Guest guest Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Hi, I have achondroplasia and I had numbness on and off all my life. I grew up in an average size family and just ignored it. My family went traveling all over Europe and were always going on tours. I elected to stay home, because I had such numbness. I didn't have any pain, I was just numb from my waist down.old my family I couldn't walk and didn't want to sit in the hotel rooms while they went on all the tours. I joined LPA when I was a teen and heard about all the doctors who specialized in our dwarf related problems. I really believed that I could ignore my problem. When it became to be too much I went to the late Dr. Edgar Dawson at UCLA. He preformed my complete lamenectomy from L-1 through L-5. It was painful, but I then woke up from surgery and could walk blocks, miles. I traded off numbness for pain. I had never felt pain because I was numb. I now have pain here and there and try to be careful how much I push myself. I had my surgery in 1993 and still have feeling in my legs. My main advice to anyone is to go to a specialist. Go to someone who has done the surgeries and can deal with whatever they find when they open you up. Dr. Dawson has a huge following and I still go see the doctors at the Spine Institute. If I ever move from California I will travel to see them. I had my legs surgery done at Sedars in Los Angeles and I will continue to go there for my leg stuff. I have even gotten Cortisone (sp) shots in my joints before. Funny I never felt the pain before and now I do. I had a Milogram too before my surgery. I can't have an MRI, becasue I have metal in my ear that isn't MRI friendly. My milogram was not fun, but it showed where my blockage was. The doctor needed to see that. Take care and best wishes to all of you. Sincerely, Patti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Hi, I also have spinal stenosis. All of my symptoms becan in December of 91. I was Christmas shopping wth my mother and we both noticed that I was having trouble walking because my legs would go numb. My mother calledHopkins in January to make an appiontment and I was seen in February of 92. I t was determined at that time that I needed to have a laminectomy done. I had the surgery done in March. When they did the myelogram it showed the surgeon that I needed my thoracic and lumbars areas done. Basically, everything but the cervical needed to be done. I had no pain before the sugery just numbness. Fourteen years later I am still pain free and I can walk for blocks and blocks witthout stopplng. One thing I do though is I watch my wieght very closely. By the way, my surgery took 7 hours. Jill > > From: " mpeddle_99 " <mpeddle_99@...> > Date: 2006/09/22 Fri AM 11:33:12 EDT > dwarfism > Subject: Spinal Stenosis > > Hi, > > I am wondering if anyone has Spinal Stenosis. If you do have it or > have had it did you have the surgery done to help ease the pain. I > have just been diagonsed with it this week and the surgeon told me > that I either have to live with it or have surgery to correct it. The > injections are not an option for me as the openings are too small for > the injections. > > If anyone has had the surgery I would love to hear from you. I want > to make sure that I am making the right decision. I would like to > find out more on the recovery process, the healing time, when I can > return to work, and anything else that there is to know about this. > > Thanks in advance for all of your help > Margaret-Ann Peddle > > > > > > > > > > === > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2007 Report Share Posted February 15, 2007 > > Hello, > > I'm new to the group. My mother just found out she has severe > spinal stenosis. She is 74 years. She has had a sore back off and on > for the last two years, but all of a sudden one morning she could > hardly get out of bed fom the pain in her lower back and down her legs. > The pain is improving some, but her doctor thinks she should have > surgery. She is being referred to a university, rather than have > surgery at a local hospital. This is the first time in ten years she > has been to a doctor, so I know she is in alot of pain. Of course she > doesn't want to have surgery. I was wondering how long you are laid up > after surgery, and does the surgery normally help a person at her age > and severity of the stenosis. One last question, is this condition > inherited? I'm 47 years old and i'm concerned that I will get this > condition also. Is there anything that can be done, to prevent this > from happening or slowing it down, if caught early enough. Thanks, > Sandy. > Hello again, Guess no one can help me with my questions. Guess I will check out the other . Hope everyone had nice Valentine's Day Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2007 Report Share Posted February 15, 2007 Hi Sandy, To answer your question about spinal stenosis being inherited, the answer is yes and no. It all depends on the what is causing the stenosis. So it would be important to know what the cause of your mother's is. You can do a google search using, is spinal stenosis inherited, and you will find links to give some info. As for the other question, the answer to that is yes. I had surgery for stenosis involving only the L4-L5 vertebrae last June. My surgeons associcate operated on a woman that was 80 years old at the same time I was having my surgery. Post op we where in the same day unit room. Both of us where in and out the same day, and had ourselves a grand time trying to see who would go home first. We ended up walking out the door together arm in arm. We both woke up with the pain we had gone and full feeling in our leg. We had some mild pain from the surgery, which was a 1 inch incicsion at the base of our spine. Within 3 hours of arriving in the room, we where out of bed and walking with assistance to the bathroom. Needed help to be sure we where not wobbly after surgery and we where fine. We where walking up and down the hall, up and down the PT stairs and discharged at 6PM the evening. We had 3 weeks of very limited movement and then 8 weeks of physical therapy, exercises to do at home. We've kept in touch with each other since the surgery and we both feel we are at 90% of what we where before we had any problems with the stenosis. Of course it also depends on where your mother's stenosis is located and how many vertebrae are involved, what type of surgery the doc is planning on doing, as to how quickly she will recover. The surgery I had was what is called a partial laminotomy and the other woman had the same thing. People recover at different rates, but suffering in the horrible pain that one has with stenosis is not the way to live. Hope this info helps you. Fran yogiteddie <yogiteddie@...> wrote: >> Hello,> > I'm new to the group. My mother just found out she has severe > spinal stenosis. She is 74 years. She has had a sore back off and on > for the last two years, but all of a sudden one morning she could > hardly get out of bed fom the pain in her lower back and down her legs. > The pain is improving some, but her doctor thinks she should have > surgery. She is being referred to a university, rather than have > surgery at a local hospital. This is the first time in ten years she > has been to a doctor, so I know she is in alot of pain. Of course she > doesn't want to have surgery. I was wondering how long you are laid up > after surgery, and does the surgery normally help a person at her age > and severity of the stenosis. One last question, is this condition > inherited? I'm 47 years old and i'm concerned that I will get this > condition also. Is there anything that can be done, to prevent this > from happening or slowing it down, if caught early enough. Thanks, > Sandy.>Hello again,Guess no one can help me with my questions. Guess I will check out the other . Hope everyone had nice Valentine's DaySandy Bored stiff? Loosen up...Download and play hundreds of games for free on Games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2007 Report Share Posted February 15, 2007 Hi Fran, Thanks for your helpful info. I really appreciated it. SandyFran Barron <sunhineagain@...> wrote: Hi Sandy, To answer your question about spinal stenosis being inherited, the answer is yes and no. It all depends on the what is causing the stenosis. So it would be important to know what the cause of your mother's is. You can do a google search using, is spinal stenosis inherited, and you will find links to give some info. As for the other question, the answer to that is yes. I had surgery for stenosis involving only the L4-L5 vertebrae last June. My surgeons associcate operated on a woman that was 80 years old at the same time I was having my surgery. Post op we where in the same day unit room. Both of us where in and out the same day, and had ourselves a grand time trying to see who would go home first. We ended up walking out the door together arm in arm. We both woke up with the pain we had gone and full feeling in our leg. We had some mild pain from the surgery, which was a 1 inch incicsion at the base of our spine. Within 3 hours of arriving in the room, we where out of bed and walking with assistance to the bathroom. Needed help to be sure we where not wobbly after surgery and we where fine. We where walking up and down the hall, up and down the PT stairs and discharged at 6PM the evening. We had 3 weeks of very limited movement and then 8 weeks of physical therapy, exercises to do at home. We've kept in touch with each other since the surgery and we both feel we are at 90% of what we where before we had any problems with the stenosis. Of course it also depends on where your mother's stenosis is located and how many vertebrae are involved, what type of surgery the doc is planning on doing, as to how quickly she will recover. The surgery I had was what is called a partial laminotomy and the other woman had the same thing. People recover at different rates, but suffering in the horrible pain that one has with stenosis is not the way to live. Hope this info helps you. Fran yogiteddie <yogiteddie > wrote: >> Hello,> > I'm new to the group. My mother just found out she has severe > spinal stenosis. She is 74 years. She has had a sore back off and on > for the last two years, but all of a sudden one morning she could > hardly get out of bed fom the pain in her lower back and down her legs. > The pain is improving some, but her doctor thinks she should have > surgery. She is being referred to a university, rather than have > surgery at a local hospital. This is the first time in ten years she > has been to a doctor, so I know she is in alot of pain. Of course she > doesn't want to have surgery. I was wondering how long you are laid up > after surgery, and does the surgery normally help a person at her age > and severity of the stenosis. One last question, is this condition > inherited? I'm 47 years old and i'm concerned that I will get this > condition also. Is there anything that can be done, to prevent this > from happening or slowing it down, if caught early enough. Thanks, > Sandy.