My pain Consultant has told me that my last/best hope for pain relief from my awful (1-year long) Sciatica is Spinal De-compression operation - an op. some 6 hours long with a possible 2 week recovery time. Current medication methods of pain relief are less than 100% effective - (morphine, tramadol, pregabalin).
I'd like some feedback from anyone who has had this op. - on the decision, the op.itself, and the aftermath. I'm a 74 year old reasonably fit, non-smoking/little-drinking male, having had a heart problem 5 years back which needed a single stent, and with a dependent semi-invalid wife.
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Palioly
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If they have you on Fentanyl for post op pain - don't go home until they have you off it. Took me 18 months to get off it after spine reconstruction. Bl*ody awful!
With the UK's NHS - National Health Service, I have no choice when to go home - the Hospital decides when it is safe to send me home, and send me home they will indeed do - as long as I am able to look after myself in their opinion.
I have a complication in the form of a partly disabled wife for whom I am the main carer, so I need to be able asap to look after her.
Hi there, I had a spinal decompression and fusion at L4/5 nearly six years ago. The post op pain was horrendous the day after but with the right meds we soon got it under control. My op was a little over two hours long with initial recovery time of 6 weeks. Its the best thing I ever did, it gave me my life back.
Some back surgeries no matter how well intended do not work. I'm a case in point and there are many other horror stories. You could be worse off afterwards. So you have to be careful proceeding and not expect to be completely pain free. Like I said it's possible complications could arise. The nerves are very sensitive . However back operations below l2 are safer than above. Good luck
I have seen microdiscectomy referred to as a decompression and also a laminectomy. Different ops with different levels of risk and presumably recovery.
I have had 2 laminectomies, admittedly I had little choice as I couldn't walk and without was facing almost certain permanent paralysis.
I am still recovering 12 months after the first, although this is more to do with the nerve damage that occurred prior to the surgery.
I was out of hospital in 5 days and was as mobile as I had been before the surgery.
Post op pain was worse (for me) with the lumbar laminectomy (I had a cervical one also).
I would say they were more difficult than either a hip or knee replacement, for me. But we all have different experiences and my replacements were straightforward. As far as they can be.
My op. is to free my Sciatic nerve from where it is being "pinched" - and causing me continuous pain in my right leg calf area, and near my right hip joint.
If so I don't know how long the recovery will be, but I would imagine it will involve a certain amount of restraint for a few weeks.
Also I had a total of 5 root ganglion nerve block epidurals (if that's the injection you are referring to?) where they inject a combination of cortisone and lidocaine into the root of nerves where it exits the vertebrae., over the space of 2 years and one during surgery.
They were to help with sciatica down the front and back of both legs and into my feet, and also to help recovery from the nerve / spinal cord trauma.
They were progressively more effective, but using the reduction in pain to strengthen core muscles gives a much, much better outcome.
The sciatic pain only eventually became tolerable (i.e. allowing me to sleep) after I started supervised exercising regularly.
Two contrasting experiences. At my "initial assessment" for surgery they tell me that after the op. I should not sit down much for 2 weeks - did anyone else have that problem and how difficult was it to keep to this requirement. If it is really a requirement it will make it very difficult for me to do much of my usual activities.
I am tempted to first try another set of injections - my only set which was done about 6 months back did give me about 3 months of relief. But I don't suppose I could keep on having injections ? It;'s a hell of a decision and I don't want to end up with a back with just a different trouble, with pain for a different reason.
I too am new to this community so can I say a quick hello.
I had an L4/S1/L5 decompression op 2 months ago after 7 or 8 years of pain and discomfort and following 3 spinal epidural injections, each reducing my pain symptoms for a few weeks, before the pain, aching and weakness returned. I am 62. Pain relief was administered including, Solpodol (Co-codomol), Tramodol, Amytripolene each accompanied with the usual side effects for which additional medication was prescribed. I also suffer from COPD, Osteoporosis, polyarthritis and diverticulosis.
