"Trouble," Explained

I started having bad cramp-like pain down my front thigh and sudden sharp stabbing pain in my right butt. This was new. I didn't have it before my surgery. Long story short, a post-op MRI eight months after my surgery revealed new trouble (stenosis) just above my fusion site that wasn't there at the time of surgery in October 2004, plus nerve decompression from scar tissue. I started the roller coaster ride of getting used to Neurontin, 300 mg three times a day. I also was referred to a pain management doctor by my surgeon.

After looking at my new MRI films, the pain management doctor suggested I try a selective nerve root injection. I went in-patient for that, and kept my fingers crossed that it would work. It didn't do a thing, not even a slight twinge of a difference. My pain management doctor told me I might have this for the rest of my life and we should work to relieve the pain symptoms as there might be no other way to get rid of the discomfort. Surgery was not indicated for this, since it was surgery that left me with scar tissue and more new decompression of my lumbar nerves.

Oh, well.


I started a regimen of Lodine (etodolac,) Lyrica (pregabalin,) and Lortab (hyrdocodone,) with Percocet (oxycodone) only when needed. I have my good days and my bad days, usually depending on my amount of physical activity and the weather. I dread the North Jersey winters with it's damp cold days.

I saw my spine specialist surgeon for my one year post-op check up with x-rays and the fusion looks good. He indicated that I'd have to think about the possibility of more surgery sometime down the road if the new onset of stenosis, the one that was coming from just above my fusion site, became a quality of life issue for me someday.