>Hello again,Guess no one can help me with my questions. Guess I will check out the other . Hope everyone had nice Valentine's DaySandy Bored stiff? Loosen up...Download and play hundreds of games for free on Games. The fish are biting. Get more visitors on your site using Search Marketing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Sandy, I have simular problem.. I goto P.T. and Chriopractor for releive. You might want to check with your MD who is treating as there are some good meds available ... its best to talk with your dr. > > Hello, > > My mom has severe lumbar spinal stenosis, and she is trying to > control the pain with over the counter medication. She is taking Bayer, > but I was wondering what seems to work best with spinal stenosis > without taking a prescription med. > > > Sandy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Hi Sandy, I go to physical therapy and the chiropractor too. Though I do take a prescription anti inflammatory and a muscle relaxer which do help. Nessie > > Hello, > > My mom has severe lumbar spinal stenosis, and she is trying to > control the pain with over the counter medication. She is taking Bayer, > but I was wondering what seems to work best with spinal stenosis > without taking a prescription med. > > > Sandy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 I go to PT and do some yoga stretching – mild – and no chiropractic since my hip and leg bones are too thin. I take rx pain meds for days and times when I can get no relief since Advil and others do not work for me due to nerve damage. But the light stretches and PT help a ton…not to mention keep me moving more days than when I do not go. J From: Spinal Stenosis Treatment [mailto:Spinal Stenosis Treatment ] On Behalf Of Nessies Computer Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 2:28 PM To: Spinal Stenosis Treatment Subject: Re: Spinal Stenosis Hi Sandy, I go to physical therapy and the chiropractor too. Though I do take a prescription anti inflammatory and a muscle relaxer which do help. Nessie > > Hello, > > My mom has severe lumbar spinal stenosis, and she is trying to > control the pain with over the counter medication. She is taking Bayer, > but I was wondering what seems to work best with spinal stenosis > without taking a prescription med. > > > Sandy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Hi, Thanks for the replies. Her one doctor didn't feel that physical therapy would help, but the other doctor at the teaching hospital thought it might help. I will try to get her into therapy. She is really stubborn about going to a doctor. SandyNessies Computer <stitchangel@...> wrote: Hi Sandy,I go to physical therapy and the chiropractor too. Though I do take a prescription anti inflammatory and a muscle relaxer which do help. Nessie>> Hello,> > My mom has severe lumbar spinal stenosis, and she is trying to > control the pain with over the counter medication. She is taking Bayer, > but I was wondering what seems to work best with spinal stenosis > without taking a prescription med.> > > Sandy> TV dinner still cooling?Check out "Tonight's Picks" on TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Tell her it is a fitness espert or yago person and them tell them what you told her as they will go along with it if they know it is a “hard to treat” patient. J From: Spinal Stenosis Treatment [mailto:Spinal Stenosis Treatment ] On Behalf Of Sandy Blakey Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 6:29 PM Spinal Stenosis Treatment Subject: Re: Re: Spinal Stenosis Hi, Thanks for the replies. Her one doctor didn't feel that physical therapy would help, but the other doctor at the teaching hospital thought it might help. I will try to get her into therapy. She is really stubborn about going to a doctor. Sandy Nessies Computer <stitchangelalltel (DOT) net> wrote: Hi Sandy, I go to physical therapy and the chiropractor too. Though I do take a prescription anti inflammatory and a muscle relaxer which do help. Nessie > > Hello, > > My mom has severe lumbar spinal stenosis, and she is trying to > control the pain with over the counter medication. She is taking Bayer, > but I was wondering what seems to work best with spinal stenosis > without taking a prescription med. > > > Sandy > TV dinner still cooling? Check out " Tonight's Picks " on TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 You do not need to be put to sleep for the cortizone shots. I had my first one about 6 weeks ago. It wasn't near as bad as I expected. I am 55, been diagnosed with spinal stenosis for about a year now. The effects of the shot only lasted about 30 days for me. What really surprised me is what they charged for the cortizone shot - $650.00! and they billed it as surgery! I still don't know yet how much I will have to pay - hope no more than 10%. Good LuckSee what's free at AOL.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Hi, I've had the injections done in two rounds of 3 about a year apart. I found them to be helpful. It's been over 6 months since my last injections and I'm still doing okay with them. I take an NSAID and a muscle relaxer. I was not put to sleep for the injections. I was given a local. The injection was uncomfortable but not painful. I felt intense pressure during the injection. I had to stay in recovery for 45 minutes after each injection due to my blood pressure dropping. They told me that was very common for those injections. I was told not to drive or lift anything the day of the injection. My insurance company covered the injections, but not the hospital. I had to call my insurance company and inform them that I had no option in which hospital I went to for the procedure and they approved it. It is always possible that your doctor could work with your insurance company and get the injections approved if your doctor feels it's a necessary procedure. Call you insurance company and find out if that is a possibility. I hope the injections work for you. Nessie > > Hi, > > I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in February. > I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better. However, > now it does not work at all. I tried physical therapy, does not > work. I am going to get the cortison shots at end of July. > Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried acupunture? > I understand that it relieves back problems? Do you need to > be put to sleep when you get the cortison shots? My insurance > company does not cover that. Should I request it. > > I appreciate if anyone could help me. > > Thank you in advance. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Fran, You are the first person I have heard who say they have actually benefited from the surgery. Have any of the others of you benefited as well? DennisSee what's free at AOL.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Hi, I was diagnosed a year ago February with Spinal Stenosis. The PT didn't work and neither did the spinal injections. I ended up with surgery a year ago in june and have been pain free and fine since. As for the injections, my pain managment doc uses sedation when he does the injections. Sometimes it does put you out and other times it doesn't. In my case, I was out for about 15 minutes during the injection. I stayed in the recovery for the same length of time with the sedation as I would have without. I would check with your insurance to see if they cover the sedation as I'm told it can be very uncomfortable to have the injections done without it. Franolbiasard <olbiasard@...> wrote: Hi,I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in February.I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better. However,now it does not work at all. I tried physical therapy, does notwork. I am going to get the cortison shots at end of July.Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried acupunture?I understand that it relieves back problems? Do you need tobe put to sleep when you get the cortison shots? My insurancecompany does not cover that. Should I request it.I appreciate if anyone could help me. Thank you in advance. Choose the right car based on your needs. Check out Autos new Car Finder tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Hi I have been getting injections for 2 years. I am not sedated but do receive a numbing shot first. I see no reason to be sedated, as far as I'm concerned, unless you might be extremely anxious. They are worth a try. Really helps me. Patolbiasard <olbiasard@...> wrote: Hi,I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in February.I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better. However,now it does not work at all. I tried physical therapy, does notwork. I am going to get the cortison shots at end of July.Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried acupunture?I understand that it relieves back problems? Do you need tobe put to sleep when you get the cortison shots? My insurancecompany does not cover that. Should I request it.I appreciate if anyone could help me. Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 Fran, My mother has had 2 extemely painful epidural injections without any sedation. I've called almost all of the pain clinics in KC and can't find any of them that use the sedation. One told me that wasn't done and he's never heard of that. We are getting very discouraged. She refuses to take any more because of the pain of the injection and they didn't help at all either. She thinks maybe they didn't help because they were done too low. At any rate, we are looking into her other options. She has lost a lot of weight now and they don't want to do surgery. She only weighs 85 pounds. She takes Percoset but it barely stops her pain. She has stenosis, severe scolosis so surgery would be difficult and she needs to get her weight back up first. What type of surgery did you have that helped you? Was it the laminectomy? Her pain is very bad in her right hip, lower back and right thigh. Cheryl > Hi, > > I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in February. > I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better. However, > now it does not work at all. I tried physical therapy, does not > work. I am going to get the cortison shots at end of July. > Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried acupunture? > I understand that it relieves back problems? Do you need to > be put to sleep when you get the cortison shots? My insurance > company does not cover that. Should I request it. > > I appreciate if anyone could help me. > > Thank you in advance. > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Choose the right car based on your needs. Check out Autos new Car Finder tool. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 Sorry to hear of your mother's problems. I have had microscopic surgery to stenosis in January and it has not succeeded. They don't know why. However, be sure to ask all the right questions. I failed to ask the obvious one, " What are the percentages for success? And have any of the surgeries not relieved the problem? What the surgeon tells me now after the fact is that they can removed the assumed causes of the pain, remove calcium and bone impinging on the nerves, but that is not guarantee that the nerves will heal. My condition remains chronic. They are probably reluctant to provide complete sedation for your mother because of age (?) and her physcial state. a.r. sogliuzzo --- cfa1029 <c1anderson@...> wrote: > > Fran, > My mother has had 2 extemely painful epidural > injections without any > sedation. I've called almost all of the pain clinics > in KC and can't > find any of them that use the sedation. One told me > that wasn't done > and he's never heard of that. We are getting very > discouraged. She > refuses to take any more because of the pain of the > injection and > they didn't help at all either. She thinks maybe > they didn't help > because they were done too low. At any rate, we are > looking into her > other options. She has lost a lot of weight now and > they don't want > to do surgery. She only weighs 85 pounds. She takes > Percoset but it > barely stops her pain. She has stenosis, severe > scolosis so surgery > would be difficult and she needs to get her weight > back up first. > What type of surgery did you have that helped you? > Was it the > laminectomy? Her pain is very bad in her right hip, > lower back and > right thigh. > Cheryl > > > > > Hi, > > > > I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in > February. > > I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better. > However, > > now it does not work at all. I tried physical > therapy, does not > > work. I am going to get the cortison shots at end > of July. > > Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried > acupunture? > > I understand that it relieves back problems? Do > you need to > > be put to sleep when you get the cortison shots? > My insurance > > company does not cover that. Should I request it. > > > > I appreciate if anyone could help me. > > > > Thank you in advance. