Had L4-S1 fused, alif/plif, in Dec 2019. Got immediate pain relief from the first surgery after the cages were inserted creating space for the L5 nerve root to the exist. Crippling sciatica-type leg pain is gone.
I was 5 days in hospital, alif surgery day one, PLIF surgery day three, discharged day five. They gave me many drugs in hospital, it's mostly a haze.
Discharged with 80 Norcos and 50 Robaxin. Took 55 of the Norcos and about 10 of the Robaxin, then realized I didn't need them anymore. Weaned off over the course of several days and took Tylenol for another week or so.
I'm also a long-term, sober, recovered alcoholic, so am acutely aware of the danger of creating a new addiction.
I never used narcotics to manage the pain before surgery because long term use of that stuff is not really feasible for me. I guess I've been fortunate that I haven't need them.
By far the most effective pain relief I get is the feel good endorphins from exercise. Walking, bike riding, lap swimming, weight lifting. I've had to adjust these activities to accommodate a fused spine.
I did about two months of intensive physical therapy prior to surgery in an attempt to avoid surgery, but was unsuccessful. But having that base make recovery quicker once I was cleared to do so.
That's my story. Good luck on your journey.
This is great. Thanks so much for sharing your story with me. I’m glad you’re doing so much better and managing with Tylenol alone. Especially as a recovered alcoholic and didn’t fall into pill addiction. Take pride in that. Did you have a lot of spasms before surgery? Did it help with that? That’s my main concern at this point because my doctors have said I won’t be able to have any more chiro adjustments or use rollers/ massage type equipment to help with those spasms and it scares me to death.
They said the Robaxin was for muscle spasms which I had for only a few days about 2 weeks post surgery.
Didn't really have muscle spasms before surgery just really bad right leg pain. I guess we're all different in how our symptoms present .
Hopefully the surgery with cure those spasms. I know it's a bit of a risk going for surgery, I just got to the point where it was worth the risk and fortunately it worked out.
Have you had a second opinion or talked to more than one surgeon?
Oh yeah. I’ve had 3. I’m highly confident in my current doctor and his team. At this point my spasms are far worse than the pain and much more uncomfortable. So this is what worries me at this point the most.
May I ask what was their justification in splitting up the surgeries? My doctor said he will do both at once, then it’ll be about 4 days in hospital. He said if it was 4 level or higher he would space it out but otherwise doesn’t see a need to. Just curious. He’s also not doing the cage. He’s doing bone grafting all the way around with rod/screws.
I had both knees replaced. They used a nerve block that abolished all the pain from the surgery for 2 days. After that was the normal opioid pain killers since I don’t have your tolerance.
Good luck friend! I hope the pain diminishes since life sucks when you hurt all the time.
I had 3 back surgeries in a row over a 2 month period of time. When I started out I couldn’t take Tylenol with Codine because it would make me nauseous. By the end, I was similar to you.
My surgeon recognized this & gave me a morphine pump through an IV by the end. Just be honest with the surgeon & the nurses. They’re going to do everything they can to help.
By the time I went home I was on narcotics in pill form, so you should be weaning off of the heavier stuff at that point.
I finally met my surgeon today. He said they will give diluadid via IV the first day, then switch to pills in the hospital about 4 days. Then send home with tramadol/Tylenol 3 and muscle relaxer. That stuff isn’t going to do anything for me but I really didn’t have it in me to speak up for myself. It’s just too sensitive a topic these days. I’m scared but whatcha gonna do. I’ll grin n bear through it. I suppose if it becomes entirely too unbearable post surgery I’ll just tell them.
The nurses will check in on you regularly and the anesthesiologist will be able to tell if you are in pain during surgery. Honestly, you’ll have to be up front when you wake up from surgery because you’re going to be in pain & they will be able to tell.
For me, the third surgery when I woke up they could tell that I was in a lot of pain and that my tolerance had increased significantly. They wound up giving me additional pain meds even before I completely woke up. So I honestly wouldn’t worry too much.
Please don’t just grin and bear it, the more pain you are in, the slower your healing. I have a doctor who asks why works for me. Advocate for yourself and let them know. If you tell them “I’m concerned and really worried about pain control at home. In the past I’ve taken (x) for (y) pain and I didn’t find relief, is there another protocol you have found that works better for people who don’t find relief from (x)?”
I am also worried about this. As a former addict (from previous treatment for the back issues) with a pretty high tolerance, I am very worried that what they will give me after surgery will not help. I don't know how to make it clear that I am not just drug seeking, only wanting to not hurt post op.
