Can anyone tell me if they developed restless legs after a TLIF...That's the extended fusion of the lowest lumbar L-5...They have me on Neurontin, and it seemed tohelp, but then the more active I got the worst the restless pain so they doubled the dose. The restless first came after I started walking the malls, etc., carrying a few packages, and so then I went to the pool and did my walking and worked up to more exercises/jogging as well, and the restless legs got worst and so now the double dose. Some days seems like I don't need it and others it seems the double doses aren't helping. Does anyone have this problem as well. I also have Fibromylagia, so not sure if that is the reason for the legs either..Thanks, Shauna :angel:

Shauna, you are not alone in your restless leg problem. I too am on neurontin, I take 300mg 4 times a day. I have more pain in my foot than restess leg but I do have some and it sure is irritating. I had a microdiscectomy at L5,S1 about 7 weeks ago and I am thankful for the pain relief but I definitely have some after effects.

How much neurontin are you taking? I am curious how it compares to what I am taking. Does it help with your fibromyalgia? Take care and I hope you get some rest from the restless leg.

Alan

What do you mean by restless legs? Are you referring to the zingers that shoot through your leg to your foot-they feel like lightening bolts, or are you having these stretching urges through your legs?

How long ago was your surgery?

Hi all, thanks for your replies. I take 200 mg of neurontin 3x a day. If the med wears off, it feels like I am standing on a payment that is being jackhammer. And then another day i think hum, maybe the legs are doing OK...Another day the doses seem to be doing nothing to ease the pain and restless. By restless one knows if they have it. I wondered and asked my doctor and they have to always be moving, night or day with me. Where most poeple that have it deal with it nightly. It appears to be we people who have have spinal surgery deal with the RLS (restless legs syndrome) 24/7 to speak. My lumbar fusion was on 4/23 so it's been 5 months...I take two steps forward in recovery, one back and then one forward two back at times. frustrating to say the least. i have not been able to make it back to work thus yet... :angel: Shauna

Shauna, my biggest problem with the RLS is at night. I just started on 300 of neurontin 4 times a day and had my best night in a while last night. Maybe you should talk to your doc about upping your dose of it. There are also some other similare meds that you could try.

Hunni, it isn't the zingers you are talking about. I have those too from time to time as well. The Neurontin seems to be helping me with this as well. It definitely affects my thinking though. My thoughts are sluggish and jumbled some times. As far as I can tell, this is a coherent paragraph but it might be all gibberish. I hope everyone has a great week.

Alan

Alan :wave:

Had to go to swim today and thought I would die the first 10 mins of walking but then ended up doing 40 mins which surprised me I held out that long. the more i got into it the better I was doing. Although when I got out of the pool the ole knees didn't want to coperate at first, then did OK, then bad the rest of the day....Glad to her your mind seems muffled on the nuerontin as well. For awhile i thought I was losing my mind also! lol Yes, i will talk to him about uping the dose again....They are also talking about giving me something for the Fibromyalgia which they haven't yet either. My sissy suffers from RLS and Fibro as well, but her legs are worst at night where mine all all day at this point. At any rate she told me about Johnsons Baby bedtime bath purple bottle for fussy babies. Helps calm the legs down in the tub and then I found they have lotion out and it works. I use it after all baths or showers now.

Hunni, alan is right the zingers are different and they come as well. This is like they are restless and have to be moving and also i get the jackhammer feeling when the med is wearing off. Prayers to us all, Shauna :angel:

ps :D
I forgot to say no they having given me another med for the Fibro but are talking about it.

Hang in there as 7 weeks is pretty soon after. My first disc surgery was in '96 and they went in removed the broken piece, freed the nerve and I was rearing to go with the rehab and all. Before that surgery my leg/toes were numb on the left leg....This fusion in at the same disc but 7 yrs later. so I was pain free basically for 6 yrs. My Mother was ill and died last year so I put off my back until she passed as I didn't want to be laid up and not be able to be with her in her final days, months, etc.

The best thing I take for sleeping in the valium I am on just 5mg and sometimes I split in half. I am one that hates to take drugs if I don't have to..But being a diabetic and for the most part non-insulin dependent, but with the surgeries that has been a wave here and there. Nurse called and guess I will have to add that to the list of meds......Help........ lol it's the vicous circle of meds as i told the pharmacy just the other day,... Do the exercises and rehab it does pay off I know only to well... :cool: Shauna

Shauna,

Hi there! I just developed RLS about 2 months ago. I had an anterior lumbar fusion L4-L5 w/cages on June 30 for a collapsed disc. I had a lot of numbness and tingling in my legs prior to surgery. That all cleared up after surgery.

