Back Surgery pain

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AllHealthyHappyLoved
AllHealthyHappyLoved Posts: 1 Member
edited October 2017 in Fitness and Exercise
Sorry I had to copy my screenshot of what I wrote
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Sorry

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  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
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    Warm hugs. I too have had Spinal Fusion Surgery twice. The first was L3-4 and L4-5. It took almost a year to recover fully but I did. Then a few years later I was experiencing severe back pain and it was a result of the weight of the titanium crushing the rest of my spine. I had to have more fusion L5-S1. That surgery has now left me in chronic back and leg pain, neuropathy in my feet. I struggled for years and gained weight and had a heart attack. Long story short I was told to lose weight and start walking. I started walking and then yoga. Exercise has helped me manage my pain. I now walk and golf daily weather permitting. I never thought I could push through my pain and enjoy life.

    Heat is not my friend....I use ice packs to help fight inflammation and the only drug I take is Ibuprofen a few times a day. Gentle yoga helps me with my pain.

    Every day I wake up in pain and unfortunately I have to push myself. It is not easy and to be honest I have wanted to give up many times. The pain from heart attack was worse than my back pain that I feel like I have no choice but to keep moving. Sitting is the worse.

    I am up early this morning due to leg pain. I have ice packs under both legs while I sit here.

    I can't help you but I can encourage you to hang in there and find what works for you. The pool is a great place to start.

    Stay strong.



  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    edited October 2017
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    If it is truly that bad, I would probably be calling my surgeon. Have you done physical therapy?

    I am 6 months post L5 S1 microdiscectomy and I will honestly say that I feel better when I am active than when I am sedentary. I lift weights 3 days a week, try to walk a lot, and keep up with my PT exercises. I also try to do yoga pretty regularly. Running is hit and miss; sometimes I feel great and other times I feel every foot strike in my surgical area. My pain is not gone, but it is much, much less and more tolerable. It almost disappears when I'm up and moving around. I'm definitely not saying you need to do what I do; I'm just saying what my experience has been.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    you need to lose weight, being overweight isn't gonna help with anything. If you are struggling to lose weight on your own , get on a solid diet program like Jenny Craig or weight watchers until you get control. And go back with your surgeon, something might not be right .
  • EatingAndKnitting
    EatingAndKnitting Posts: 531 Member
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    My mother had an L3-L4 fusion. She's in terrible pain all the time. There's only so much the surgeon can do. Her doctor prescribed her lidocaine patches, which you apply over the painful area. They don't get rid of all the pain, but they help a lot. You'll probably have to fight with your insurance to pay for them if you're in the US though, she had to have her doctor say it was for "diabetic neuropathy" before they'd pay for it. But she's on a Medicare insurance, so yours is probably different, but they don't like paying for these.

    She walks when the pain isn't too bad, and the doctor recommended the pool for her as well. Weight loss is mostly about a calorie deficit though, so if you can't exercise much you can still lose weight, which should help some.

    I'm sorry. I hope you can get some lidocaine patches, I've used them for knee pain and they do make a tremendous difference.
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
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    Unfortunately once you have back surgery future surgeries may be inevitable. I would contact your Dr, you may need some imaging.
  • Grnhouse
    Grnhouse Posts: 254 Member
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    Walking in the pool does have its benefits and trying to get your weight under control does hav3 benefits.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    EatingAndKnitting wrote: »
    My mother had an L3-L4 fusion. She's in terrible pain all the time. There's only so much the surgeon can do. Her doctor prescribed her lidocaine patches, which you apply over the painful area. They don't get rid of all the pain, but they help a lot. You'll probably have to fight with your insurance to pay for them if you're in the US though, she had to have her doctor say it was for "diabetic neuropathy" before they'd pay for it. But she's on a Medicare insurance, so yours is probably different, but they don't like paying for these.

    She walks when the pain isn't too bad, and the doctor recommended the pool for her as well. Weight loss is mostly about a calorie deficit though, so if you can't exercise much you can still lose weight, which should help some.

    I'm sorry. I hope you can get some lidocaine patches, I've used them for knee pain and they do make a tremendous difference.
    Lidocaine patches and cream can be purchased at any drugstore.
  • lozanosusan001
    lozanosusan001 Posts: 8 Member
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    My aunt has also faced the same problem once. But in her case, as she was enrolled under a Medicare insurance after getting the suggestion from the team of The Health Exchange Agency, she does not have to face any difficulties in getting her surgery done in the right way. Really thanks to the team who made her aware of such helpful healthcare insurance.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    Weight loss happens in the kitchen, as they say. If you set your activity level to sedentary and set a reasonable deficit, and eat to that number you will start to lose weight. Definitely go back to your surgeon though too as others said.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,581 Member
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    I had a fusion at L4-L6 11 years ago. The pain was so bad in the next year that I had to have another surgery to have the hardware removed. I still have neuropathy in my back, legs, and feet.

    I think the pool is a great idea. If you can find a saltwater pool that is even better as it provides buoyancy. If you haven't had it, ask your doctor for physical therapy. You may find a place that starts with aqua therapy. It would be a great way to get you moving and provide a set of exercises you can do on your own.

    As for the weight gain, I suggest using My Fitness Pal. Add some friends and you can encourage each other. I gained 70 pounds in the couple years after my surgery being bedridden. I quit smoking too right before my surgery so I'd heal better. Best of luck to you!

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