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  • AAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhh

    Hi all, I posted this on the aussie forum as well. Here goes. It has been a week now that my walking has been deteriorating. The pain in my hip and pelvic area is really bad. The pain i have now is worse than the day after surgery. It started with aching after my walks but got worse over the week. I had some xrays and CT scans last Thursday. They showed nothing wrong in either the hip or pelvic area and the hardware also looks good. The pain radiates down my left leg (anterior) and stops at the knee. Sitting is ok, but standing and lying down ( first 1/2 hour is unbearable). I am barely able to walk and it is scaring (sp?) the s... out of me. After taking some pain meds and muscle relaxers over the weekend, my GP wanted to see me Monday morning and was really concerned when she saw i couldn't walk. She rang my surgeon and asked for an urgent appt, which i have at 2.30pm tomorrow. The only thing that i remember doing is stumbling on some uneven surface, but i wonder why the delayed reaction or even if it's related? Sorry to ramble. Has anyone experienced this??????? I had four weeks to go until my one year anniversary and i can't believe this is happening. I didn't sleep last night. The emotions were running badly, tears, anger sadness. Will let you know whats happens at the surgeons office. It's 11.30pm here, i need to have some pain relief and hopefully some sleep. Need a clear head for tomorrow. Thanks for listening and in anticipation of any replies.
    Vali
    44 years young! now 45
    Surgery - June 1st, 2009
    Dr David Hall - Adelaide Spine Clinic
    St. Andrews Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia
    Pre-op curve - 58 degree lumbar
    Post -op - 5 degrees
    T11 - S1 Posterior
    L4/5 - L5/S1 Anterior Fusion

  • #2
    oh my gosh, Vali..i am so sorry that this is happening...
    will keep you in my prayers that this is something temporary that the surgeon can help you with!

    jess

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi Vali...

      I had some sciatica in the very early part of my recovery, but it went away. I think it's relatively common. Hang in there... this too shall pass.

      Regards,
      Linda
      Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
      Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

      Comment


      • #4
        I'm so sorry to hear about your pain. I hope your surgeon can get to the bottom of it. I'll be looking forward to getting the update after you see him.
        Rest as best you can until then.

        Sheri
        At age 56 my curves measured: 48/60/30 with lots of rotation and getting worse
        Posterior fusion T5-L4 June 30, 2009
        Excellent correction

        Comment


        • #5
          Vali -
          I'm so sorry you're having this pain! It does sound like sciatica.

          The good news, so far, is that your hardware looks good and nothing else was detected from your CT scan or x-rays.

          I hope your pain is back under control (it's unsettling to say the least! ) and that at your appointment with your surgeon you can discover what's going on....

          All the best!
          Julie - 51 yrs old

          Dx'd 1973 - 43* thoracic curve / rotation
          Wore Milwaukee brace 1973 - 1979
          Pre-surgery: 63* thoracic / 52* lumbar curves


          Surgeries: P - March 16, 2009 - Fused T3-S2 with pelvic fixation
          A -April 14, 2009 - Fused L5-S1
          Achieved +70% Correction
          Dr. Khaled Kebaish, (and team) Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore


          Standing x-ray
          New Spine 03/19/2009
          New Spine Lateral 03/19/2009

          Comment


          • #6
            Hi Vali, I hope you get some answers to why you are having this pain! I had my surgery just about when you did, I also took a fall at work that scared the heck out of me, and hopefully things inside are still in order. I do get some pain in the top of my left leg in the front, will address it with my surgeon at my next appointment. Sometimes I think these pains come from being straigntened up and stretched out after surgery, everything is still adjusting maybe.
            Dolores A
            June 4, 2009 Anterior L3 - S1
            June 8, 2009 Posterior T4 - Pelvis
            Mark Agulnick, MD FAAOS
            NY Spine & Scoliosis Center

            Comment


            • #7
              Vali--So sorry to hear you are going through this now. You are almost to the one year mark. Hopefully, at this point all is fused OK and it is just something that is very minor and can easily be dealt with. Good luck. Janet
              Janet

              61 years old--57 for surgery

              Diagnosed in 1965 at age of 13--no brace
              Thoracic Curve: 96 degrees to 35 degrees
              Lumbar Curve: 63 degrees to 5 degrees
              Surgery with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis--March 30, 2009
              T-2 to Pelvis, and hopefully all posterior procedure.

              All was posterior along with 2 cages and 6 osteotomies.

              Comment


              • #8
                That IS scary and I'm so sorry to hear it!

