Hello everyone,
I am new to this forum and i am really pleased to find out that i am not alone.

In October 2005, i had surgery on L4-L5, i was diagnosed with dengenerative disc diease and Caudia Equina Syndrome(yes its as much fun as its sounds NOT!:D ) nearly 2years later, i have been left unable to work, i am still walking with a cane and suffer from occassional bouts of paraylis down my left leg and my left foot is always cold and totally numb.

The doctors told me i would never really recover from "drop foot"(anyone else out there who has had this knows what a joy it is;).

I have also been told that the discs below L4 are dengerating and it will only be a matter of time before i am back in having the same surgery.(happy happy days to come:) )

I make jokes about what i have been through and still go through because its the way i deal with it.

The caudia equina has left me with permanent damage to my bladder and bowel. It seems to me that unless someone has gone through what we have, people in general dont understand.

I'd like to hear from other sufferers of the same or similar conditions. Just to say hi exchange ideas and generally support with each other.

In the meantime VIVA Diamazepan, Naproxen and Prednisolone!!!!!!;)

Merf07,

Welcome to the HealthBoards. :wave: You will find a lot of supportive and helpful people here. You are in very good company. If you have any questions, there will be at least a couple members that can answer them thouroughly.

I am fairly new to all of this. I have partial control of bladder and bowel, so I have it much better than a caudia equina sufferer like yourself. I had a lifting injury at work last year in June. The neurologist ignored the bowel & bladder problems, tried all the non-invasive treatments and 11 months had gone by, by the time I was refured to a neurosurgeon & had a L3 thru S1 fusion, laminectomy with instrumentation on 4/30/07. The damage to my bowel & bladder is also perminent, I do not have control of my left knee, I have no ankle reflexes or left knee reflex and I have paresthesia of the left leg and right buttock. I will be off work a minimum of one year, and we have no idea if the nerves will ever heal. If they do not, I will not be able to return to my current position. Like you said, happy happy days to come. :D

Welcome to the spiney board. I do not personally have the cauda equina, but there are several here that do. YOu might put that in the title, and they will surface sometimes, its hard to read everyone's thread.

But we all understand the pain and other stuff that's for sure. i am sorry to hear you got the bad deal with the foot drop and bladder. That is so sad. But, welcome here, and glad to meet you, and look forward to talking to you in the future.

vette

Hello everyone,
I am new to this forum and i am really pleased to find out that i am not alone.

In October 2005, i had surgery on L4-L5, i was diagnosed with dengenerative disc diease and Caudia Equina Syndrome(yes its as much fun as its sounds NOT!:D ) nearly 2years later, i have been left unable to work, i am still walking with a cane and suffer from occassional bouts of paraylis down my left leg and my left foot is always cold and totally numb.

The doctors told me i would never really recover from "drop foot"(anyone else out there who has had this knows what a joy it is;).

I have also been told that the discs below L4 are dengerating and it will only be a matter of time before i am back in having the same surgery.(happy happy days to come:) )




I make jokes about what i have been through and still go through because its the way i deal with it.

The caudia equina has left me with permanent damage to my bladder and bowel. It seems to me that unless someone has gone through what we have, people in general dont understand.

I'd like to hear from other sufferers of the same or similar conditions. Just to say hi exchange ideas and generally support with each other.

In the meantime VIVA Diamazepan, Naproxen and Prednisolone!!!!!!;)

Welcome on board! I am so sorry to hear that you still have all this problems, the only good thing about it: you are not alone on this board so you can vent, share and cry on our shoulders when you need support.
I had my 2 levels fusion + 18 month ago and still with a cane, droped foot, nerve damage in a legs and feet (the right side worse right after the surgery,left started about 8 month after the surgery).
Can i ask you something? If you feel uncomfortable to talk about, it's OK.
I lost control of my bladder right after car accident, after surgery got better for about 8 month and than problem re-occured. Bowel control came not a long time ago. Can you tell me when do you feel those symptoms the most- any specific time of the day or night? Do you get this every day?
Thank you in advance and have a better day!

Hello
First thanks for the reply, and I hope your day hasn't been too uncomfortable. I don't mind talking about bowel and bladder problems, after having children and know this nothing is sacred.

Before surgery, I would go to the toilet up to 6-7 times in an hour, only to find i could not empty my bladder, contispation was the norm even with laxetatives.

After surgery things have improved somewhat, but still I won't go anywhere far from a toilet. These days I have no long term control of either, twice I have lost control of my bowel without warning (or suffering from a stomach virus) but most days its under control unless I am full of medicine and that makes me constipated, still I don't trust my body and at the first sign that its time for number2 I go. If I don't go to the toilet the moment I feel I need to, I have bladder leaks, sometimes more so than others, which is frustrating and embarrassing.

So I plan everything around the toilet or having one :), no camping that would surely be the end of me, long car trips, and plane rides are just not going to happen:).

So that is me. Do you find you get like an sharp electric shock across the inside of the left buttock? The doctor said it was nerve damage and I just have to deal with it (doctors are good at that :))

Anyway the weather here in Victoria, Australia is starting to turn for the better. Spring has arrived and it is nice to see the sun again. I hope it isn't too cool where you are. My back hates the cold so I reckon yours does too:) Keep warm and reply soon. Bye!!