone to really start growing. So if you overdo it, even

a little...you'll feel it. It was months before I could load the dishwasher

without causing that sharp, pinchy feeling. Just walk, walk, walk...you can do

some abdominal muscle tightening while laying on your back only. This will also

speed your pain relief. Do NOT do any other exercizes right now.

I think you're on the right track.

--- Babbitt

From: Bunny <christina_bunny@...>

Subject: 2 weeks post of posterior L5-S1 Fusion with

hardware

spinal problems

Date: Friday, January 14, 2011, 7:01 PM

Â

2 weeks since my spine fusion. I have pretty significant sensitivities to

Narcotics and was told that if possible I could try weaning off the meds at 2

weeks post op. Have been doing so this week since the 2 wk mark and woke up

feeling a little more unstable in the low back and " pinchy twingy " in that

worrysome way that feels surgery related. I didnt sleep well last night...guess

my body was a little less happy about only being able to sleep in one possition

without drugs. Though the pain itself is managable. Worried...is the

instability something I should be concierned about? Did I do something to my

back while sleeping restlessly last night? Or am I just feeling more of whats

really going on? Meds were Tramadol and a Scop patch so I wasnt heavitly

medicated to begin with. Mabey I'm just being paranoid.

" Without rabbits a rabbits foot would be nothing but a disembodied

hand full of unidentified toes. " -Pogo

January 15, 2011

Thank you , I realize my concerns are minor compaired to others on the

group but I am still in my mid 30's and hoping to avoid future fusions. I just

want to get it right.

I have one other question. When I came out of surgery I had nerve pain in my

buttock and down the left leg. That was my bad side prior to surgery but was

not currently having nerve pain before the procedure. The pain down the leg was

familiar, buttock pain was more like firy nerve stinging that reminds me of how

my skin felt on a couple occassions I had a bad fever as a child. That pain has

not gone away. Nurse has prescribed me a metrol dose pack that has made me very

sick to my stomach. I am doing everything to put up with it because she told me

I should see relief from my nerve pain and that it was temporary from the

surgery. However I have 1 more day left of the steroid and my nerve pain is

back to going down the leg again...its not getting better it actually feels a

little worse. I am worried because while I was in the hospital another medical

person from Twin City Spine that came in to visit me said that the back pain

would improve that I was having of course but that the leg pain likely wouldnt.

The nurse that works for the surgeion is telling me differently. Can anyone

tell me if I should be concierned? or will this really clear up?

" Without rabbits a rabbits foot would be nothing but a disembodied

hand full of unidentified toes. " -Pogo

spinal problems

From: tpowell1977@...

Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:47:52 -0800

Subject: Re: 2 weeks post of posterior L5-S1 Fusion

with hardware

,

Those are very low doses of pain med for sure...Scopolamine is an antihistamine

that can help with nausea...I assume you get that from your pain meds. The

tramadol is a non-narcotic pain med that words on the opiate receptors, so your

brain thinks it's an opiate. It usually causes less bothersome side effects, but

it's still common to have them.

The fact that you are two weeks out from an instrumented fusion and are only on

Tramadol..and weaning off it...wowser! After my last fusion, It took more than

six months to be able to only take something as needed...maybe longer. Two weeks

and I was in excruciating pain...granted I had a lot of damage in there from

previous fusions gone wrong and broken screws....but boy...I cannot imagine

feeling so good so soon. I'd say you're ahead of the eight ball so relax. When

you come off meds, you will feel an increase in pain and notice pains you didn't

notice before.

You CAN however tell the difference when it's surgery related...it just feels

different. Your fusion is just as new in there as it was they day they did it.

It takes months for the bone to really start growing. So if you overdo it, even

a little...you'll feel it. It was months before I could load the dishwasher

without causing that sharp, pinchy feeling. Just walk, walk, walk...you can do

some abdominal muscle tightening while laying on your back only. This will also

speed your pain relief. Do NOT do any other exercizes right now.

I think you're on the right track.

--- Babbitt

From: Bunny <christina_bunny@...>

Subject: 2 weeks post of posterior L5-S1 Fusion with

hardware

spinal problems

Date: Friday, January 14, 2011, 7:01 PM

2 weeks since my spine fusion. I have pretty significant sensitivities to

Narcotics and was told that if possible I could try weaning off the meds at 2

weeks post op. Have been doing so this week since the 2 wk mark and woke up

feeling a little more unstable in the low back and " pinchy twingy " in that

worrysome way that feels surgery related. I didnt sleep well last night...guess

my body was a little less happy about only being able to sleep in one possition

without drugs. Though the pain itself is managable. Worried...is the instability

something I should be concierned about? Did I do something to my back while

sleeping restlessly last night? Or am I just feeling more of whats really going

on? Meds were Tramadol and a Scop patch so I wasnt heavitly medicated to begin

with. Mabey I'm just being paranoid.

" Without rabbits a rabbits foot would be nothing but a disembodied

hand full of unidentified toes. " -Pogo

January 15, 2011

. The nurse gave you the steroid because she thinks the nerve pain

is inflammation and swelling around the nerve putting pressure on it. If the

pain down the leg went away with the higher dose of steroid and then came

back I think the hypothesis was most likely correct and in time, when the

soft tissue recovers from surgery, you'll be ok as far as the leg pain goes.