I had my operation in Preston despite living in Whitehaven as there is shortage of spinal specialist consultants in Cumbria (there isn't one). I had been advised to expect to be in hospital for 1 - 5 days depending on how I recovered from the anaesthetic as my lungs are shot. I was admitted at 08.00 and I was in the operating theatre at 13.00. All went well I'm told. I awoke just over two hours later from a blissful sleep to a whole heap of pain for which Morphine was given via IV. Boy, was I sick 20 minutes later! I lay awake most of that night. My consultant visited me at 07.45 to check on me and to arrange for a physiotherapist to pay me a visit that morning. When she arrived she instructed me in how to get in/out of bed, walked me the length of a corridor and up and down a small flight of stairs. Once done she confirmed I could go home and transport was arranged!
For two weeks my wife ruled with an iron fist and I was not allowed to do anything apart from rest. One thing, you are allowed to sit for 20 minute spells in a straight back, firm chair only before 10 minutes of gentle walking/standing indoors. "Walking is good" I was told. As I love watching the birds feeding in our garden this was not a problem. Very enjoyable, in fact. It is now 7 weeks later and am due to see my consultant for the first time since my op, the week after next.
The day after my operation, I felt so relieved that I was without pain! A success then! Unfortunately the pain, weakness and severe aching has returned. I had been warned this is a one in 3 chance. Would I go through it again? Absolutely. Anything is worth a try if it might get rid of that god-awful pain!
Indeed an interesting experience ! - but my sympathies if it has not been completely successful. I had most of your back related symptoms, and a set of back injections which gave me 3 months of relief.
However I decided to go for a second set of injections before accepting a serious back op. on the grounds that there was always a risk of exchanging one pain - sciatica, for a different type of back pain - there's no going back from an op ! And with a disabled wife I could not easily be out of action for up to a few weeks, as she can do nothing for herself, (I'm the cook/housekeeper).
And then I started to notice that I was increasingly ably to do without most of my Morphine, Tramadol, Codeine, and Lyrica, which is my current state. I now get by using 10mg Zomorph/day plus some Co-codamol.
If my leg pain had been as intense as early on this year I might have decided different, but I'm a cautious sort and did a lot of research here and elsewhere before my decision.
I'm new to this forum so hope you don't mind me replying.
I think your decision to attempt to stick with the injections as opposed to surgery was s very wise choice.
Unfortunately I had no choice but to undergo cervical spinal surgery, I had severe spinal cord compression at 3 levels in my neck and was told that without total neck reconstructive surgery I would lose the use of my arms and legs within 6 months.
I now have a cervical spine built of cages at C4/5, C5/6 & C6/7 but unfortunately the spinal cord compression along with the trauma of the surgery has left me with permanent nerve damage as well as a chronic neurological disorder caused by spinal cord trauma.
My last surgery was in 2010 and I am now on more medication and in more pain than pre-op.
I accept I was in a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation, however, having since researched spinal surgery I have discovered the success rate is low. Plus the neuro disorder, I have been told by many consultants, is common after any spinal surgery.
I now have nerve root compression at the C7 level again as well as a disc prolapse at L5/S1 but I am reluctant to have any further surgery. Too often people suffer more pain after any spinal surgery than before it. I was due to have a C7 nerve root block just last week but cancelled. I am so wary now of any treatment.
I wish you luck with your injections and if they continue to get you by then they are your safest option.
I was only 45 when I had my surgery and am now partially disabled, I wish I had researched more prior to my first surgery which was carried out by a spinal surgeon. My reconstruction was carried out by a neuro surgeon and had I gone down that route the first time around the outcome could have been so different.
No please do reply to anyone on this board - that indeed is what it is for - to exchange views, to get useful info., to help others - so reply away.
At one point my sciatica was so painful that I had to crawl upstairs and come down step by step on my bottom, rather than the painfilled climb or walk upright downstairs.
That is until I got escalated up the pain relief ladder from Paracetamol to Cocodamol to Solpadol to Tramadol to Zomorph - I never quite had to make the ultimate leap to Fentanyl patches.
But alas I have had to give up my beloved running - yes I was an enthusiastic, if not very good, runner - 5K in 30 minutes, not bad for a then 70 year old. Plus doing 51 parkruns.
Now I can only walk a bit before leg starts to tingle, but at least I am relatively pain free/drug free.
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