The pain I'm having down my entire left leg is from a new nerve impingement at L5, directly underneath the left rod and screws fusing L4 to L5 on the left.
It would be a "b*tch" to release that impingement without another open spinal surgery opening the scar from the first one to release it and then reattaching that rod. My vertebrae are already brittle and there would be a chance of destroying that side of it trying to break up the bone fusion underneath the rods. I don't want that. At least not so soon after the year from hell! So the Spinal Cord Stimulator might work to avoid it, potentially forever!
The right side is so bad directly above the fusions that if this epidural injection I got into the space between L1 and L2 doesn't work, they'll try injecting at L5 and S1. If that fails too, then my neurosurgeon will have to extend the spinal fusion from L5/L4/L3 where it currently is there all the way up to L1, taking away all movement to bend forwards. I REALLY DON'T WANT THAT! It's already hard enough with L3 to L5 fused.
So, I'm bumming right now but still hopeful that the injection will work and an implant in a few weeks will work on the other side to stop this horrific pain that began a few months ago.
Unfortunately, spinal fusions, while they usually fix any problems where they are done, typically cause problems above and below them sooner or later.
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