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > > Choose the right car based on your needs. Check > out Autos > new Car Finder tool. > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. http://smallbusiness./webhosting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 Hi , . I'm stunned by what you say about no one does spinal cortisone injections with any sedation and have never heard of it. Wow, they even give you a numbing injection before doing and epideral when you are in labor. I did some checking around the Boston area and they all use sedation of some kind. They also use xray machines to make sure that the injection is going into the correct area, otherwise it's a crap shoot in getting it to the right location. I can understand your mother not wanting any more of them. I can't imagine getting them without sedation as afterwards the area where the needle went in is sore for a couple of days. I was told to keep ice on it for that pain. They didn't help me either. Actually the first one helped for 48 hours. No pain, then it came back. The second one did nothing, and the third one made the pain worse. The doc I saw for the injections is part of a large orthopedic sports medicine practice. They have surgical suites for minor surgery right there in their building and that' s where I went. It wasn't a separate pain management clinic. You might try and see if you can get your mother an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedic spine doctor. I found they are the best to use, very up to date with their knowledge and various procedures that are being done. The micro surgery, I have read, doesn't have the greatest sucess rate for spinal stenosis. I had a laminotomy done on one vertebrae, the L4-L5. They removed one piece of the foramen of the affected vertebrae and the nerves where released. It can take a couple of weeks for the pain to go away. In my case, it was gone immediately, including the tingling and numbness in my leg and foot as well as some symptoms of bladder and bowel control. What can't be guarenteed until after surgery and recovery time, if there has been any peremenet nerve damage or permenent muscle weakness do to the nerves being compressed. In my case there was no nerve damage but there is some permenent muscle weakness just below my waist and in my thigh. I can't say I have no pain at all, because I do have some varying degrees of discomfort to pain, but that is do to weather changes and overdoing things. I will never be the same as I was before all this started, but to go from pain that made me want to kill myself, unable to get out of bed alone, unable to walk more than a few steps, wishing I was dead, having no life and going back to pretty much everything that I did before is a miracle. I can't walk 4-6 miles a day anymore, but 2 miles a day is fine with me. I can't get on my hands and knees and garden for 4-6 hours at a time, but I can do 45 minutes and then rest for an hour and do another 45 minutes and so on. I can rake leaves, shovel snow, in otherwords live a life. I did loose weight too before my surgery. I was in so much pain I couldn't eat much and really didn't want to. After the surgery my appetite was almost nill for several months. I had to force food into me and took some supplements as well. It has never returned to what it was before all this started, but that's fine, I'm loosing weight that I need to loose anyways. My pain began just below my waist, went down my hip and thigh and all the way down my leg and foot. It was numb and tingling from the nerves being pressed on and because you aren't moving correctly and standing up correctly, it is pulling on the muscles and making them hurt as well. My surgery took about 2 1/2 hours, was in and out the same day. about 12 hours after going in. After 3 weeks I started a 10 week physical therapy rehab going twice a week. I've continued with exercises at home that I have to do every day for the rest of my life, but that's fine, I have a life. I don't know how the scoliosis compounds the surgery for stenosis, but it sounds like it might and for sure your mother needs to get her weight up some. Nutritional supplements might help. What I would do is see if you can get her to go for another opinion from a sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeon. I had 5 other opinions before I had my surgery and ended up staying with the original doctor. It put my mind at ease about having surgery and that it was the only thing to do to get my life back. Good luck and let us know how things go. Franrichard sogliuzzo <arsogliuzzo@...> wrote: Sorry to hear of your mother's problems. I have hadmicroscopic surgery to stenosis in January and it hasnot succeeded. They don't know why. However, be sureto ask all the right questions. I failed to ask theobvious one, "What are the percentages for success? And have any of the surgeries not relieved theproblem? What the surgeon tells me now after the factis that they can removed the assumed causes of thepain, remove calcium and bone impinging on the nerves,but that is not guarantee that the nerves will heal. My condition remains chronic. They are probablyreluctant to provide complete sedation for your motherbecause of age (?) and her physcial state. a.r.sogliuzzo--- cfa1029 <c1andersoncenturytel (DOT) net> wrote:> > Fran, > My mother has had 2 extemely painful epidural> injections without any > sedation. I've called almost all of the pain clinics> in KC and can't > find any of them that use the sedation. One told me> that wasn't done > and he's never heard of that. We are getting very> discouraged. She > refuses to take any more because of the pain of the> injection and > they didn't help at all either. She thinks maybe> they didn't help > because they were done too low. At any rate, we are> looking into her > other options. She has lost a lot of weight now and> they don't want > to do surgery. She only weighs 85 pounds. She takes> Percoset but it > barely stops her pain. She has stenosis, severe> scolosis so surgery > would be difficult and she needs to get her weight> back up first. > What type of surgery did you have that helped you?> Was it the > laminectomy? Her pain is very bad in her right hip,> lower back and > right thigh.> Cheryl> > > > > Hi,> > > > I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in> February.> > I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better.> However,> > now it does not work at all. I tried physical> therapy, does not> > work. I am going to get the cortison shots at end> of July.> > Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried> acupunture?> > I understand that it relieves back problems? Do> you need to> > be put to sleep when you get the cortison shots?> My insurance> > company does not cover that. Should I request it.> > > > I appreciate if anyone could help me. > > > > Thank you in advance.> > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------> > Choose the right car based on your needs. Check> out Autos > new Car Finder tool.> >> > > __________________________________________________________Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online.http://smallbusiness./webhosting Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hi Fran, I've been reading your posts on your stenosis. How long had you been diagnosed with stenosis beforey you opted for surgery? I found out 2 years ago at 48. I was told by my neuro that I needed a laminectomy and spinal fusion at L4-5 because of spondylolistheses. I got a second opinion from a ortho doctor and he said the same thing. My legs aren't numb but have alot of pain in my back and legs when doing any physical activity for too long. I've been going to weight watchers to shed some pounds which I know will help..it's just hard to do the exercising because of the condition, I do the best I can. I am not on any pain meds and I just take Advil as needed. I know I need this operation eventually but I am trying alternative treatment first. It sounds like you were in extreme pain near the end. I am seeing my doctor on the 20th and was thinking about getting a shot, I'm nervous about getting it and wonder if I really helps! Looking for to hearing from you and your feedback! Fran Barron <sunhineagain@...> wrote: Hi , . I'm stunned by what you say about no one does spinal cortisone injections with any sedation and have never heard of it. Wow, they even give you a numbing injection before doing and epideral when you are in labor. I did some checking around the Boston area and they all use sedation of some kind. They also use xray machines to make sure that the injection is going into the correct area, otherwise it's a crap shoot in getting it to the right location. I can understand your mother not wanting any more of them. I can't imagine getting them without sedation as afterwards the area where the needle went in is sore for a couple of days. I was told to keep ice on it for that pain. They didn't help me either. Actually the first one helped for 48 hours. No pain, then it came back. The second one did nothing, and the third one made the pain worse. The doc I saw for the injections is part of a large orthopedic sports medicine practice. They have surgical suites for minor surgery right there in their building and that' s where I went. It wasn't a separate pain management clinic. You might try and see if you can get your mother an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedic spine doctor. I found they are the best to use, very up to date with their knowledge and various procedures that are being done. The micro surgery, I have read, doesn't have the greatest sucess rate for spinal stenosis. I had a laminotomy done on one vertebrae, the L4-L5. They removed one piece of the foramen of the affected vertebrae and the nerves where released. It can take a couple of weeks for the pain to go away. In my case, it was gone immediately, including the tingling and numbness in my leg and foot as well as some symptoms of bladder and bowel control. What can't be guarenteed until after surgery and recovery time, if there has been any peremenet nerve damage or permenent muscle weakness do to the nerves being compressed. In my case there was no nerve damage but there is some permenent muscle weakness just below my waist and in my thigh. I can't say I have no pain at all, because I do have some varying degrees of discomfort to pain, but that is do to weather changes and overdoing things. I will never be the same as I was before all this started, but to go from pain that made me want to kill myself, unable to get out of bed alone, unable to walk more than a few steps, wishing I was dead, having no life and going back to pretty much everything that I did before is a miracle. I can't walk 4-6 miles a day anymore, but 2 miles a day is fine with me. I can't get on my hands and knees and garden for 4-6 hours at a time, but I can do 45 minutes and then rest for an hour and do another 45 minutes and so on. I can rake leaves, shovel snow, in otherwords live a life. I did loose weight too before my surgery. I was in so much pain I couldn't eat much and really didn't want to. After the surgery my appetite was almost nill for several months. I had to force food into me and took some supplements as well. It has never returned to what it was before all this started, but that's fine, I'm loosing weight that I need to loose anyways. My pain began just below my waist, went down my hip and thigh and all the way down my leg and foot. It was numb and tingling from the nerves being pressed on and because you aren't moving correctly and standing up correctly, it is pulling on the muscles and making them hurt as well. My surgery took about 2 1/2 hours, was in and out the same day. about 12 hours after going in. After 3 weeks I started a 10 week physical therapy rehab going twice a week. I've continued with exercises at home that I have to do every day for the rest of my life, but that's fine, I have a life. I don't know how the scoliosis compounds the surgery for stenosis, but it sounds like it might and for sure your mother needs to get her weight up some. Nutritional supplements might help. What I would do is see if you can get her to go for another opinion from a sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeon. I had 5 other opinions before I had my surgery and ended up staying with the original doctor. It put my mind at ease about having surgery and that it was the only thing to do to get my life back. Good luck and let us know how things go. Franrichard sogliuzzo <arsogliuzzo > wrote: Sorry to hear of your mother's problems. I have hadmicroscopic surgery to stenosis in January and it hasnot succeeded. They don't know why. However, be sureto ask all the right questions. I failed to ask theobvious one, "What are the percentages for success? And have any of the surgeries not relieved theproblem? What the surgeon tells me now after the factis that they can removed the assumed causes of thepain, remove calcium and bone impinging on the nerves,but that is not guarantee that the nerves will heal. My condition remains chronic. They are probablyreluctant to provide complete sedation for your motherbecause of age (?) and her physcial state. a.r.sogliuzzo--- cfa1029 <c1andersoncenturytel (DOT) net> wrote:> > Fran, > My mother has had 2 extemely painful epidural> injections without any > sedation. I've called almost all of the pain clinics> in KC and can't > find any of them that use the sedation. One told me> that wasn't done > and he's never heard of that. We are getting very> discouraged. She > refuses to take any more because of the pain of the> injection and > they didn't help at all either. She thinks maybe> they didn't help > because they were done too low. At any rate, we are> looking into her > other options. She has lost a lot of weight now and> they don't want > to do surgery. She only weighs 85 pounds. She takes> Percoset but it > barely stops her pain. She has stenosis, severe> scolosis so surgery > would be difficult and she needs to get her weight> back up first. > What type of surgery did you have that helped you?