3 and a half months after l4-l5 s1-l5 prodisc

[slsunflower]

Originally Posted by Maria

I've not had ADR surgery or fusion, just 2 disectomies and while I'm on Methadone 10mg and Neurontin 1800 mg I notice that after I run several blocks with the dogs, later in the day I will often end up with a knot in one of my calves giving me a little short lived attack tho seemingly staying like a knot for several days (the calf muscle will hurt or feel bruised if I even walk too fast for a few days).

Nerve pain has long been muted for me but there was a time for 5 years after my 2nd spine surgery bilat buttock/lower extremity nerve pain was just horrible and standing, walking, anything upright seemed to exacerbate it. This wore off thankfully (knock on wood) tho am sure that the use of Neurontin since '98 has been instrumental in relief. Who cares, relief is relief from this gnawing draining type of pain!

If I don't run I don't usually have calve attack/charlie horse, or if I don't speed walk for a distance like a mile or so. I can walk fo hours at a really normal pace and not have this happen. It's odd as I probably shouldn't be running anyway and slamming the old spine around tho sometimes I just feel like having some "wings"~ and the dogs love it! Really can't run too much tho sure is fun. I have wondered why my calves bother me at all since I don't think I have anything pathologic going on unless it's related to my lumbar or cervical spine (in general that is).

I was thinking this is an *50 plus over thing*

Hi Maria!

You can run!!! Without the Methadone/Neurontin, do you think you would be able to run?? Walk even? Does it both allow you to run and cover up the pain the running causes? Or does running not cause more pain??

Thanks! Good luck.

[Maria]

I don't think I could even be out of bed w/o Methadone let alone walk or run!!! I've tried taking it down several times before and the pain was so bad that I could hardly walk down the stairs and around the block to walk my dog.

So I'm not sure what that's telling me. Lately my back has been going out alot tho for short periods like a few days still overall it's very annoying and of course painful. It feels more like the muscles are just getting beat to death with a bat and then of course w/the disc pain it becomes imperative to LIE DOWN NOW~

Then again, I'm up the next day popping my 10mg of Methadone and moving on... if I take 2.5mg more I move a little more~

Pretty good pain control if I don't do toooo much and I still wonder what it would like to be on the other side of more surgery~

Again, main message... doubt I'd be upright long w/o use of Methadone~

[robprodisc]

I spent the last months going from 10 mg to 20 to 10 mg of amitriptyline just to get a nights sleep. It works but 20mg knocked me out, 10 worked but my wife couldnt put up with the mood swings, (extreme) So I stop taking it....

And that night I slept, the next and the next with only a t3. Its been three weeks with a good sleep( I might add, I work out twice a day, cross country ski at night, work out in the moring.)

I tryed last night to take nothing but at 430hrs, my hips where on fire(not nerve ending pain), so I just fired a t4 down range. (t4 no caffeine.) And went back to sleep.

Next step is to hit the Facet joints with some needles. If that works...I will be one happy camper.

(note Cross country skiing helped alot with my stride length for walking)

Message ends...

[mmglobal]

Rob... sorry that things have not turned around. You must be doing relatively well to sustain the activity levels you are. That nerve pain can be so tough to deal with. Are you taking any of the meds that target the nerve pain? (Neurontin, Lyrica?)