Question:
PAIN IN THE LUMBAR REGION OF THE BACK AFTER SURGERY

I need help. I am 16 days, post-op and I awoke with the most awful pain in the lower region of my back, after surgery.. I mean, it was sooo bad that none of the pain meds would skim the surface. Plus, I had blisters and could not lay on my back long enough to do the upper GI. I was sent home with a walker and I really need it. I can't even walk to the bathroom, which is only ten feet away. Has anyone else experienced this and what can I do about it to get some relief and to heal FAST? I cannot stand up straight! Please help me!    — ladyboo (posted on October 3, 2003)

October 2, 2003
After surgery, I truly think my lower back hurt more than the surgical site! In fact, the night after surgery, I slept sitting up in a chair just to get some relief. Its my understanding that they can put your back thru some awful strain getting you positioned during surgery. And if you're like me, I had a bad back to begin with. For me, walking was the answer, and little by little it went away. Of course, if its not improving, you need to see your doc and find out if there isn't something else happening, perhaps unrelated to the surgery. Good Luck, Linda
   — lorien

October 3, 2003
I have had similar problems. My Mom and Sister are both nurses and attributed the problems to the surgical team moving me to and from the table after I was knocked out. My orthopedist said the same thing. MO people are much harder to move and get jiggled more when they are lifted to/from the surgical table and then to the hospital bed from the gurney. I have sciatica as well so I'm not so sure I can answer how to get it to heal fast. You may want to get checked for sciatica with your PCP or an orthopedist. Your back problem does sound like mine. If it is sciatica you can get epidural's to get rid of the pain fast! and get your mobility back. The epidural is different that one for having a baby and doesn't hurt much at all. It not only reduces the swelling in the lower back, but it also blocks the pain. Best wishes
   — M B.

October 4, 2003
This isn't related to the question, but to the answers. Is it common for MO people to be lifted and moved to the surgical table while unconscious? I just wondered because that's not the way they did it with me at all. They wheeled me in on a bed with an inflatable mattress - sort of like a blow up raft. They put the bed alongside the surgery surface, put the railings down on the bed, pulled the cord to blow up the mattress and then pulled the mattress from the bed to the surgery table. I was still conscious and remember them strapping down my arms to two little side arms that swung out from the bed. I thought this mattress was the neatest little invention and a good way for the hospital staff to move heavy people without hurting themselves - or me! Are these relatively new or did a lot of you have the same experience?
   — sandsonik

October 4, 2003
This is for Sandra: I think more hospitals are using this technique for moving obese patients; as for my hospital, they actually had me walk to the operating room, lie down on the bed, and the same bed I was operated on was the same bed I recuperated in. This way no one had to move me. <p>For Sheila: Please see your doctor ASAP. It doesn't sound normal for you to be in this kind of pain; at 16 days out I felt tired and weak still, but no pain at all. I hope you get feeling better soon!
   — Moysa B.

October 4, 2003
Shelia - I had the exact same situation. Woke up from surgery in agony - felt like my hip and lower back were broken. But they were also numb to the touch. The blisters showed up the next day. I couldn't walk and no one could explain what was going on. After a few very paiful weeks that included Physical Therapy, Chiroprators etc it was finally discovered to be Nerve Damage. From lying on the operating table in a certain position for a long time and being obese -the pressure on the skin created the blisters and damaged the nerves. I couldn't believe that nerve damage could hurt that much but the Doc who finally diagnosed me said that the pressure probably also created problems with the muscles in that area too. If you're skin feels numb or strangly sensitive -you should have it checked out.
   — Liz C.

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