Pain

[Rosalia1]

Can ANYONE!! Please tell me if there Back surgeries are a success?

[Madlegs1]

7 years ago I had spinal reconstruction for spine broken in 3 places. Rods and screws plus a pedicle ( bridge). All good, except for slightly irritating pain at pedicle site. I do need cushioning for driving, but otherwise ok.The alternative to back surgery would have been my body encased within a long wooden box and put on the bonfire!🤔

I am on low dose opiates for long term pain control.

[Emma2017]

Had 3 microdiscectomies and then a fusion at the l5 level and a laminectomy at the l2 level. The fusion has helped to control the back leg pain a lot and my back pain to some extend. Recently however my front leg pain which is the L2/3 level is really really bad. Not sure what to do, seeing the pain specialist in 2 weeks. Not keen on more surgery. So bit of a mixed bag for me.

[Aoibheann in reply to Emma2017]

Hi, all the indications point to me needing back surgery. I have spondylolisthesis, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. I'm terrified 😨 and I probably won't go through with it. What do you think? Thanks Emma.

[Emma2017 in reply to Aoibheann]

It’s your choice. In my case I had little choice due to CE. It all depends why you need it really. My fusion has been a success, the CT scan 2 weeks ago showed it looked good. The surgeon suggested a spine injection at the higher level to control the front leg pain. Every case is different, have a word with your surgeon and discuss the pros and cons in your case. The surgery itself is not as bad as you think. It’s getting back to normal is the hardest.

[Aoibheann in reply to Emma2017]

I know exactly what you mean - getting back to normal! I've had a lot of surgery in the past and my recovery was very slow indeed and not always successful.