2 surgeries

Scorpio:
Your meylopathy is the main determinate in the guidance your neurosurgeon is proposing in the combined surgeries. Myelopathy is a serious condition and not one routinely seen on his forum.

Time is of the essence with myelopathy. Sustained pressure/narrowing of the central spinal cord can cause irreversible damage.

Your concerns would be better discussed with your neurosurgeon then anyone on this forum can suggest or offer an opinion. I sense the timing between the two surgeries is trying to balance giving your body time for healing while recognizing the time imperative to address the lumbar issues and hope to resolve the evolving drop foot (before the drop foot is a permanent finding).

Chat with your neurosurgeon. I am sure he will give you time to talk and express your concerns so that you can hear his reasoning and decide from there.
Karen

Scorpio:
I am sorry to hear (but not surprised) that your neurosurgeon has a less than receptive personality for ease of patient-physician conversation. That said, try not to let his/her brusk demeanor keep you from haveing a chance to have your questions and concerns addressed to YOUR satisfaction.

Remember, this neurosurgeon works for your. This is your quality of life on the line. You are the one who will be living in your body after surgery.

Gapabentin is a common medication prescribed to lower the volume of nerve pain. It acts to lower the threshold that pain is registered by incoming peripheral nerve impulses.

Are you already taking gabapentin? Or was it placed “on hold” after your August cervical surgery?

It is best to check with the prescribing physician if the gabapentin was interrupted (for whatever reason) and you are wanting to begin taking it for nerve pain symptoms. It is always wise to review drug interactions with other medications you may be taking.

Hydrocodone will be less helpful in easing nerve pain. But we are each individual’s with unique pain profiles. The hydrocodone may ease other sources of pain that you have.

My own opinion is that there are merits to tapering opiate dosing, every now and then, as a way of “seeing” if one’s pain intensity and/or frequency has changed over time. My physicians purposefully reduce my opiate dosing every 6 months for 30 days. We do this to lower my long-term dependency and also to give experience to chart/document that nature of my pain to see how it might be changing.

Who is prescribing your hydrocodone ? Gabapentin? Your neurosurgeon? A pain management physician? Other specialist? Your primary care physician? It would be good to make sure that your medications are know and shared between your providers. Not always do physicians communicate with one another.

Is communication with your neurosurgeon available via patient portal e-mail? That would be one option to “talk” (write/e-mail) your neurosurgeon if he/she has a difficult personality.

You are deserving of having all of your questions and concerns addressed by your neurosurgeon. Do not be shy or timid in asking him/her to step up to the plate in communicating to you. Write a note to him/her with your questions bullet-pointed. Mail the questions or take the questions with you for a 1:1 pre-op appointment. Your neurosurgeon needs to attend to you more than just when you are under anesthesia in the OR.
- Karen -

Thanks Darla and Karen, in reading your notes, I realize that most of the pain is nerve pain that I am experiencing. I have neck pain due to the surgery, but I have lessened the hydrocodone dosage because it is tolerable. The nerve pain is what is hitting me so hard. My NS does have a portal and to ask questions through that method is a great idea. Gabapentin is new to me.it was prescribed by my GP who is fully aware of my situation. Hydrocodone and Robaxin has been prescribed by NS.

Your responses have opened my eyes to NERVE pain which is where my pain is coming from...down the arms, upper back and other spots. Plus some fingers on left hand are not working correctly. I will contact my NS today regarding these issues. Thanks so much.
I must say Karen, your letters are put so eloquently that one wonders if you are not in the medical field yourself. At the very least, you could be a therapist. Darla, hope you are recovering from your operation, too!

I got gabapentin and it has helped tremendously! Yoday I took 600mg but am allowed 900 mg. Does it take awhile for your body to get used to it tho? Feel a big lightheaded and woozy when I take it. The woozy feeling goes away.

SG, the side effects can last for a couple of weeks, each person is different. I am glad to read that you are already getting some benefit with it. The dosage has to be tailored for the patient too. My husband has severe diabetic neuropathy in his feet & hands. He is on a hefty daily dose 3200mg a day. It does help him & he has been at this dose for a few years.