> Was it the > laminectomy? Her pain is very bad in her right hip,> lower back and > right thigh.> Cheryl> > > > > Hi,> > > > I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in> February.> > I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better.> However,> > now it does not work at all. I tried physical> therapy, does not> > work. I am going to get the cortison shots at end> of July.> > Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried> acupunture?> > I understand that it relieves back problems? Do> you need to> > be put to sleep when you get the cortison shots?> My insurance> > company does not cover that. Should I request it.> > > > I appreciate if anyone could help me. > > > > Thank you in advance.> > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------> > Choose the right car based on your needs. Check> out Autos > new Car Finder tool.> >> > > __________________________________________________________Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online.http://smallbusiness./webhosting Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on TV. Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hi , I had only been diagnosed for a few months and had very rapid deterioration between the time I was diagnosed in February 2006 and June 12, 2006 when I had surgery. My spinal doc told me that I had been having various symptoms of spinal stenosis for several years but it would have been very hard to put the pieces together and diagnos the stenosis because the symptoms where so varied and never occurred together. For about 5 years prior to being diagnosed I would have occasional soreness in my right knee or thigh, usually after doing quite a bit of walking, working in the yard, something like that and it would last only a day or 2. I figured and so did my primary that it was a bit of osteoarthritis in my right knee as I had broken it twice between middle school and high school in sports. Occasionally I would get some stiffness in the lower right side of my back, but that always followed shoveling snow or raking leaves for hours on end. Who wouldn't be sore after doing that, right? I also had what was called a tipped uterus and a fibroid in there and it would shift and press on my spine and cause some discomfort on occasion. After I began to go into menopause, the fibroid started to shrink and ended that problem. In Nov. of 2002, I supposedly tore a tendon in my right arm and became limited in my physical activity because of it. In June of that year I had surgery to repair the tendon that actually wasn't torn and had some serious complications from unnecessary surgery. Long story short, I was totally unable to use my right arm for for almost a year and damaged the tendon in my left arm from over usage. It took me finding a new doc, and 2 years of occupational therapy to get 90% of the usage back in both of my arms. I'm told that because of the severe lack of physical exercise for those 2 years activated the spinal stenosis severely and brought on the very sudden symptoms of the stenosis and since it had really been going on for several years with minor symptoms that where not specific, it wasn't surprising that it hit me so fast and so bad in the end. By the time I went in for surgery I could barely walk. No more than 10 steps and I would collapse in pain. I couldn't bend my leg and dragged it as if I had had a stroke and I looked as if I had had one too. I couldn't stand up straight either. I really can't advise anyone on whether the injections are a good idea or not. They didn't help me at all, and the third one I got made the pain worse. They do help some people for a short period of time and others for a much longer period of time. What I do know that is important in getting the injections is to have them done by a very very qualified doctor who uses xray equipment as he is injecting so that he is sure that the needle is going into the right location. Some docs don't do this and just use their own judgment on where to put the injection and the patient ends up hoping the doc puts it in the right place. I also wouldn't have the injections done without sedation first. The injections can be very painful and the risk of involuntarily moving because of the pain can be very risky and dangerous. The other thing about the injections is that they are not a cure, only a mask of the symptoms. Surgery is the only cure for stenosis. You can only get so many injections in a year and eventually you build up a tolerance to the steroid used and it no longer helps. If the injections to help with the pain, though, that's great. In the end though, surgery may be needed at a later time. The older you get the harder it becomes to do the surgery because the older we get, the more medical problems develop. That can make the surgery more risky and complicated. Also the longer you wait, the more risk there is to developing permanent nerve damage and muscle damage and weakness. Though I didn't suffer permanent nerve damage I do suffer from permanent weakness in my right thigh and lower back, which does limit some activity in terms of length of time I can do things, but I can live with that. Before I had anyone do any spinal surgery on me, I would get several other opinions from several other orthopedic docs and be sure that none of them are associated with each other. That way they have totally separate opinions that have nothing to do with each other. One of those opinions if not more should be from a sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeon. In my opinion they are the best and the most knowledgeable. As for how long to wait. I can only go by my own experience and the women who was in the next bed to me after I had my surgery. She waited 10 years to have the surgery as the injections worked for her for that length of time. The problem for her was permanent nerve and muscle damage, and though her pain was now gone from the surgery, she still has to live with very limited abilities because of the damage. She said it was better than the pain, but wished she where me and had done something about it way back in the beginning instead of having the injections for years. Hope this helps and if you want any more info or someone to talk to just e-mail me. Franmary lynch <bagladee6@...> wrote: Hi Fran, I've been reading your posts on your stenosis. How long had you been diagnosed with stenosis beforey you opted for surgery? I found out 2 years ago at 48. I was told by my neuro that I needed a laminectomy and spinal fusion at L4-5 because of spondylolistheses. I got a second opinion from a ortho doctor and he said the same thing. My legs aren't numb but have alot of pain in my back and legs when doing any physical activity for too long. I've been going to weight watchers to shed some pounds which I know will help..it's just hard to do the exercising because of the condition, I do the best I can. I am not on any pain meds and I just take Advil as needed. I know I need this operation eventually but I am trying alternative treatment first. It sounds like you were in extreme pain near the end. I am seeing my doctor on the 20th and was thinking about getting a shot, I'm nervous about getting it and wonder if I really helps! Looking for to hearing from you and your feedback! Fran Barron <sunhineagain > wrote: Hi , . I'm stunned by what you say about no one does spinal cortisone injections with any sedation and have never heard of it. Wow, they even give you a numbing injection before doing and epideral when you are in labor. I did some checking around the Boston area and they all use sedation of some kind. They also use xray machines to make sure that the injection is going into the correct area, otherwise it's a crap shoot in getting it to the right location. I can understand your mother not wanting any more of them. I can't imagine getting them without sedation as afterwards the area where the needle went in is sore for a couple of days. I was told to keep ice on it for that pain. They didn't help me either. Actually the first one helped for 48 hours. No pain, then it came back. The second one did nothing, and the third one made the pain worse. The doc I saw for the injections is part of a large orthopedic sports medicine practice. They have surgical suites for minor surgery right there in their building and that' s where I went. It wasn't a separate pain management clinic. You might try and see if you can get your mother an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedic spine doctor. I found they are the best to use, very up to date with their knowledge and various procedures that are being done. The micro surgery, I have read, doesn't have the greatest sucess rate for spinal stenosis. I had a laminotomy done on one vertebrae, the L4-L5. They removed one piece of the foramen of the affected vertebrae and the nerves where released. It can take a couple of weeks for the pain to go away. In my case, it was gone immediately, including the tingling and numbness in my leg and foot as well as some symptoms of bladder and bowel control. What can't be guarenteed until after surgery and recovery time, if there has been any peremenet nerve damage or permenent muscle weakness do to the nerves being compressed. In my case there was no nerve damage but there is some permenent muscle weakness just below my waist and in my thigh. I can't say I have no pain at all, because I do have some varying degrees of discomfort to pain, but that is do to weather changes and overdoing things. I will never be the same as I was before all this started, but to go from pain that made me want to kill myself, unable to get out of bed alone, unable to walk more than a few steps, wishing I was dead, having no life and going back to pretty much everything that I did before is a miracle. I can't walk 4-6 miles a day anymore, but 2 miles a day is fine with me. I can't get on my hands and knees and garden for 4-6 hours at a time, but I can do 45 minutes and then rest for an hour and do another 45 minutes and so on. I can rake leaves, shovel snow, in otherwords live a life. I did loose weight too before my surgery. I was in so much pain I couldn't eat much and really didn't want to. After the surgery my appetite was almost nill for several months. I had to force food into me and took some supplements as well. It has never returned to what it was before all this started, but that's fine, I'm loosing weight that I need to loose