My name is Thalia.I am 18 and have had 2 previuous back surgerys. I am experiencing neck, back,& knee pain. Also in my feet & legs. Please tell me your age, gender, & specify your health problem, & how long you have been going through this pain. Also, how many surgerys you have had. Please be specific on what meds you are taking and your pain level. Thankx for any replys. Hope to hear from you all.
Thalia

Hi Thalia. I've had two surgeries in the past three months. First was a laminectomy/microdiscectomy of the L5/S1 for a 15 mm (yes 15mm) herniation whcih was crushing the left nerve root. I still have pain in the left butt, leg and foot but about 2 weeks ago it began to subside and now its like two or three days of no pain and then two or three of pain. I've had an MRI done since which shows no reherniation but there is substantial scar tissue which is pressing that nerve. While out walking one day I started feeling rubber legged in my right leg and foot and later found out to have a herniation of the L4/L5 which I knew was bulging prior to the first surgery but it wasn't herniated or causing any problems. So Im now 1 week post-op from the L5/L4 and have been having what I hope are long lasting wonderful results. The pain in my left leg comes and goes and all I wished for prior to surgery were periods of time with no pain. Thats how bad it had gotten. The second surgery appears to have been good too in that Im gaining strength in my right foot. Its a long drawn out process of healing but it does happen. Hopefully you will get some relief soon. Good Luck.
Kevin

To:KVN60640:Its good to hear you are doing well. I hope the best for you. Thanks

Hello Thalia my name is Angie I am 28 years old. I have had two back operations in the last 11 months and getting ready to have my third on
June 16th. They have operated on my L4 and L5 disc, and it keeps
rupturing. The doctor says I have a unstable back so they want to do the spinal fusion on the 16th. They feel like this will fix it. My god I hope so. This has been the worst year of my life. I am in pain 24/7. I am taking about 8 different kinds of medications. They are Percocet,Darvocet, Robaxin,
Amitriptyline, Neurontin, Effexor xr, and Celebrex. I have severe nerve pain in my right leg. I cannot rest because I toss and turn all through the night
because I am so irritated. Well I would like to here back from you. Even though I have a wonderful husband I don't think anyone really understands
what it is like to live in consent pain. So if you get a chance let me hear back from you.

I really appreciate you getting back to me. I am new at this but I am amazed at how many people are going through the exact same problems I am dealing with. The doctor feels that since I have a third recurrent disc herniation in the last 11 months that this is the best choice for me. He met with 2 other doctors to discuss my case and they all came to the same conclusion that this would be my best bet. I am scared that if they went in to clean the ruptured disc up for the third time and it ruptures again.. What about all the scar tissue. I don't know what to do. I am scared. Hope to hear from you again.

Hello Thalia, I am sorry to hear you are experiencing trouble from your back. I am 46, male and since 1982 have had 13 (thirteen) low back surgeries. The first one I had a herniated disc at L4-5 and the last one I had herniated L3-4. Between #1 and #13 I have had to have fusions and laminectomies and foramotomies. #13 got the titanium rods, screws and cages. It seems that the more surgeries you have the more of a problem a person has out of scar tissues. My daily routine is trying to control the pain which is sometimes debillitating to say the least. Some people just have 1 surgery and they never recover from it. Of course, anyone having just 1 surgery on the low back alters their life from that day on. I wish I could tell you something that would make you feel better but I can't. My surgeris have drastically altered my life. I guess I can teel you that you are doing well to have just 2 surgeries....don't let them do 13 on you. God bless you and good luck.

Hi Thalia,

This is my first post so I will try to keep it short...
I am a 35year old female and have had 2 surgeries...The first being a L5-S1 fusion w/ cage on Nov. 27, 2002. Never saw that dr.s face again after leaving the hospital. Very difficult recovery for me as I am used to being a very active person. Saw another dr. for 2nd opinion because my pain level was high and I felt that something was still going on back there. On September 19th of 2003, I had a 2nd surgery, laminectomy at L4 level due to a compressed nerve on the right side to stop the numbness in my right leg (all the way down to my heal) and the Ortho removed the hardware from the original fusion. I felt much better having the metal removed (cage is still there) and the numbness was gone! Now, for the past 4 mo. I have had increased pain and electricity in my back and down both legs. Dr. took xray only in Feb. and told me that L4 is beginning to degenerate and that I should consider another fusion at L4-5! I am thinking no way am I doing this again! So, since his only answer to my pain is to have another fusion in the near future, he referred me to a pain clinic as it seemed he had no other thoughts to help my pain. A week ago I walked into this pain clinic having no idea what to expect and I was seen by 4 different people, a PT, vocational counselor, psychologist and some sort of wacky pain dr. I was so frustrated after leaving that place I thought I would scream! I am now waiting to see a neuro on June 7th and can only pray that she will have a little more empathy than these other folks I have seen. My meds: Nortriptilyn (2 at nite), Neurontin (4 pills 6xs a day), and finally Tylenol 3 (1 every 12 hours) The only one of these that is effective right now is the nortriptilyn because it allows me to have a little sleep (3-5 hrs a nite). My pain level on average is a 5-7 which I do not feel adds up to a quality of life.
I am frustrated and angry....I can totally relate, and am sorry to hear you are having these problems at such a young age. I have had to give up so many things I used to do...I thought I was too young!
I dont expect to be a 100 % but I do think 80% is a fair, dont you?
Take care and be strong...
*D :angel: