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  • For anyone about 9 months or more post op

    Hi everyone I am coming up 10 months post op on the 21st March, yay.
    But i am getting still a horrible stinging pain in my left shoulder blade area, and also stabbing pains in the middle of my back every now and then.
    I told my surgeon this at my last check up and he said it was nothing which i want to believe

    But my question is has anyone else had these pains or similar and have they got better over time? I know everyone is diff I just thought I would be out of pain by now at least.
    my pain in my hip that i had before the op has gone which is one thing but now i have these pains im wondering if it was worth it, swaping one pain for two others...

    Thank you for any advice im not due to see my surgeon till July when he will tell me how well the bone graft is doing.

    Angela
    xx
    Angela, 25 England.
    75 curve top of spine, and getting worse slowly.
    Surgery on 21st May 2008. T3-L4
    Op went well 20ish degree curve now.
    May need op in 18 months to remove rods due to pain, but might calm down when bone graft has healed, less pain now, just some shoulder blade pain, and a cold spot in middle right of back.

  • #2
    Angela,

    I still get stabbing pains in my back and I will be 2 years post op in May. I am still seeing a PT and she says its nerve pain. I do not have it every day, but when I do get it, it will last for several days before it goes away for days or even weeks and then comes back. I find I get this a lot when I over do things. It is very hard to realize I can't do everything I used to do.
    Patty 51 years old
    Surgery May 23, 2007(43 Birthday)
    Posterior T3- L4
    Pre surgery curves
    T-53degrees
    L-38degrees
    and a severe side shift to the right.
    Post surgery curves
    Less than 10 degrees
    Surgery April, 2006
    C4 - C6

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi Angela

      I have been wondering how you've been - wow can't believe you'll be 10 months post op! Doesn't time fly when you having fun...!!!! How's work for you now?

      I guess the pain you are having is still just healing from the surgery and we have to learn to be patient..(although sccrm08 its hard to read that 2 years down the line you're still getting nerve pain but I guess if its not every day that is one consolation)

      I'm about 6 months post op and keep reminding myself that my surgeon told me 12-18 months recovery and I now realise that he meant that this was likely that I would be in some pain/discomfort all this time. So for me, its just accepting and concentrating on the positives like all the things I can now do that I couldn't do just after I had the op. Also, like you say, remembering that sometimes we just can't run around doing everything we used to do (and in my case at the pace I was used to too!).

      The difficulty for me was that I did not have a lot of pain before this op like many on here, so I'm finding the post op pain/discomfort/aches/heavy, strange feelings in my back/hips difficult to cope with day in day out.

      I think its natural for us all to worry that we are all 'progressing' but by reading everyone's experiences it certainly helps to gain a broad objective of recovery.

      Best of luck for your July appt - and hang on in there girl!

      Louisse

      Ps I'm back to work on a reduced timetable beg of April - just a few hours a day to start so hoping this will take my mind off how my back is feeling.
      Diagnosed aged 17 thoracic curve of 40°/48? given brace worn for short time but was then told that I had stopped growing and it wasn’t likely to get worse. Follow ups ‘got lost in the system’ and I chose to ignore until age approx 33, after two children. Now nearly 42yrs curve was progressing (last xrays 67 degrees) and increasing 'backache' so surgery (posterior T3 - L1) went ahead beginning of September 2008 in UK - thoracic curve now approx 20° and I look a lot straighter!

      Comment


      • #4
        Hi Angela,

        We had surgery around the same time. I'll be 10 months post-op on March 27th. I do have some stabbing pains in my back and I think it's from nerves. I have the same pain I had pre-op (sub scapular muscle pain) and now neck pain. My arm goes numb a lot and is almost always tingly. I'm having an MRI Tuesday to check for any problems.

        I know what you mean about the surgery not being worth it. I regret it somedays but I know I eventually would have had to have it done.

        Are you still considering hardware removal? My surgeon thinks my hardware could also be causing the neck and arm pain. I don't think I would want all the hardware out but it would be nice to have it cut down to T4. I don't know if they do that sort of thing.

        Anyway, I hope you are feeling better soon!

        Shell
        Chemist, 30

        1998- 18 degrees
        2003- 33 degrees
        2005- 37 degrees
        2006- 44 degrees
        May 2007- 47 degrees
        December 2007 - 50 degrees X-ray

        Surgery May 27, 2008
        Fused T1 to L2
        Curve corrected to 15 degrees X-ray

        Comment


        • #5
          Hiya thanks for all the replies.
          Hi briarrose, yeah I am still thinking about having it out dont really want that done though..I dont know if they can take just part of it out, my surgeon just said they would take it all out if I wanted after about 18 months I could think about having that done.

          I know I am probably expecting to much to soon, and I have been doing a lot, I have been since the op I never really took it easy, just w
          as careful not to bend at all for a few months, but i still done some lifting and that when I had the strnge which was about 3 months after the op, and went back work after 2 months..although I have a desk job was doing a lot of walking up and down staris etc..
          And I am now lifting more, and making beds, and doing everything or trying to that I use to maybe to much to soon???

          Anyway thank you for the replies.

          Angela
          xxx
          Angela, 25 England.
          75 curve top of spine, and getting worse slowly.
          Surgery on 21st May 2008. T3-L4
          Op went well 20ish degree curve now.
          May need op in 18 months to remove rods due to pain, but might calm down when bone graft has healed, less pain now, just some shoulder blade pain, and a cold spot in middle right of back.

