13 days post op from my level 2 fusion and I getting paranoid that this pain may be permanent. When I woke up from surgery I did feel relief in my back an leg, but there was a different pain in my back, leg and foot. The Dr. said not to worry, that the nerves had been "compressed" for so long that they needed time to heal. That made sense to me so I did not question the continuing pain. But this last week, I have felt no relief in this back. leg and foot pain, infact I have considerable swelling in my leg and foot to the point that it feels as if my foot will eventually explode due to the pressure. I am also experiencing severe burning pain from my knee down to my foot. The pain is so bad that I cant wear a sock or have anything touching my foot. I talked to my sister, who works in a Drs office, and explained what was going on, she called me yesterday and told me that the Dr she works for said it could be a blood clot that is causing my leg to swell and that I should call my Dr right away. I called my Drs office and spoke to his MA, she said it was normal for my leg to swell and just keep it elevated, she never mentioned that it could be a blood clot. She did say that if it were still swollen on Thursday to call her back. Well since it has been swollen for about 7 days now, I imagine it will still be swollen on Thursday.
Has anyone else experienced swelling and burning AFTER surgery? The pain is different from the pain I had pre-surgery which is why its bugging me, let alone the constant FIRE in my leg. Let me know if I am not alone with these issues post op.


Porter:wave:

Hey it's normal to have all that going on , I had the burning (still do ) and the swelling . My Dr. told me to wear my stocking that I wore during surgery, you know the one that looks like pantyhose to keep blood clots from forming ? It helped , man your way to early to complain , give it a few weeks or months you'll be ok :)

Enjoy the recoupe:cool: 13 days post op from my level 2 fusion and I getting paranoid that this pain may be permanent. When I woke up from surgery I did feel relief in my back an leg, but there was a different pain in my back, leg and foot. The Dr. said not to worry, that the nerves had been "compressed" for so long that they needed time to heal. That made sense to me so I did not question the continuing pain. But this last week, I have felt no relief in this back. leg and foot pain, infact I have considerable swelling in my leg and foot to the point that it feels as if my foot will eventually explode due to the pressure. I am also experiencing severe burning pain from my knee down to my foot. The pain is so bad that I cant wear a sock or have anything touching my foot. I talked to my sister, who works in a Drs office, and explained what was going on, she called me yesterday and told me that the Dr she works for said it could be a blood clot that is causing my leg to swell and that I should call my Dr right away. I called my Drs office and spoke to his MA, she said it was normal for my leg to swell and just keep it elevated, she never mentioned that it could be a blood clot. She did say that if it were still swollen on Thursday to call her back. Well since it has been swollen for about 7 days now, I imagine it will still be swollen on Thursday.
Has anyone else experienced swelling and burning AFTER surgery? The pain is different from the pain I had pre-surgery which is why its bugging me, let alone the constant FIRE in my leg. Let me know if I am not alone with these issues post op.


Porter:wave:

THat new pain is scary I know, but is very normal for majority of us.''

It was new to me also, as I did not have this pain before the surgery was done. In fact to take this one step further.. it is also opposite of the side I've had all the pain in for the last 3 years before the surgery.

I also had bad bad swelling and it remains unexplained to this day! It came and went. But my doctor was concerned enough that he sent me for a doppler sonogram twice to make sure there were no blood clots.

So, if you are still no better by morning, do call them.

I am 9 months fused now and I still have swelling that I have never had before. I have been told that for those that have BMP used for fusion.. it causes some swelling. I haven't read anything official on that, just from many posters and other contacts I have that have had the BMP used.

Also.. meds can also be a factor too.

You need to discuss nerve pain meds with your doctor. No need for you to be hurting like that and there are plenty of meds out there that can help ease your suffering.

hang in there.. it eases up with time. I had to tough out my nerve pain because I ended up being allergic to Neurontin and Lyrica.:wave:

Hi Porter,

Sorry that your now having to deal with the post-op pain. I had the burning in my leg and foot too. It hurt just to put a sock on. I also remember having the edema as well.

Your only 13 days out, thats not very far, and yes the nerves will take some time to heal. So, try to hang in there and stay ontop of your meds so that the pain doesn't get ahead of you.

Here are some symptoms of bloot clot though:
leg pain in one leg only
leg tenderness in one leg only
swelling (edema) of only one leg
increased warmth of one leg
changes in skin color of one leg, redness

I would still call your doc anyway Porter, it's better to be safe than sorry! Plus it will put your mind at ease.

Good luck and let us know what you find out,

Bernie

Hi Porter,
Hang in there! it's a long road but you will get there. It is also very very scary, all this new stuff, we got used to the old pain and now that its new and different we freak, I did. The post op socks like Shawley said make a big difference. I was confined to bed for 5 wks after my fusion so I didn't really see too much swelling, can't see feet if I'min bed with had brace on, lol, there a a visual for ya.

Don't EVER ignore symptoms of a blood clot evenif it's one thing, better safe than sorry. Call your dr. 100 times if you have to, God knows he's getting paid enough for it. You can research pictures of blood clots that way you can SEE first hand what the leg looks like with one, odds are it's not that. You erally shouldn't be consulting any other dr. besides the one that did your surgery, thats when things get all mixed upa dn turn into a big mess. Stick with your doc and call him every minute you think you need to.

For the emotional support , you know we are all here for ya 24/7! Even the physical even tho were not docs, we sure do know enough of the warning signs to things to at least caution you.

Make sure your doing nothing but resting, if your up to much that can cause the swelling to be worse, so take it easier than you ever had inyour life and when your in bed try elevating your swollen leg, as far as the pain & burning, I woudl call that MA back and insist on some nerve pain meds, you shouldn't have to wait another minute in that kind of pain, its the worst pain in the world.

You are right on track with your recovery, it really does get better after like the second week is over, maybe sooner we all have different stories on that. make sure you drink lots of water, that really does help your body heal itself.

I will be praying so hard for you.

God Bless

Carol

Hey Porter.
Wanted to checdk in on you, and see how else you are feeling? Mentally/Emotionally? Ya ok? 13 days out is still very fresh. I was paranoid up until week 5....things started returning to normal by then. :wave: