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  • Post Op Mid-Night Crazy Itching?

    I had my surgery June 30 and am now about 5 1/2 weeks post-op from my kyphoscoliosis surgery. I have been feeling substantially better and am off all of my pain meds except tylenol during the day. The thing is, I have been falling asleep OK as long as my legs aren't going crazy (restless legs syndrome, which I had before, but is a little worse now) but I haven been waking up a couple of hours after I fall asleep with insane ITCHING! It's mostly my back but even my arms and chest and head itch when it's really bad. I usually cannot fall back to sleep when this is happening. After a few nights of almost no sleep I have been taking benadryl before I go to bed and that usually takes care of it. Bad thing is that i wake up sleepy and groggy in the morning.

    Did anyone else experience this post op? I really don't itch that much during the day it's just in the middle of the night. Is it just my nerve endings healing? If so, how long does this last!? I just think it's odd that it's only during the night that it's really bad. HELP! LOL.
    aBbiE
    22 yr old F,KU college student
    Kyphoscoliosis...
    Scoliosis (25T, 23L) diagnosed @ 14 yrs old; curves June 08 were 45T, 32L with 18 degree rotation
    Kyphosis of 65 degrees...
    I am missing a lumbar vertebrae

    Surgery 6/30/2008 with Dr. Lawrence Lenke
    Fused T2-L2


    before/after pics
    all smiles!

  • #2
    My crazy itching lasted until about 4 months post op. I do think it is the nerves healing. I found if I used the liquid soap spongey thing on my back it seemed to stimulate it more, but I also found that it seemed to make the "healing" happen faster. Maybe it was just me, but that is my perception. I didn't rub hard, just enough the nerves seemed stimulated. I will say the itching was terrible at times and you may try to scratch yourself raw, so be aware of that before you try and stimulate the nerves. Good luck! It does pass with time.
    Geish
    47 years old, dx at 13
    +30* to the right, +60* to the left, +30* to the right
    Surgery 12-13-07 - fusion from T4 to sacrum.


    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...tachmentid=267 Pre surgery
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...tachmentid=268 Post surgery
    http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/DSC01091.jpg Xray from the side
    http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...1089-1-1-1.jpg Xray from the back

    Comment


    • #3
      I haven't had the itching yet, but whenever I do itch from other things, I put ice on the spot that itches. This numbs the nerves and works almost instantly. I hope it stops for you 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


      • #4
        Man oh man did I ever ITCH! Holy moly it was horrible, and I spent many restless nights with it, dh rubbing anti itch creams and/or lotions on me. Praying it woulds top, THEN the doctor said it was all due to the combos of medicines and how i was taking them. VOILA! I swear once I stopped one of the meds (the pain patch) and tweaked the schedule I have NOT itched a second since THAT night. It was amazing, and oh itching when you cannot really feel THAT SUCKS! makes your skin feel like its on fire and that is worse than the itchiness!

        Good luck!
        My One Crooked Momma blog
        Fused T1-L1 May 21st 2008
        From 51* to STRAIGHT! Thanks Dr. Shelokov @ Baylor

        Comment


        • #5
          You might want to try benedryl for the itching.
          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


          • #6
            All over itching

            amae28

            You said that you are only taking the tylenol, but are you taking any other drugs? I only ask because the itching seems systemic and not localized to you incision site. Itching from narcotics is quite common. Other drugs can also have the same side effect. Check with your doctor to see what they suggest.

            Consider if you have introduced anything new into your diet. . .


            p

            Comment


            • #7
              Abbie,

              My itching would flare up (still does - at 6 months post-op ... wow, that is weird to write!) all over my back, shoulders and upper hips - but never really on the incision site ... and mine is definitely attempted nerve regeneration.

              Gabapentin (generic Neurontin) is effective for some, and it definitely helps me. I still itch with it, but not anywhere near as badly as without it. There's also a newer med on the market, Lyrica: I've read it's more easily tolerated by some people, and can be effective for some who don't benefit from Gabapentin.

              Nerve regeneration (and whether it will even cause itching, much less how long you can expect to itch) is really hard to predict - and very individualized. I had open knee surgery in '92 and I STILL have occasional itching about 3" from the incision site. I also have numb spots a few inches away from the scar.

              In my experience, some nerves manage to reconnect, some never do (and stay quiet), and some just stay in a perpetually scrambled state - looking for their other half. It's probably safe to say you'll see a decrease in the symptoms over the next few months, but in the meantime, call Lenke and see if he feels either Gabapentin or Lyrica might provide some relief. Either can be called in to your pharmacy.

              Oh, and (LOL!) ...

              Another way I found to help it when it's REALLY bad (NOT advisable if you've been scratching!) is (yes ... I know how it sounds) to rub Tiger Balm on my back. Unlike Icy Hot, etc., Tiger Balm doesn't blister the skin - and gets nowhere NEAR as intense as camphor/menthol based liniments (still keep it away from your eyes!). For some reason it seems to distract the nerves and sometimes gives enough of a break the itching doesn't return. Worth a shot!

              Regards,
              Pam
              Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
              AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


              41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
              Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
              Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


              VIEW MY X-RAYS
              EMAIL ME

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              • #8
                Originally posted by PNUTTRO View Post
                amae28

                You said that you are only taking the tylenol, but are you taking any other drugs? I only ask because the itching seems systemic and not localized to you incision site. Itching from narcotics is quite common. Other drugs can also have the same side effect. Check with your doctor to see what they suggest.

                Consider if you have introduced anything new into your diet. . .


                p
                thanks for the responses... I am not taking any other medicines besides tylenol during the day and now benadryl at night to try and stop the insanity of itchyness. My diet is pretty much the same as before besides that my stomach will get upset easier from heavy foods.

                I forgot to add that where I am itching on my back is the areas where it is numb. Probably 60% of my back or more is completely numb still or partially numb and feels like it is sunburnt. I am planning on calling Lenke's office monday to see what they say, I know his nurse is out of the office until wednesday so we'll see. I just really want something that won't wipe me out so bad like benadryl does. I will have to try that cream txmarinemom suggested- i can't remember the name now that I am typing the response...
                aBbiE
                22 yr old F,KU college student
                Kyphoscoliosis...
                Scoliosis (25T, 23L) diagnosed @ 14 yrs old; curves June 08 were 45T, 32L with 18 degree rotation
                Kyphosis of 65 degrees...
                I am missing a lumbar vertebrae

                Surgery 6/30/2008 with Dr. Lawrence Lenke
                Fused T2-L2


                before/after pics
                all smiles!

                Comment


                • #9
                  I also found that Lyrica (similar to Neurontin) helped considerably with these issues. Dr. Boachie's clinical coordinator says that it's important to stay on this medicine for at least a few month post-surgery until the nerves settle down.
                  Ginger Woolley

                  Oct 2018, L3 - S1, Anterior & Posterior, Dr Sigurd Berven, UCSF, San Francisco
                  ******
                  May 2008, T4 - L3, Dr. Ohenaba Boachie, Hospital for Special Surgery, NYC
                  ******
                  Sept 1967, T4 - T 11, without instrumentation, Dr Thomas Brown, Stanford

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