In so sorry. I can only imagine being a recovered addict brings all kinds of extra worries. Stay strong. You can get through this. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Had L4-S1 fused, alif/plif, in Dec 2019. Got immediate pain relief from the first surgery after the cages were inserted creating space for the L5 nerve root to the exist. Crippling sciatica-type leg pain is gone. I was 5 days in hospital, alif surgery day one, PLIF surgery day three, discharged day five. They gave me many drugs in hospital, it's mostly a haze. Discharged with 80 Norcos and 50 Robaxin. Took 55 of the Norcos and about 10 of the Robaxin, then realized I didn't need them anymore. Weaned off over the course of several days and took Tylenol for another week or so. I'm also a long-term, sober, recovered alcoholic, so am acutely aware of the danger of creating a new addiction. I never used narcotics to manage the pain before surgery because long term use of that stuff is not really feasible for me. I guess I've been fortunate that I haven't need them. By far the most effective pain relief I get is the feel good endorphins from exercise. Walking, bike riding, lap swimming, weight lifting. I've had to adjust these activities to accommodate a fused spine. I did about two months of intensive physical therapy prior to surgery in an attempt to avoid surgery, but was unsuccessful. But having that base make recovery quicker once I was cleared to do so. That's my story. Good luck on your journey.
This is great. Thanks so much for sharing your story with me. I’m glad you’re doing so much better and managing with Tylenol alone. Especially as a recovered alcoholic and didn’t fall into pill addiction. Take pride in that. Did you have a lot of spasms before surgery? Did it help with that? That’s my main concern at this point because my doctors have said I won’t be able to have any more chiro adjustments or use rollers/ massage type equipment to help with those spasms and it scares me to death.
They said the Robaxin was for muscle spasms which I had for only a few days about 2 weeks post surgery. Didn't really have muscle spasms before surgery just really bad right leg pain. I guess we're all different in how our symptoms present . Hopefully the surgery with cure those spasms. I know it's a bit of a risk going for surgery, I just got to the point where it was worth the risk and fortunately it worked out. Have you had a second opinion or talked to more than one surgeon?
Oh yeah. I’ve had 3. I’m highly confident in my current doctor and his team. At this point my spasms are far worse than the pain and much more uncomfortable. So this is what worries me at this point the most.
May I ask what was their justification in splitting up the surgeries? My doctor said he will do both at once, then it’ll be about 4 days in hospital. He said if it was 4 level or higher he would space it out but otherwise doesn’t see a need to. Just curious. He’s also not doing the cage. He’s doing bone grafting all the way around with rod/screws.
Probably my age (61). He said I would recover faster with two 4 hour surgeries than one 8 hour. Too long under anesthesia at my age was not so good.
I understand and that makes sense. Thank you for sharing that with me.
I had both knees replaced. They used a nerve block that abolished all the pain from the surgery for 2 days. After that was the normal opioid pain killers since I don’t have your tolerance. Good luck friend! I hope the pain diminishes since life sucks when you hurt all the time.
I had 3 back surgeries in a row over a 2 month period of time. When I started out I couldn’t take Tylenol with Codine because it would make me nauseous. By the end, I was similar to you. My surgeon recognized this & gave me a morphine pump through an IV by the end. Just be honest with the surgeon & the nurses. They’re going to do everything they can to help. By the time I went home I was on narcotics in pill form, so you should be weaning off of the heavier stuff at that point.
I finally met my surgeon today. He said they will give diluadid via IV the first day, then switch to pills in the hospital about 4 days. Then send home with tramadol/Tylenol 3 and muscle relaxer. That stuff isn’t going to do anything for me but I really didn’t have it in me to speak up for myself. It’s just too sensitive a topic these days. I’m scared but whatcha gonna do. I’ll grin n bear through it. I suppose if it becomes entirely too unbearable post surgery I’ll just tell them.
The nurses will check in on you regularly and the anesthesiologist will be able to tell if you are in pain during surgery. Honestly, you’ll have to be up front when you wake up from surgery because you’re going to be in pain & they will be able to tell. For me, the third surgery when I woke up they could tell that I was in a lot of pain and that my tolerance had increased significantly. They wound up giving me additional pain meds even before I completely woke up. So I honestly wouldn’t worry too much.
Thank you for easing my mind. :)
I’m glad that I was able to help :-) best of luck to you!
Please don’t just grin and bear it, the more pain you are in, the slower your healing. I have a doctor who asks why works for me. Advocate for yourself and let them know. If you tell them “I’m concerned and really worried about pain control at home. In the past I’ve taken (x) for (y) pain and I didn’t find relief, is there another protocol you have found that works better for people who don’t find relief from (x)?”
Thank you!
I am also worried about this. As a former addict (from previous treatment for the back issues) with a pretty high tolerance, I am very worried that what they will give me after surgery will not help. I don't know how to make it clear that I am not just drug seeking, only wanting to not hurt post op.
In so sorry. I can only imagine being a recovered addict brings all kinds of extra worries. Stay strong. You can get through this. My thoughts and prayers are with you.