anyways. My pain began just below my waist, went down my hip and thigh and all the way down my leg and foot. It was numb and tingling from the nerves being pressed on and because you aren't moving correctly and standing up correctly, it is pulling on the muscles and making them hurt as well. My surgery took about 2 1/2 hours, was in and out the same day. about 12 hours after going in. After 3 weeks I started a 10 week physical therapy rehab going twice a week. I've continued with exercises at home that I have to do every day for the rest of my life, but that's fine, I have a life. I don't know how the scoliosis compounds the surgery for stenosis, but it sounds like it might and for sure your mother needs to get her weight up some. Nutritional supplements might help. What I would do is see if you can get her to go for another opinion from a sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeon. I had 5 other opinions before I had my surgery and ended up staying with the original doctor. It put my mind at ease about having surgery and that it was the only thing to do to get my life back. Good luck and let us know how things go. Franrichard sogliuzzo <arsogliuzzo > wrote: Sorry to hear of your mother's problems. I have hadmicroscopic surgery to stenosis in January and it hasnot succeeded. They don't know why. However, be sureto ask all the right questions. I failed to ask theobvious one, "What are the percentages for success? And have any of the surgeries not relieved theproblem? What the surgeon tells me now after the factis that they can removed the assumed causes of thepain, remove calcium and bone impinging on the nerves,but that is not guarantee that the nerves will heal. My condition remains chronic. They are probablyreluctant to provide complete sedation for your motherbecause of age (?) and her physcial state. a.r.sogliuzzo--- cfa1029 <c1andersoncenturytel (DOT) net> wrote:> > Fran, > My mother has had 2 extemely painful epidural> injections without any > sedation. I've called almost all of the pain clinics> in KC and can't > find any of them that use the sedation. One told me> that wasn't done > and he's never heard of that. We are getting very> discouraged. She > refuses to take any more because of the pain of the> injection and > they didn't help at all either. She thinks maybe> they didn't help > because they were done too low. At any rate, we are> looking into her > other options. She has lost a lot of weight now and> they don't want > to do surgery. She only weighs 85 pounds. She takes> Percoset but it > barely stops her pain. She has stenosis, severe> scolosis so surgery > would be difficult and she needs to get her weight> back up first. > What type of surgery did you have that helped you?> Was it the > laminectomy? Her pain is very bad in her right hip,> lower back and > right thigh.> Cheryl> > > > > Hi,> > > > I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in> February.> > I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better.> However,> > now it does not work at all. I tried physical> therapy, does not> > work. I am going to get the cortison shots at end> of July.> > Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried> acupunture?> > I understand that it relieves back problems? Do> you need to> > be put to sleep when you get the cortison shots?> My insurance> > company does not cover that. Should I request it.> > > > I appreciate if anyone could help me. > > > > Thank you in advance.> > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------> > Choose the right car based on your needs. Check> out Autos > new Car Finder tool.> >> > > __________________________________________________________Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online.http://smallbusiness./webhosting Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on TV. Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Travel. Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Has anyone had surgery at The Laser Spinal Institute in FLorida? My mother is in her early 70's and is considering surgery there for her spinal stenosis. I appreciate any information or input that anyone has. Thank you, LynneFran Barron <sunhineagain@...> wrote: Hi , I had only been diagnosed for a few months and had very rapid deterioration between the time I was diagnosed in February 2006 and June 12, 2006 when I had surgery. My spinal doc told me that I had been having various symptoms of spinal stenosis for several years but it would have been very hard to put the pieces together and diagnos the stenosis because the symptoms where so varied and never occurred together. For about 5 years prior to being diagnosed I would have occasional soreness in my right knee or thigh, usually after doing quite a bit of walking, working in the yard, something like that and it would last only a day or 2. I figured and so did my primary that it was a bit of osteoarthritis in my right knee as I had broken it twice between middle school and high school in sports. Occasionally I would get some stiffness in the lower right side of my back, but that always followed shoveling snow or raking leaves for hours on end. Who wouldn't be sore after doing that, right? I also had what was called a tipped uterus and a fibroid in there and it would shift and press on my spine and cause some discomfort on occasion. After I began to go into menopause, the fibroid started to shrink and ended that problem. In Nov. of 2002, I supposedly tore a tendon in my right arm and became limited in my physical activity because of it. In June of that year I had surgery to repair the tendon that actually wasn't torn and had some serious complications from unnecessary surgery. Long story short, I was totally unable to use my right arm for for almost a year and damaged the tendon in my left arm from over usage. It took me finding a new doc, and 2 years of occupational therapy to get 90% of the usage back in both of my arms. I'm told that because of the severe lack of physical exercise for those 2 years activated the spinal stenosis severely and brought on the very sudden symptoms of the stenosis and since it had really been going on for several years with minor symptoms that where not specific, it wasn't surprising that it hit me so fast and so bad in the end. By the time I went in for surgery I could barely walk. No more than 10 steps and I would collapse in pain. I couldn't bend my leg and dragged it as if I had had a stroke and I looked as if I had had one too. I couldn't stand up straight either. I really can't advise anyone on whether the injections are a good idea or not. They didn't help me at all, and the third one I got made the pain worse. They do help some people for a short period of time and others for a much longer period of time. What I do know that is important in getting the injections is to have them done by a very very qualified doctor who uses xray equipment as he is injecting so that he is sure that the needle is going into the right location. Some docs don't do this and just use their own judgment on where to put the injection and the patient ends up hoping the doc puts it in the right place. I also wouldn't have the injections done without sedation first. The injections can be very painful and the risk of involuntarily moving because of the pain can be very risky and dangerous. The other thing about the injections is that they are not a cure, only a mask of the symptoms. Surgery is the only cure for stenosis. You can only get so many injections in a year and eventually you build up a tolerance to the steroid used and it no longer helps. If the injections to help with the pain, though, that's great. In the end though, surgery may be needed at a later time. The older you get the harder it becomes to do the surgery because the older we get, the more medical problems develop. That can make the surgery more risky and complicated. Also the longer you wait, the more risk there is to developing permanent nerve damage and muscle damage and weakness. Though I didn't suffer permanent nerve damage I do suffer from permanent weakness in my right thigh and lower back, which does limit some activity in terms of length of time I can do things, but I can live with that. Before I had anyone do any spinal surgery on me, I would get several other opinions from several other orthopedic docs and be sure that none of them are associated with each other. That way they have totally separate opinions that have nothing to do with each other. One of those opinions if not more should be from a sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeon. In my opinion they are the best and the most knowledgeable. As for how long to wait. I can only go by my own experience and the women who was in the next bed to me after I had my surgery. She waited 10 years to have the surgery as the injections worked for her for that length of time. The problem for her was permanent nerve and muscle damage, and though her pain was now gone from the surgery, she still has to live with very limited abilities because of the damage. She said it was better than the pain, but wished she where me and had done something about it way back in the beginning instead of having the injections for years. Hope this helps and if you want any more info or someone to talk to just e-mail me. Franmary lynch <bagladee6 > wrote: Hi Fran, I've been reading your posts on your stenosis. How long had you been diagnosed with stenosis beforey you opted for surgery? I found out 2 years ago at 48. I was told by my neuro that I needed a laminectomy and spinal fusion at L4-5 because of spondylolistheses. I got a second opinion from a ortho doctor and he said the same thing. My legs aren't numb but have alot of pain in my back and legs when doing any physical activity for too long. I've been going to weight watchers to shed some pounds which I know will help..it's just hard to do the exercising because of the condition, I do the best I can. I am not on any pain meds and I just take Advil as needed. I know I need this operation eventually but I am trying alternative treatment first. It sounds like you were in extreme pain near the end. I am seeing my doctor on the 20th and was thinking about getting a shot, I'm nervous about getting it and wonder if I really helps! Looking for to hearing from you and your feedback! Fran Barron <sunhineagain > wrote: Hi , . I'm stunned by what you say about no one does spinal cortisone injections with any sedation and have never heard of it. Wow, they even give you a numbing injection before doing and epideral when you are in labor. I did some checking around the Boston area and they all use sedation of some kind. They also use xray machines to make sure that the injection is going into the correct area, otherwise it's a crap shoot in getting it to the right location. I can understand your mother not wanting any more of them. I can't imagine getting them without sedation as afterwards the area where the needle went in is sore for a couple of days. I was told to keep ice on it for that pain. They didn't help me either. Actually the first one helped for 48 hours. No pain, then it came back. The second one did nothing, and the third one made the pain worse. The doc I saw for the injections is part of a large orthopedic sports medicine practice. They have surgical suites for minor surgery right there in their building and that' s where I went. It wasn't a separate pain management clinic. You might try and see if you can get your mother an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedic spine doctor. I found they are the best to use, very up to date with their knowledge and various procedures that are being done. The micro surgery, I have read, doesn't have the greatest sucess rate for spinal stenosis. I had a laminotomy done on one vertebrae, the L4-L5. They removed one piece of the foramen of the affected vertebrae and the nerves where released. It can take a couple of weeks for the pain to go away. In my case, it was gone immediately, including the tingling and numbness in my leg and foot as well as some symptoms of bladder and bowel control. What can't be guarenteed until after surgery and recovery time, if