          Comment


          • #6
            Just a little worried!

            Hey Angela! we had surgery about the same time mine was May 14th! I was actually about to post a new thread asking the same exact thing. I still have the stinging in the left shoulder blade every now and then. like if i sit up for too long looking at something. but here recently i have had this sharp pain in the center of my back ( i was fused in the rib cage area) and i haven't felt this before.. i did fall about a month or 2 ago. i was at church and tripped when i fell i hit the car trying to catch myself and i felt it pop in that area. it hurt for a while. then the pain went away but i randomly feel it sometimes... Is this normal?? do i need to get an immidiate check up? I'm so worried that somethings wrong.

            I might be getting too paranoid or just imagining things because it looks to me like i'm bending wrong again?? it might just be the pain in the center of my back thats bugging me. usually laying down helps. but not always..

            i have also been active probably too much too soon. i've been running and all trying to get in shape for a trip to florida. And i carry around a backpack at school. it never use to bother me but it could be that. i'll try carrying it another way for a while. thanks for all the replies!! and i'm soo glad yall are doing well!
            http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...8506/back2.jpg before 62.9*
            http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...be_8506/x5.jpg after 12.0*!!!!!!!! after surgery was a perfect 0*.
            http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...abe_8506/5.jpg before (outside pic)
            http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...be_8506/a1.jpg after not crooked just sunscreen

            Comment


            • #7
              Hiya
              Seeing you fell I would ring the doctor or surgen and just get a check up, just to make sure and put your mind at rest.
              Sounds like the pain in the shoulder blade is the same as what I am getting although somedays now I dont think about it and its fine others it can be hurting all day, I think it depends on what you are doing the day before.

              At work now I dont lift i am sat at my desk as much as I want to now, of course though I get up and move around otherwise I think i would go stiff

              Night-times are some of the worse for me as I havent been getting much sleep due to pain, I dont think it is my bed as I havent had problems before not even right after the surgery.
              I wouldnt carry your bag at school on your shoulder as that might be causing the some of the pain you are getting.
              Angela, 25 England.
              75 curve top of spine, and getting worse slowly.
              Surgery on 21st May 2008. T3-L4
              Op went well 20ish degree curve now.
              May need op in 18 months to remove rods due to pain, but might calm down when bone graft has healed, less pain now, just some shoulder blade pain, and a cold spot in middle right of back.

              Comment


              • #8
                Thanks a bunch! i'll call him after work and school today hope you get to feeling better!!!
                http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...8506/back2.jpg before 62.9*
                http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...be_8506/x5.jpg after 12.0*!!!!!!!! after surgery was a perfect 0*.
                http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...abe_8506/5.jpg before (outside pic)
                http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...be_8506/a1.jpg after not crooked just sunscreen

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hi Angela,
                  Reading all the replies I guess you're not alone. I too continue to have pain and in the the upper back, sometimes it feels like everything is tearing apart (I know its not) and stabbing at areas down the rods and screws. The PT I was given is supposed to help but so far it hasn't and I started that back in December. I expected to notice the hardware if I would lean up against a hard surface but even laying in bed I really notice a few of the screws and sometimes even inhaling can be very uncomfortable. Where the long screws are at the sacrum can be very uncomfortable especially after walking or in cold and damp weather.
                  I was concerned that the pain in my upper back was infection returning but seeing how many others have similar feelings its probably not. I am still glad that I've had the surgery because pretty much all the pre-op pain is gone. Hopefully we'll all notice improvement with time. Occasional flare ups would be easy enough to deal with.
                  2 60* curves, DDD, left trunk shift, some rotation, rib and lumbar humps, annular tear at L5-S1
                  surgery 5/08 planning fusion T3 or T4 to sacrum with iliac fixation
                  Dr. Anderson at Rothman Institute
                  5/16/08 ALIF L1-L5
                  5/23/08 fused T2-sacrum w/fixation and I'm all Titanium
                  6/4/08 open all back up to clean out for Staph infection
                  (left open with just clear dressing)
                  6/6/08 recleaned and closed
                  3/30/2012 revision planned, broken rod and removal of iliac bolts

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hi Guys! I too am 10 months out. I had my surgery May 29. I don't have the nerve pain but get burning pain in my neck and shoulder blades if at the computer too long. My posterior incision is still completely numb. My back still feels very tender esp if someone hugs me or pats me on the back. Yowie!! I hope that goes away eventually. My pre-op pain is gone. Yay!! I just need to work on strengthening. I still feel very weak in my legs, and lower back. But time is the factor I have found. My arms too get numb if I lay on my side. Only the weird thing is, it is the opposite side I am laying on. My right arm gets numb when I lay on my left side. Go figure.
                    May 2008 Fusion T4 - S1, Pre-op Curves T45, L70 (age 48). Unsuccessful surgery.

                    March 18, 2010 (age 50). Revision with L3 Osteotomy, Replacement of hardware T11 - S1 , addition of bilateral pelvic fixation. Correction of sagittal imbalance and kyphosis.

                    January 24, 2012 (age 52) Revision to repair pseudoarthrosis and 2 broken rods at L3/L4.

                    Comment

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