Spondylolisthesis Consensus Question?

ibake&pray

[COLOR="Navy"]Welcome to the board, Nate! It's always nice to see another Minnesotan.

I couple of htings. You didn't mention what pain meds you are on, but they do have the ability to lower your testosterone level. You might want to get that checked out and see if it is the culprit. It can be remedied with a cream I believe. We had a guy on the boards that was suffering from the same thing. It's worth a shot.

The Class II narcotics also have a tendency to constipate you. Do you feel that your problems might be related to that? Or do you think that you might have hemmrhoids due to issues. See, we discuss just about everything here!. If you think it's constipation related, it helps to keep the fiber up and the fluids. If you search you will find threads either here or on the Pain Management board about constipation and what can be done to keep everything moving-so to say.

Good luck and keep posting.....[/COLOR]

natedog49mn

[QUOTE=ibake&pray;4701725][COLOR="Navy"]Welcome to the board, Nate! It's always nice to see another Minnesotan.

I couple of htings. You didn't mention what pain meds you are on, but they do have the ability to lower your testosterone level. You might want to get that checked out and see if it is the culprit. It can be remedied with a cream I believe. We had a guy on the boards that was suffering from the same thing. It's worth a shot.

The Class II narcotics also have a tendency to constipate you. Do you feel that your problems might be related to that? Or do you think that you might have hemmrhoids due to issues. See, we discuss just about everything here!. If you think it's constipation related, it helps to keep the fiber up and the fluids. If you search you will find threads either here or on the Pain Management board about constipation and what can be done to keep everything moving-so to say.

Good luck and keep posting.....[/COLOR][/QUOTE]



Hi,

Thanks for the welcome. The only medication i'm on is Tylenol, Proctosol for hemmoroids, Viagra for sexual dysfunction, and an inhaler for asthma. I have had my testosterone checked and it was normal. I also drink tons of water which has helped my weight loss immensely. I think this is all due to my spodylolithesis? hmmm

Nate

teteri66

Welcome to the board. Glad you found us and hope you will continue to post with questions and comments.

As you know, none of us are doctors or trained medical professionals, so what you are reading are the opinions of fellow spineys...opinions based on our personal experience, what we read and learn along the way.

First, your issues are most likely not a result of the spondylolisthesis, but of nerve compression caused by some of your other issues, and, perhaps caused in part by the spondylolisthesis. The L4, L5 and S1 spinal nerves innervate the nerves connected to the bowel and bladder, the genital area, and specific areas of the groin, hip, leg and feet. Run a search for a dermatome map and you can see which nerve innervates which particular area, generally speaking, of course.

When the nerves are severely compressed, it can result in bowel or bladder issues, such as incontinence. It can result in sexual dysfunction, feelings of pressure in the groin area, etc. While you're reading up on dermatomes, you might also want to look at "cauda equina syndrome". This is a serious group of symptoms that result from nerve compression and is considered a medical emergency. Anyone who has issues at these lower lumbar areas should be aware of the symptoms of cauda equina syndrome, so they know to call their doctor immediately if they develop one or more of them.

Your issues as you describe do not sounds severe enough to be classified as cauda equina syndrome, but should they suddenly get worse, you would want to call your doctor immediately, or go to an emergency room if he is not available.

Congrats on your weight loss and a commitment to becoming more fit. What treatments are you receiving for your issues? There's nothing on your MRI report that pops out to me screaming "SURGERY." I think you should be able to manage things with conservative measures.

If you are not yet seeing a fellowship trained spine specialist, you might want to consider it. Any time there is bowel or bladder issues or issues that affect sexual functions, the situation could develop into an emergency. Should that happen, you would want to know who to call. (and already be a patient, so you could get in without waiting a month or two.)

natedog49mn

Thanks tetonteri66,

I don't think I have cauda equina syndrome. I have no problems going to the bathroom at all. It's just painful after i go to the bathroom (number2). I also have pain in that area after sitting for prolonged periods of time. It doesn't help when I spend most of my time sitting all day plus work a part time courier job at night again sitting. I do start a new full time job next week and I will be on my feet more which I hope helps my lower back better. My number one goal is to strengthen my core and stretch more.

Thanks,
Nate