                Sometimes we can't measure how serious something is by how much it hurts. Maybe a screw is loose (you know wjat I mean) or something else easy to repair. Or maybe it is "just" sciatica which will resolve, as Linda said.

                This surgery is so complex! Sometimes a piece of the puzzle slips a little amd has to be put back in relatively minor surgery or else it's just an adjustment our bodies are making.

                Glad you were able to have it looked into so quickly!. Keep us posted!!
                Not all diagnosed (still having tests and consults) but so far:
                Ehler-Danlos (hyper-mobility) syndrome, 69 - somehow,
                main curve L Cobb 60, compensating T curve ~ 30
                Flat back, marked lumbar kyphosis (grade?) Spondilolisthesis - everyone gives this a different grade too. Cervical stenosis op'd 3-07, minimally invasive

                Comment


                • #9
                  Oh no Vali, I'm so sorry to read this. I'm glad you don't have long to wait for your appt. I hope he can identify what it is that's causing this pain. It's our worst nightmare, isn't it? But, it could be something minor. I do hope so. Let us know, won't you. Thinking of you today. I have everything crossed for a quick resolution to this problem.
                  Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
                  Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
                  T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
                  Osteotomies and Laminectomies
                  Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Aaahhhh

                    I also think you probably have sciatica. I had it first in my right leg and then in my left. The time frame is about the same as well- around the 1st anniversary. It hurt so much I couldn't accelerate the car or walk. I went to PT and took Lyrica and it was a process. Both of my piriformis muscles were
                    irritated and swollen, pressing on the sciatic nerve, so stretching them and calming down the nerve was the treatment. All of that pain is now gone but it took a year with some good days and some bad. I had to use a wheelchair for
                    long distances. I was terrified that this would never go away but it did and I am fine. ( The piriformis muscles are small ones in the butt that are next to the sciatic nerve) It is good you are checking with your doctors, though.
                    This is when I found out that my surgeon had removed all the discs in the fusion- I was not aware he did this until after the surgery, and I'm not sure if all surgeons do this.
                    dianeh
                    ant./post. fusion Jan. '06
                    T3- sacrum
                    dbl.curve, T47,L43

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      This is when I found out that my surgeon had removed all the discs in the fusion- I was not aware he did this until after the surgery, and I'm not sure if all surgeons do this.
                      dianeh
                      Something worth another thread too. I believe sometimes surgeons even remove whole vertebrae as part of the shaping process.
                      Not all diagnosed (still having tests and consults) but so far:
                      Ehler-Danlos (hyper-mobility) syndrome, 69 - somehow,
                      main curve L Cobb 60, compensating T curve ~ 30
                      Flat back, marked lumbar kyphosis (grade?) Spondilolisthesis - everyone gives this a different grade too. Cervical stenosis op'd 3-07, minimally invasive

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by back-out View Post
                        something worth another thread too.
                        lol!

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                        Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                        ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                        Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by dianeh View Post
                          This is when I found out that my surgeon had removed all the discs in the fusion- I was not aware he did this until after the surgery, and I'm not sure if all surgeons do this.
                          dianeh
                          Hi Diane...

                          You might want to double check that. It would be very unusual for all the discs to be removed. Generally the only discs removed are those at the apex of a thoracic curve, and lumbar curves. To remove all of the discs in your long fusion, you'd have to have a very long anterior incision. You also would have probably lost several inches in height.

                          --Linda
                          Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                          ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                          Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Vali

                            I had a pain episode last November (22 months post), where I had major pain right around my L3 area. After xrays, my surgeon told me that it was a soft tissue injury. I had the pain for 12 days. I think it was from pulling down, clipping my toe nails.

                            It seems that nerve pain has no moderate setting. It is either on or off, just like a light switch. I also found that hot baths worked well with 10 level pain.

                            Hopefully it will pass soon.
                            Ed

                            Only my lumbar discs were removed....I believe access from the front is required, and in the upper chest area, that becomes extremely difficult if not impossible.
                            49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
                            Pre surgery curves T70,L70
                            ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
                            Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

                            Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
                            http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

                            My x-rays
                            http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

                            http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Aaahhhh

                              Hi Linda,
                              I actually double and triple checked with Dr. Lonner in an office visit about the disc removal because I was shocked that I was unaware of this (it hasn't bothered me in any way and made it easier to diagnose piriformis syndrome since it wasn't related to a disc problem) but I will definitely recheck.
                              dianeh
                              ant./post. fusion Jan. '06
                              T3- sacrum
                              dbl.curve, T47,L43

                              Comment

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