there has been any peremenet nerve damage or permenent muscle weakness do to the nerves being compressed. In my case there was no nerve damage but there is some permenent muscle weakness just below my waist and in my thigh. I can't say I have no pain at all, because I do have some varying degrees of discomfort to pain, but that is do to weather changes and overdoing things. I will never be the same as I was before all this started, but to go from pain that made me want to kill myself, unable to get out of bed alone, unable to walk more than a few steps, wishing I was dead, having no life and going back to pretty much everything that I did before is a miracle. I can't walk 4-6 miles a day anymore, but 2 miles a day is fine with me. I can't get on my hands and knees and garden for 4-6 hours at a time, but I can do 45 minutes and then rest for an hour and do another 45 minutes and so on. I can rake leaves, shovel snow, in otherwords live a life. I did loose weight too before my surgery. I was in so much pain I couldn't eat much and really didn't want to. After the surgery my appetite was almost nill for several months. I had to force food into me and took some supplements as well. It has never returned to what it was before all this started, but that's fine, I'm loosing weight that I need to loose anyways. My pain began just below my waist, went down my hip and thigh and all the way down my leg and foot. It was numb and tingling from the nerves being pressed on and because you aren't moving correctly and standing up correctly, it is pulling on the muscles and making them hurt as well. My surgery took about 2 1/2 hours, was in and out the same day. about 12 hours after going in. After 3 weeks I started a 10 week physical therapy rehab going twice a week. I've continued with exercises at home that I have to do every day for the rest of my life, but that's fine, I have a life. I don't know how the scoliosis compounds the surgery for stenosis, but it sounds like it might and for sure your mother needs to get her weight up some. Nutritional supplements might help. What I would do is see if you can get her to go for another opinion from a sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeon. I had 5 other opinions before I had my surgery and ended up staying with the original doctor. It put my mind at ease about having surgery and that it was the only thing to do to get my life back. Good luck and let us know how things go. Franrichard sogliuzzo <arsogliuzzo > wrote: Sorry to hear of your mother's problems. I have hadmicroscopic surgery to stenosis in January and it hasnot succeeded. They don't know why. However, be sureto ask all the right questions. I failed to ask theobvious one, "What are the percentages for success? And have any of the surgeries not relieved theproblem? What the surgeon tells me now after the factis that they can removed the assumed causes of thepain, remove calcium and bone impinging on the nerves,but that is not guarantee that the nerves will heal. My condition remains chronic. They are probablyreluctant to provide complete sedation for your motherbecause of age (?) and her physcial state. a.r.sogliuzzo--- cfa1029 <c1andersoncenturytel (DOT) net> wrote:> > Fran, > My mother has had 2 extemely painful epidural> injections without any > sedation. I've called almost all of the pain clinics> in KC and can't > find any of them that use the sedation. One told me> that wasn't done > and he's never heard of that. We are getting very> discouraged. She > refuses to take any more because of the pain of the> injection and > they didn't help at all either. She thinks maybe> they didn't help > because they were done too low. At any rate, we are> looking into her > other options. She has lost a lot of weight now and> they don't want > to do surgery. She only weighs 85 pounds. She takes> Percoset but it > barely stops her pain. She has stenosis, severe> scolosis so surgery > would be difficult and she needs to get her weight> back up first. > What type of surgery did you have that helped you?> Was it the > laminectomy? Her pain is very bad in her right hip,> lower back and > right thigh.> Cheryl> > > > > Hi,> > > > I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in> February.> > I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better.> However,> > now it does not work at all. I tried physical> therapy, does not> > work. I am going to get the cortison shots at end> of July.> > Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried> acupunture?> > I understand that it relieves back problems? Do> you need to> > be put to sleep when you get the cortison shots?> My insurance> > company does not cover that. Should I request it.> > > > I appreciate if anyone could help me. > > > > Thank you in advance.> > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------> > Choose the right car based on your needs. Check> out Autos > new Car Finder tool.> >> > > __________________________________________________________Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online.http://smallbusiness./webhosting Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on TV. Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Travel. Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Autos' Green Center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 A.R. They just don't the sedation here for anyone at any age. The pain doctor acted like I was crazy for even asking for it and even almost and even implied that in the report. He said it doesn't hurt and there was no reason for sedation. I called other pain clinics in the area, and they all told me they don't use any type of sedation. What type of surgery did you have that didn't help? Was it the laminectcomy or the laser type? I've been reading more about laser surgery for stenosis on www.laserspineinstitue.com. Was the type of surgery you had? Is your pain in your hip, lower back and leg? Have you done any reading about periformis syndrome? Cheryl -- In Spinal Stenosis Treatment , richard sogliuzzo <arsogliuzzo@...> wrote: > > Sorry to hear of your mother's problems. I have had > microscopic surgery to stenosis in January and it has > not succeeded. They don't know why. However, be sure > to ask all the right questions. I failed to ask the > obvious one, " What are the percentages for success? > And have any of the surgeries not relieved the > problem? What the surgeon tells me now after the fact > is that they can removed the assumed causes of the > pain, remove calcium and bone impinging on the nerves, > but that is not guarantee that the nerves will heal. > My condition remains chronic. They are probably > reluctant to provide complete sedation for your mother > because of age (?) and her physcial state. a.r. > sogliuzzo >> > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 - Fran, I'm glad you're doing better after the surgery. I'll show my mother your post and maybe it will encourage her. I think a sports medicine doctor might be more helpful. I think she may have some periformis muscle inflammation. When she had a mild injection into the periformis muscle by her primary care doctor, she was pain free about 24 hours. Even the stomach and bowel problems abated during that time. They can't use the large needles or very strong steriods. We're seeing the pain doctor tomorrow. I'm going to see if he will do the injection into her periformis (hip) muscle. If she could get some temporary relief, maybe she could start gaining and be able to undergo the surgery for the stenosis. She has lost 2 more pounds this week and was only 82 pounds yesterday. I read that sometimes the sciatic nerve can go through the perifromis muscle causing sciatica. Cheryl -- In Spinal Stenosis Treatment , Fran Barron <sunhineagain@...> wrote: > > Hi , . > > I'm stunned by what you say about no one does spinal cortisone injections with any sedation and have never heard of it. Wow, they even give you a numbing injection before doing and epideral when you are in labor. > > I did some checking around the Boston area and they all use sedation of some kind. They also use xray machines to make sure that the injection is going into the correct area, otherwise it's a crap shoot in getting it to the right location. > > I can understand your mother not wanting any more of them. I can't imagine getting them without sedation as afterwards the area where the needle went in is sore for a couple of days. I was told to keep ice on it for that pain. > They didn't help me either. Actually the first one helped for 48 hours. No pain, then it came back. The second one did nothing, and the third one made the pain worse. > > The doc I saw for the injections is part of a large orthopedic sports medicine practice. They have surgical suites for minor surgery right there in their building and that' s where I went. It wasn't a separate pain management clinic. > > You might try and see if you can get your mother an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedic spine doctor. I found they are the best to use, very up to date with their knowledge and various procedures that are being done. > > The micro surgery, I have read, doesn't have the greatest sucess rate for spinal stenosis. > > I had a laminotomy done on one vertebrae, the L4-L5. They removed one piece of the foramen of the affected vertebrae and the nerves where released. It can take a couple of weeks for the pain to go away. In my case, it was gone immediately, including the tingling and numbness in my leg and foot as well as some symptoms of bladder and bowel control. > > What can't be guarenteed until after surgery and recovery time, if there has been any peremenet nerve damage or permenent muscle weakness do to the nerves being compressed. > > In my case there was no nerve damage but there is some permenent muscle weakness just below my waist and in my thigh. > > I can't say I have no pain at all, because I do have some varying degrees of discomfort to pain, but that is do to weather changes and overdoing things. I will never be the same as I was before all this started, but to go from pain that made me want to kill myself, unable to get out of bed alone, unable to walk more than a few steps, wishing I was dead, having no life and going back to pretty much everything that I did before is a miracle. > > I can't walk 4-6 miles a day anymore, but 2 miles a day is fine with me. I can't get on my hands and knees and garden for 4-6 hours at a time, but I can do 45 minutes and then rest for an hour and do another 45 minutes and so on. I can rake leaves, shovel snow, in otherwords live a life. > > I did loose weight too before my surgery. I was in so much pain I couldn't eat much and really didn't want to. After the surgery my appetite was almost nill for several months. I had to force food into me and took some supplements as well. It has never returned to what it was before all this started, but that's fine, I'm loosing weight that I need to loose anyways. > > My pain began just below my waist, went down my hip and thigh and all the way down my leg and foot. It was numb and tingling from the nerves being pressed on and because you aren't moving correctly and standing up correctly, it is pulling on the muscles and making them hurt as well. > > My surgery took about 2 1/2 hours, was in and out the same day. about 12 hours after going in. After 3 weeks I started a 10 week physical therapy rehab going twice a week. I've continued with exercises at home that I have to do every day for the rest of my life, but that's fine, I have a life. > > I don't know how the scoliosis compounds the surgery for stenosis, but it sounds like it might and for sure your mother needs to get her weight up some. Nutritional supplements might help. > > What I would do is see if you can get her to go for another opinion from a sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeon. I had 5 other opinions before I had my surgery and ended up staying with the original doctor. It put my mind at ease about having surgery and that it was the only thing to do to get my life back. > > Good luck and let us know how things go. > > Fran > > > richard sogliuzzo <arsogliuzzo@...> wrote: Sorry to hear of your mother's problems. I have had > microscopic surgery to stenosis in January and it has > not succeeded. They don't know why. However, be sure > to ask all the right questions. I failed to ask the > obvious one, " What are the percentages for success? > And have any of the surgeries not relieved the > problem? What the surgeon tells me now after the fact > is that they can removed the assumed causes of the > pain, remove calcium and bone impinging on the nerves, > but that is not guarantee that the nerves will heal. > My condition remains chronic. They are probably > reluctant to provide complete sedation for your mother > because of age (?) and her physcial state. a.r. > sogliuzzo > --- cfa1029 <c1anderson@...> wrote: > > > > > Fran, > > My mother has had 2 extemely painful epidural > > injections without any > > sedation. I've called almost all of the pain clinics > > in KC and can't > > find any of them that use the sedation. One told me > > that wasn't done > > and he's never heard of that. We are getting very > > discouraged. She > > refuses to take any more because of the pain of the > > injection and > > they didn't help at all either. She thinks maybe > > they didn't help > > because they were done too low. At any rate, we are > > looking into her > > other options. She has lost a lot of weight now and > > they don't want > > to do surgery. She only weighs 85 pounds. She takes > > Percoset but it > > barely stops her pain. She has stenosis, severe > > scolosis so surgery > > would be difficult and she needs to get her weight > > back up first. > > What type of surgery did you have that helped you? > > Was it the > > laminectomy? Her pain is very bad in her right hip, > > lower back and > > right thigh. > > Cheryl > > > > > > > > > Hi, > > > > > > I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in > > February. > > > I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better. > > However, > > > now it does not work at all. I tried physical > > therapy, does not > > > work. I am going to get the cortison shots at end > > of July. > > > Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried > > acupunture? > > > I understand that it relieves back problems? Do > > you need to > > > be put to sleep when you get the cortison shots? > > My insurance > > > company does not cover that. Should I request it. > > > > > > I appreciate if anyone could help me. > > > > > > Thank you in advance. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > > > Choose the right car based on your needs. Check > > out Autos > > new Car Finder tool. > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________________ > Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. > http://smallbusiness./webhosting > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on TV. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Hi Dennis, I'm sorry I didn't asnwer you sooner, you're e-mail ended up in my spam box for some strange reason. Anyway, I have heard many, many horror stories concerning spinal surgeries. Originally, it was enough to scare me off too, yet I really didn't have much choice in the matter. I wanted to live and have a life, and if I had to go on in the pain I was in I would have not survived. I was very confident in my choice of doctor right from the beginning, but needed to have my mind ready for it. I did lots of research on line, which was good and bad. There are all kinds of wrong info on line as well as good. When the spinal injections didn't work and the pain was so bad, I made the decision very quickly that surgery was my only option. The question was who was going to do it. I got several other opinion from some of the leading hospitals that specialize in spinal surgery. Some agreed with surgery and others didn't believe that I could be in as much pain as I was in from "mild to moderate spinal steonis". One believed that the pain was from a circulation problem and said I needed to be tested for that first, which I was and those tests where all normal. Another told me to wait until I had more vertebrae involved and not do surgery for just one vertebrae. I looked at these doctors and I was pretty blunt with them; telling them to the effect, who the hell where they to tell me that my excruciating pain was not that bad? That I should wait until I had more vertebrae involved, when it's quite possible that that will never happen. Who where they to say that "mild" doesn't produce that much pain, when one person's pain tolerance was different from another. they didn't like my response and of course I hobbled out of their office after telling them they could go "straight to hell.". In total I had 9 other opinions and 7 of the 9 agreed that surgery was needed and was my only option if I didn't want to go on the way I was. In deciding whom to use, I based my decision on several factors. First, the way the doctor treated me, my husband and my best friend who went to every doctor with me. She is a nurse, and my hubby is not that medically knowledgeable and I am a retired nurse. If the doc was not comfortable with other people with me, didn't want to answer their questions, didn't spend a lot of time with me, wanted to do big incisions and long hospitalization, they didn't stay on my list. Of the 9 docs I saw, 2 where neurosurgeons, and they got ruled off the list very quickly. Wouldn't talk to my husband or friend and didn't like haveing them with me. Both thought their presence was a waste of their time. 3 docs where orthopedic spinal surgeons, of which 2 I walked out on and the remaining where sports medicine orthopedic surgeons, which I personally feel are the best to use. They spent the needed time with you, where not eager to do big incisions and had no problems with other people with me when I saw them. The sports medicine docs where good and I felt comfortable with them, but there was just something different about my original doc that had me return to use him for my surgery. He was very relaxed, knowledgable, and was very easy to talk with. He made all of us feel confident in his ability and easy to trust and believe. He is well experienced, over 25 years in practice as well as professor at a major medical school in Boston, though his offices are not in Boston, nor does he use Boston Hospitals. He was very honest with me, telling me that the muscle pain I was feeling was not going to go away with the surgery, that it was from being pulled all the time because of the way I was moving due to the stenosis and he couldn't promise me all of the pain would go after surgery, but I would be able to have a life and be happy with it. He didn't pull any punches about the surgery, no bragging, etc. It is risky surgery any time you operate on the spine, but I knew his record was excellent and if he did his job correctly, I would do mine withe the recovery and rehab. I guess what I'm saying is that how successful spinal surgery is or isn't is based on a lot of factors. The spinal problem to begin with, the skill of the surgeon, the age of the patient, and the willingness of the patient to do all that is needed to rehab to the furthest point of recovery. I know that people come from all over the country to use the sports medicine orthopedic practice that I used. They even come from Canada. They have every specialty in the office and it is the most wonderful place to go to. They respect their patients like I've never seen and experienced in my life, they run a wonderful office, from their receptionist to to the physicians assistants, xray people, it's just a wonderful place to go. Oh, when I made the decision to have this doc do my surgery, I originally was going to have to wait a month because he was going on vacation the following week. I told them I didn't think I'd make it that long and they agreed. Within an hour, my doc called back and told me to be at the hospital on Monday for my pre-ops, surgery was tuesday and he would meet his wife and family on vacation on Friday. I was stunned and in tears. This call was on Thursday. Get several other opinions, especially from sports medicine orthopedic spinal docs and trust your instincts and gut feeling about which one to use for surgery. If your problems are that bad and you are looking for help, surgery may be what you need. I'm not without either discomfort to some pain, but exercises that I do relieve the symptoms and I just slow down in what I'm doing for a few days. I may take some tylenol or advil maybe once or twice a month and that is it. I don't regret my decision to have surgery for a minute, I wish I had done it sooner than I did. Good luck and e-mail me if you want any more info or someone to talk to Frandprice84067@... wrote: Fran, You are the first person I have heard who say they have actually benefited from the surgery. Have any of the others of you benefited as well? Dennis See what's free at AOL.com. Get the toolbar and be alerted to new email wherever you're surfing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Hi Lynne Please give very careful consideration about the The Laser Spinal Institute in Florida. You can do a Google search using their name and you will find that they have a history of many, many complaints, complications and law suit problems. the state of Florida has had many cases against them. They do not accept insurance and their costs are massive out of pocket expenses. I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MA , the best coverage policy they have and I could not get them to pay for anything If I used them. They are considered "charletains in the insurance industry because of the problems with their surgeries. Usually the pattern is that the first operation doesn't fix the problem so you need another and then another and then a good qualified spinal surgeon to repair all the damage they cause, if it's possible to repair the damage. My sister lives in Florida and when I talked with her about them, she had nothing good to say about them, new 2 people who used them and are in wheelchairs because of the damage they caused and it couldn't be repaired. She's a nurse and has seen many patients come into the hospital to attempt to have the damage repaired. Most times it us not successful. I figure it this way, if the place won't accept insurance payments if you can find insurance that will pay the, you have to go to them for their procedures because no one else does them, that's a tip off that it isn't a good place to go. Your mother should get several opinions from spinal orthopedic surgeons, preferably sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeons and go from there. I would stay away from the place in Florida. Good luck FranLynne <abby_maddie@...