Then the RLS symptoms started. Some during the night while trying to go to sleep then I started noticing it while driving, sitting at the dinner table and working on the computer. It started to drive me crazy to the point of getting up and walking laps around my house. My kids thought I was going looney :eek: I talked to my PCP about this and also talked to my ortho. They both agreed that it is most likely caused by damaged nerves from being pinched or "compressed" (for lack of a better word) while the disc was collapsed. Nerve damage does take quite a long time to heal, from what I've heard. My drs decided to send me on to a neurologist who put me on Nuerontin and Desyrel, thinking these might help for now. I only take one Nuerontin right before bed. I do think it's helping but nothing helps like Vicodin. It helped my RLS sypmtoms by deadening the overactive nerves, that's what I've read about why narcotics help. But anything like Ibuprofen or Tylenol, I can tell makes it somewhat worse. My legs have the constant feeling of wanting to move (the treadmill is great while I'm on it then I get off and the RLS starts right back up) and I also have a lot of cramping feelings, especially at the end of the day when the irritation has been bad that day.

The nuerologist said that he doesn't think it's RLS only because RLS is usually only at night. Which is totally contradicting to what I've read about this. That it depends on the cause of RLS. Since mine is related to damaged nerves from my collapsed disc, it can occur anytime. I'm not so sure I'll stick with the nuerologist... He wants to do an EMG next week. I'm a bit hesitant to do it, but haven't ruled it out yet.

I hope you find some relief for your RLS soon. It's so hard to explain to others about this wacky feeling but it is so real. I think it helps to talk to others who have experienced it.

God bless,
Elaine

Shauna, way to go on the swimming!!! It's hard sometimes because you exercise and then are sore the next day. I guess you gotta get over the hump. I do have to say that I am very pleased with things so far. I just totally enjoyed taking out the trash today. Being able to do simple things around the house have been very satisfying.

The neurontin definitely affects my mind. I am very sluggish and have trouble thinking straight in the morning but it has helped alot with my foot pain. 300mg 4 times a day has been the best for me so far. I am actually most likely going back to work next week and I can hardly wait.

Have a pain free night.

Alan

Elaine :wave:
My cervical fusion was an anterior one with the cage and screws and two knee caps being placed in the C5-6 I believe ..That was 12/29/03. At times I still get a stiff neck but 98% of the time, the neck is great and I am so relieved from the skull pain that was occuring not to mention headaches, shoulder aches, pain, etc.

As to the lumbar which was so much more detailed being the second one. The first was so many years ago so I too felt blessed as does Alan. I only pray he does not have to repeat this as I did down the road. If from injury I would think not. All mine is from degenerative disease of the neck, spine and then they listed another lumbar disease i had not heard of before and I want to ask more but it is l meaning lumbar like radio something. Also having lumbar stenosis. I wonder about the radio something on the mri, it speaks of the bone marrow not be what it should at places. They checked me for MS this year as I do show signs of scerlosis of the endplates on the lumbar MRI and CT scans.

Yes, unless one experiences the RLS that we spine patients have it is not the same as what my sister has with just her Fibromyalgia. I tried to explain to her but she thinks it's one in the same. and yet her pain and sensations are different than mine....

I couldn't think of the name and so glad you wrote, i was on deseryl years ago to aide in sleepig when I first was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 1989. I wanted to talk about that again as that would help. i slept only 4-5 hours last night, so tonite I will be a zoombie if not a nap....Stayed up to watch my Chiefs have a big win.......Yeah!

My neurologist is who I see for the back and neck and the ortho is for the elbows, kneews and wrists. The neurologist did say the nerves have been affected but never used the word damaged as I suspect, but that they just take time to heal and they think the RLS will evenutally settle down as the fusion continues. The latest MRI shows a little bone growth but still a big space where the bone should fuse...He said it could take 18 months for the bones to grow.

I am unable to do stationary bike or treadmills due to the knee cap having slid off and they won't operate just yet witht he spine so unstable and the fusion is not completed. So I have to stay in the water and walk away. some days I try to jog in it hopint to jog off my butt LOL but then the knees hurt worst so I go back to walking my laps.Lucky I found a ft all the way across which is wonderfull!!

Alan :wave: Hi as well....So glad to hear you are coming along. Yeah I recall the small things that were so great...like the day i drove myself somewhere. when they first put me on the nuerontin they would not release me to drive especially until the legs settled down.....In the end, one can only rely on others for so much....

hope you both have a great day. Thanks for listening and sharing. in His name, Shauna :angel: