Thigh pain after L5/S1 fusion

It will be interesting to see what another set of eyes think. I am sure that you are doing this without tipping your hat to anyone else. I would not mention this to the surgeon, he would become offended & this would work against you with him. Surgeons are a quirky bunch for the most part.

I know men do not like to complain & tend to just "suck it up" shall we say. I am married to one of those, lol. But, this is not the time to take this stance. Your health & livelihood are are at stake here.

Thank you Karen, the hardware is titanium

So today was probably the worst pain so far so I went to the hospital (which is a level 1 trauma center). For some reason the doc came in barely looked at me and pretty much kicked me to the curb. He actually seemed aggressive while kicking me to the curb. I wonder if it has anything to do with it being a workman’s Comp case? He just really seemed as though he did not want to do anything that would A. Cost money or B. Show something is wrong.

PDT:
While I can appreciate your pain level is high, accessing the emergency room was an incorrect call. I realize that I am expressing an opinion that you may not want to hear, so hear me out . .

Emergency rooms are for health emergencies. A fracture or broken bone; a high fever that does not respond to Tylenol, which may indicate an underlying serous infection; sharp/doubling over abdominal pain with prolonged projectile vomiting, which may indicate gall stones or a bowel obstruction; new onset of crushing chest/radiating arm pain that may suggest a heart attack; facial dropping or slurred speech that may suggest an acute stroke.

Your back pain since surgery is troubling, no doubt. But your course of resolution needs to be through your surgeon or associated medical providers - not an emergency room.

If your back pain includes loss of bowel or bladder control or gross weakness of the legs then those criteria might warrant a visit to the emergency room.

An emergency room is meant to address a serious, life-affecting new onset of worrisome and highly concerning symptoms. Treatment may be directed at stabilizing the patient and controlling of symptoms as opposed to diagnosing the exact underlying cause. Ex. A person with extended vomiting may be given an IV for hydration + anti-nausea medication and given a referral to a GI specialist. Extensive diagnostics will generally be deferred.

It is often wise to call an available 24 hour nurse advisor telephone line, a service provided by a majority of medical insurance plans to their plan members. The telephone nurse advisors give general advice and triage on a wide variety of health issues and can help a person decide if an ER visit is appropriate.

I am sorry that your recovery has hit a difficult snag. I have had some complex surgeries myself, and can attest that recovery is rarely a smooth trajectory but more often is a series of undulating ups and downs - two steps forward, one step backward. Working with your team of providers, who know the specifics of your care and you as a unique person, will serve you best in the long run.

I hope that the issues with your lumbar spine begin to settle and improve for you,
Karen

I called my surgeon today and they are going to bring me in I pray they find a solution to this.

I called my surgeon today and they are going to bring me in I pray they find a solution to this.

PDT, I am glad that you were seen by the surgeon. Hopefully they will not drag their feet getting the ultrasound scheduled. I hope getting an increase in meds will help you out. If your testing all comes back normal & your situation is not improving, advocate for yourself to get to the bottom of this.

Take care.

Went for my MRI today and hopefully that will shed some light on the situation. I was looking back at my MRI report from before my surgery and it said all of my lumbar discs were bulging. Is this normal or has anyone seen this before? My doc never brought it up and I feel like it is something I should have been told.

PD126:
Glad to hear that you have had an MRI to evaluate your ongoing post-operative pain.
But remember that imaging studies are limited to “seeing” physical/anatomical findings and anolomies. Nerve pain can have origins in trauma to nerve axons and dendrites due to compression/pressure, sheer, or tension that is not visible on MRI imaging. A person can have normal MRI imaging and yet have disabling nerve related pain.

It is common for people to have vertebral disc buldging. Disc bulges are common and are not a pathological or worrisome finding. A vertebral disc serves as a shock absorber. It is filled with a gelatinous material that naturally extrudes and recedes as biomechanics and gravity forces act upon spine. A disc bludge is a disc acting as nature intended. The gelatinous disc material is acting in a dynamic manner to dissipate forces.

A disc herniation is the term used to describe a disc bludge that exceeds normal parameters of extrusion and that is possibly compromising a nerve root or causing neurological symptoms.

Everyone has bulging discs that they are likely not even aware of. A well-known clinical study several years ago selected people at random off of a busy street in downtown New York City. Participants completed a questionnaire of their health and agreed to a baseline MRI. Subjects with known spinal issues were excluded from the study. The MRI findings showed an incidence of asymptomatic lumbar and/or thoracis disc bulges in 65% of participants. That is, gelatinous disc bulges with no symptoms and of which the participants were unaware.

Almost everyone over the age of 35-40 will have some degree of disc bulging. Cervical and lumbar levels are more affected than thoracic levels - owing to the lordotic curvature of the cervical and lumbar spine and gravity/load bearing effects. The annulus ring that contains the gelatinous disc material in place weakens with age, increasing the likelihood of extrusion. Overall, a bulging disc is a normal finding and a disc acting as it should as a buffer/shock absorber.

A bulging disc that increases in magnitude to actually herniate through the fibrous annulus, causing compression of a nerve root and neurologicsl or sciatic symptoms is reason for an assessment with a physician, imaging, and treatment (exercise/posture to encourage recession of disc material; steroids; microdisectomy).

Thinking of you and sending positive karma that a resolution to your post-operative difficulties is within sight. I am sure that you are tired of dealing with ongoing pain and its effects.
Karen

OK so I have an update in a while I just had an EMG which came back and said there was mild active denervation. No clue what that means. He also went on to say “without L5 S1 muscles, which are abnormal, I technically cannot say he has radiculpathy. If someone could help me out I would be very grateful.

Tha is stray dog, and yes I do have the full report. Also the mri came back normal . I don’t see my doc until the 3rd.