> wrote: Has anyone had surgery at The Laser Spinal Institute in FLorida? My mother is in her early 70's and is considering surgery there for her spinal stenosis. I appreciate any information or input that anyone has. Thank you, LynneFran Barron <sunhineagain > wrote: Hi , I had only been diagnosed for a few months and had very rapid deterioration between the time I was diagnosed in February 2006 and June 12, 2006 when I had surgery. My spinal doc told me that I had been having various symptoms of spinal stenosis for several years but it would have been very hard to put the pieces together and diagnos the stenosis because the symptoms where so varied and never occurred together. For about 5 years prior to being diagnosed I would have occasional soreness in my right knee or thigh, usually after doing quite a bit of walking, working in the yard, something like that and it would last only a day or 2. I figured and so did my primary that it was a bit of osteoarthritis in my right knee as I had broken it twice between middle school and high school in sports. Occasionally I would get some stiffness in the lower right side of my back, but that always followed shoveling snow or raking leaves for hours on end. Who wouldn't be sore after doing that, right? I also had what was called a tipped uterus and a fibroid in there and it would shift and press on my spine and cause some discomfort on occasion. After I began to go into menopause, the fibroid started to shrink and ended that problem. In Nov. of 2002, I supposedly tore a tendon in my right arm and became limited in my physical activity because of it. In June of that year I had surgery to repair the tendon that actually wasn't torn and had some serious complications from unnecessary surgery. Long story short, I was totally unable to use my right arm for for almost a year and damaged the tendon in my left arm from over usage. It took me finding a new doc, and 2 years of occupational therapy to get 90% of the usage back in both of my arms. I'm told that because of the severe lack of physical exercise for those 2 years activated the spinal stenosis severely and brought on the very sudden symptoms of the stenosis and since it had really been going on for several years with minor symptoms that where not specific, it wasn't surprising that it hit me so fast and so bad in the end. By the time I went in for surgery I could barely walk. No more than 10 steps and I would collapse in pain. I couldn't bend my leg and dragged it as if I had had a stroke and I looked as if I had had one too. I couldn't stand up straight either. I really can't advise anyone on whether the injections are a good idea or not. They didn't help me at all, and the third one I got made the pain worse. They do help some people for a short period of time and others for a much longer period of time. What I do know that is important in getting the injections is to have them done by a very very qualified doctor who uses xray equipment as he is injecting so that he is sure that the needle is going into the right location. Some docs don't do this and just use their own judgment on where to put the injection and the patient ends up hoping the doc puts it in the right place. I also wouldn't have the injections done without sedation first. The injections can be very painful and the risk of involuntarily moving because of the pain can be very risky and dangerous. The other thing about the injections is that they are not a cure, only a mask of the symptoms. Surgery is the only cure for stenosis. You can only get so many injections in a year and eventually you build up a tolerance to the steroid used and it no longer helps. If the injections to help with the pain, though, that's great. In the end though, surgery may be needed at a later time. The older you get the harder it becomes to do the surgery because the older we get, the more medical problems develop. That can make the surgery more risky and complicated. Also the longer you wait, the more risk there is to developing permanent nerve damage and muscle damage and weakness. Though I didn't suffer permanent nerve damage I do suffer from permanent weakness in my right thigh and lower back, which does limit some activity in terms of length of time I can do things, but I can live with that. Before I had anyone do any spinal surgery on me, I would get several other opinions from several other orthopedic docs and be sure that none of them are associated with each other. That way they have totally separate opinions that have nothing to do with each other. One of those opinions if not more should be from a sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeon. In my opinion they are the best and the most knowledgeable. As for how long to wait. I can only go by my own experience and the women who was in the next bed to me after I had my surgery. She waited 10 years to have the surgery as the injections worked for her for that length of time. The problem for her was permanent nerve and muscle damage, and though her pain was now gone from the surgery, she still has to live with very limited abilities because of the damage. She said it was better than the pain, but wished she where me and had done something about it way back in the beginning instead of having the injections for years. Hope this helps and if you want any more info or someone to talk to just e-mail me. Franmary lynch <bagladee6 > wrote: Hi Fran, I've been reading your posts on your stenosis. How long had you been diagnosed with stenosis beforey you opted for surgery? I found out 2 years ago at 48. I was told by my neuro that I needed a laminectomy and spinal fusion at L4-5 because of spondylolistheses. I got a second opinion from a ortho doctor and he said the same thing. My legs aren't numb but have alot of pain in my back and legs when doing any physical activity for too long. I've been going to weight watchers to shed some pounds which I know will help..it's just hard to do the exercising because of the condition, I do the best I can. I am not on any pain meds and I just take Advil as needed. I know I need this operation eventually but I am trying alternative treatment first. It sounds like you were in extreme pain near the end. I am seeing my doctor on the 20th and was thinking about getting a shot, I'm nervous about getting it and wonder if I really helps! Looking for to hearing from you and your feedback! Fran Barron <sunhineagain > wrote: Hi , . I'm stunned by what you say about no one does spinal cortisone injections with any sedation and have never heard of it. Wow, they even give you a numbing injection before doing and epideral when you are in labor. I did some checking around the Boston area and they all use sedation of some kind. They also use xray machines to make sure that the injection is going into the correct area, otherwise it's a crap shoot in getting it to the right location. I can understand your mother not wanting any more of them. I can't imagine getting them without sedation as afterwards the area where the needle went in is sore for a couple of days. I was told to keep ice on it for that pain. They didn't help me either. Actually the first one helped for 48 hours. No pain, then it came back. The second one did nothing, and the third one made the pain worse. The doc I saw for the injections is part of a large orthopedic sports medicine practice. They have surgical suites for minor surgery right there in their building and that' s where I went. It wasn't a separate pain management clinic. You might try and see if you can get your mother an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedic spine doctor. I found they are the best to use, very up to date with their knowledge and various procedures that are being done. The micro surgery, I have read, doesn't have the greatest sucess rate for spinal stenosis. I had a laminotomy done on one vertebrae, the L4-L5. They removed one piece of the foramen of the affected vertebrae and the nerves where released. It can take a couple of weeks for the pain to go away. In my case, it was gone immediately, including the tingling and numbness in my leg and foot as well as some symptoms of bladder and bowel control. What can't be guarenteed until after surgery and recovery time, if there has been any peremenet nerve damage or permenent muscle weakness do to the nerves being compressed. In my case there was no nerve damage but there is some permenent muscle weakness just below my waist and in my thigh. I can't say I have no pain at all, because I do have some varying degrees of discomfort to pain, but that is do to weather changes and overdoing things. I will never be the same as I was before all this started, but to go from pain that made me want to kill myself, unable to get out of bed alone, unable to walk more than a few steps, wishing I was dead, having no life and going back to pretty much everything that I did before is a miracle. I can't walk 4-6 miles a day anymore, but 2 miles a day is fine with me. I can't get on my hands and knees and garden for 4-6 hours at a time, but I can do 45 minutes and then rest for an hour and do another 45 minutes and so on. I can rake leaves, shovel snow, in otherwords live a life. I did loose weight too before my surgery. I was in so much pain I couldn't eat much and really didn't want to. After the surgery my appetite was almost nill for several months. I had to force food into me and took some supplements as well. It has never returned to what it was before all this started, but that's fine, I'm loosing weight that I need to loose anyways. My pain began just below my waist, went down my hip and thigh and all the way down my leg and foot. It was numb and tingling from the nerves being pressed on and because you aren't moving correctly and standing up correctly, it is pulling on the muscles and making them hurt as well. My surgery took about 2 1/2 hours, was in and out the same day. about 12 hours after going in. After 3 weeks I started a 10 week physical therapy rehab going twice a week. I've continued with exercises at home that I have to do every day for the rest of my life, but that's fine, I have a life. I don't know how the scoliosis compounds the surgery for stenosis, but it sounds like it might and for sure your mother needs to get her weight up some. Nutritional supplements might help. What I would do is see if you can get her to go for another opinion from a sports medicine orthopedic spinal surgeon. I had 5 other opinions before I had my surgery and ended up staying with the original doctor. It put my mind at ease about having surgery and that it was the only thing to do to get my life back. Good luck and let us know how things go. Franrichard sogliuzzo <arsogliuzzo > wrote: Sorry to hear of your mother's problems. I have hadmicroscopic surgery to stenosis in January and it hasnot succeeded. They don't know why. However, be sureto ask all the right questions. I failed to ask theobvious one, "What are the percentages for success? And have any of the surgeries not relieved theproblem? What the surgeon tells me now after the factis that they can removed the assumed causes of thepain, remove calcium and bone impinging on the nerves,but that is not guarantee that the nerves will heal. My condition remains chronic. They are probablyreluctant to provide complete sedation for your motherbecause of age (?) and her physcial state. a.r.sogliuzzo--- cfa1029 <c1andersoncenturytel (DOT) net> wrote:> > Fran, > My mother has had 2 extemely painful epidural> injections without any > sedation. I've called almost all of the pain clinics> in KC and can't > find any of them that use the sedation. One told me> that wasn't done > and he's never heard of that. We are getting very> discouraged. She > refuses to take any more because of the pain of the> injection and > they didn't help at all either. She thinks maybe> they didn't help > because they were done too low. At any rate, we are> looking into her > other options. She has lost a lot of weight now and> they don't want > to do surgery. She only weighs 85 pounds. She takes> Percoset but it > barely stops her pain. She has stenosis, severe> scolosis so surgery > would be difficult and she needs to get her weight> back up first. > What type of surgery did you have that helped you?> Was it the > laminectomy? Her pain is very bad in her right hip,> lower back and > right thigh.> Cheryl> > > > > Hi,> > > > I am 59 and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in> February.> > I am been taking neproxin and was feeling better.> However,> > now it does not work at all. I tried physical> therapy, does not> > work. I am going to get the cortison shots at end> of July.> > Hope that will relieve the pain. Does anyone tried> acupunture?> > I understand that it relieves back problems? Do> you need to> > be put to sleep when you get the cortison shots?> My insurance> > company does not cover that. Should I request it.> > > > I appreciate if anyone could help me. > > > > Thank you in advance.> > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------> > Choose the right car based on your needs. Check> out Autos > new Car Finder tool.> >> > > __________________________________________________________Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online.http://smallbusiness./webhosting Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on TV. Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Travel. Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Autos' Green Center. It's here! Your new message!Get new email alerts with the free Toolbar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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