I'd stay in touch with the RN though. I don't think the med person from Twin

City Spine is correct at all. I've had terrific leg pain go away after spine

surgery. Good Luck! Kate

--------------------------------------------------

From: " Bunny " <christina_bunny@...>

Sent: Saturday, January 15, 2011 3:21 PM

Subject: RE: 2 weeks post of posterior L5-S1

Fusion with hardware

>

> Thank you , I realize my concerns are minor compaired to others on

> the group but I am still in my mid 30's and hoping to avoid future

> fusions. I just want to get it right.

>

> I have one other question. When I came out of surgery I had nerve pain in

> my buttock and down the left leg. That was my bad side prior to surgery

> but was not currently having nerve pain before the procedure. The pain

> down the leg was familiar, buttock pain was more like firy nerve stinging

> that reminds me of how my skin felt on a couple occassions I had a bad

> fever as a child. That pain has not gone away. Nurse has prescribed me a

> metrol dose pack that has made me very sick to my stomach. I am doing

> everything to put up with it because she told me I should see relief from

> my nerve pain and that it was temporary from the surgery. However I have

> 1 more day left of the steroid and my nerve pain is back to going down the

> leg again...its not getting better it actually feels a little worse. I am

> worried because while I was in the hospital another medical person from

> Twin City Spine that came in to visit me said that the back pain would

> improve that I was having of course but that the leg pain likely wouldnt.

> The nurse that works for the surgeion is telling me differently. Can

> anyone tell me if I should be concierned? or will this really clear up?

>

> " Without rabbits a rabbits foot would be nothing but a

> disembodied hand full of unidentified toes. " -Pogo

>

> spinal problems

> From: tpowell1977@...

> Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:47:52 -0800

> Subject: Re: 2 weeks post of posterior L5-S1

> Fusion with hardware

>

> ,

>

> Those are very low doses of pain med for sure...Scopolamine is an

> antihistamine that can help with nausea...I assume you get that from your

> pain meds. The tramadol is a non-narcotic pain med that words on the

> opiate receptors, so your brain thinks it's an opiate. It usually causes

> less bothersome side effects, but it's still common to have them.

> The fact that you are two weeks out from an instrumented fusion and are

> only on Tramadol..and weaning off it...wowser! After my last fusion, It

> took more than six months to be able to only take something as

> needed...maybe longer. Two weeks and I was in excruciating pain...granted

> I had a lot of damage in there from previous fusions gone wrong and broken

> screws....but boy...I cannot imagine feeling so good so soon. I'd say

> you're ahead of the eight ball so relax. When you come off meds, you will

> feel an increase in pain and notice pains you didn't notice before.

> You CAN however tell the difference when it's surgery related...it just

> feels different. Your fusion is just as new in there as it was they day

> they did it. It takes months for the bone to really start growing. So if

> you overdo it, even a little...you'll feel it. It was months before I

> could load the dishwasher without causing that sharp, pinchy feeling. Just

> walk, walk, walk...you can do some abdominal muscle tightening while

> laying on your back only. This will also speed your pain relief. Do NOT do

> any other exercizes right now.

> I think you're on the right track.

>

> --- Babbitt

>

> From: Bunny <christina_bunny@...>

> Subject: 2 weeks post of posterior L5-S1 Fusion

> with hardware

> spinal problems

> Date: Friday, January 14, 2011, 7:01 PM

>

> 2 weeks since my spine fusion. I have pretty significant sensitivities to

> Narcotics and was told that if possible I could try weaning off the meds

> at 2 weeks post op. Have been doing so this week since the 2 wk mark and

> woke up feeling a little more unstable in the low back and " pinchy twingy "

> in that worrysome way that feels surgery related. I didnt sleep well last

> night...guess my body was a little less happy about only being able to

> sleep in one possition without drugs. Though the pain itself is managable.

> Worried...is the instability something I should be concierned about? Did I

> do something to my back while sleeping restlessly last night? Or am I just

> feeling more of whats really going on? Meds were Tramadol and a Scop patch

> so I wasnt heavitly medicated to begin with. Mabey I'm just being

> paranoid.

>

> " Without rabbits a rabbits foot would be nothing but a

> disembodied hand full of unidentified toes. " -Pogo

>

January 15, 2011

,

The spine doc's nurse is absolutely correct. Spine surgery is very aggressive,

the deep retraction of tissues and nerves to be able see and work deep down in

the spine is very damaging to tissues. After fusion surgery you almost ALWAYS

have increased nerve pain. If you had a low lumbar fusion, you'll most likely

have a sharp buttock pain. Mine was horrific. The post-op nerve pain from the

surgery was the biggest cause of pain and what kept me in the hospital for a

week. You'd probably be surprised to know that the spine is actuallyÂ nowhere

near the surface of your back. It's very, very deep. I lot of tissues get

bruised and inflamed from being " mucked with " . TRUST me please, this is normal!

Your leg pain will likely go away. The swelling in your tissues needs to go

down. The sciatic nerve that is unhappy right now had surgical instruments

touching it, retractors pulling it out of the way, and bone next to it drilled

away.

Just keep taking it easy. The more you do too soon, the longer it will take for

that inflammation to go away. Try to not take much anti-inflammatory meds though

because these can interfere with the fusion process...as can the depo-medrol or

any other corticosteroid.