Piriformis release surgery, anyone???

Newbie

Thank you for the welcome! Pain is keeping me awake again, so I've been up most of the night, watching DVDs, surfing the net, and applying ice packs. Heat used to work really well for me, but about a year ago, I was using a heating pad in bad, had taken too much medication, and fell asleep, waking up several hours later with a third degree burn that required skin graft surgery and a couple of weeks in the burn unit. I was being stupid for falling asleep with a heating pad on, but after my experience, I'm scared of using any heat whatsoever!

Shirley is so right about the Baclofen; its peak effect isn't until 2-3 hours after you take it, and it never works when you're actually in severe pain. I take it every two hours, and by keeping a steady dose in my bloodstream, it makes the spasms halfway tolerable, but it's sedating. I always take a larger dose of Baclofen before bedtime, but the spasms are winning tonight. My physiatrist is repeating my Botox injections on Friday, and I'm really looking forward to it. They've been the only intervention that has given me some decent relief, but as someone said a few pages back, they're hit or miss. I had one injection last summer that got me functioning almost back to normal, but then again, I've had some with the same physician and same technique and they didn't work at all. The last one with a new physiatrist gave me about twenty percent relief, and although it wasn't enough to improve my ability to work/concentrate, it was relief. I'm having the same physician do them again on Friday - he's doing the piriformis, hamstring, and he's considering some other possibilities. I'm praying they're at least mildly effective.

Thank you so much for everyone's input on Filler. When I spoke to them on the phone, they said that if I'm coming from the East Coast, I should plan on staying three days, but that the tests and procedures he orders would depend on my appointment with him. I'm confident that my friend in LA will be able to help me out for the injection and possibly the appointment as well, and I have more friends working in LA who I can call on for backup. I'm not the type to do surgery right away, so if I do have surgery, it would be on a second trip out there. I'm realizing that I'd need to travel with someone who can be with me 24/7 and be dedicated to me, and I'm hoping that perhaps my brother or another friend will have a free week early this summer. If all else fails, I guess I can hire someone (a student from my university or a personal care attendant) to make the trip with me. I hate having to ask people to take time off work for me and I hate feeling like a burden - I'm always the one who runs around taking care of everyone else, and this pain is preventing me from doing that.

Member

Morning all.

Spoke with Filler's NP last night. She called me after an e-mail the prior night so the support is pretty good.

She says what I am going through is about par for the course. She said that as the nerve comes back alive, expect just about anything. She thinks it may have been bad Saturday morning because of swelling and less due to cramping. She gave me a script for Skelaxin and she wants me to try before I up and go driving. I'm taking a half dose this morning for a test.

Mary, both she and the pharmacist said there is a difference in relaxants. Valium is more of a central nervous treater and others are more muscular/skeletal treaters(albeit there has to be a nervous system treating component I would suspect).

Also, the NP said that Filler did not cut the nerve to the piriformis. This surprised me because it seems contrary to his paper. Nevertheless, he must not have because she said the spasms are coming from the remaining flap of piriformis. Proof positive. With regard to atrophy, he cuts the piriformis in two so any compensation by other muscles would be required anyway. Per his outcome study, an 8 year follow-up said the compensation occurs and there are no changes in gait. None in mine so far except from soreness. I think Donna and someone way earlier reported the same thing. It doesn't feel like I lost any muscles actually.

Someone asked about Filler cutting glutes. No. He moves them out of the way to get to the piriformis and that's the advantage of his surgery.

Julie, I am so sorry. It's easy for me to say but do not be embarrassed. I can understand your feelings but any sane rational personal understands why you might be in a wheelchair in the grocery store. In fact, I applaud your courage and effort just to go. Keep fighting. You have firends on here that are fully in your court.

Shirley, good to hear from you. Nagging doubts are healthy. I had them. I still have them but I'm committed now. I have to force the nagging doubts away and think pure positive. I completely agree regarding your comments about JBL and Nerve Pain. Nerve Pain is actually doing yoga and JBL's post really lifted me. See, there is hope.

Fight, fight, fight!!!!!!!

My wife and I have all of you in our thoughts and our prayers.

Your friend,

David

Member

Leesa,

I meant to mention this previously. Now that my Cowboys have been knocked out of the playoffs, I will join you as a GB Packer fan. I'm tired of the Patriot arrogance and I am, and always have been, a huge Favre fan. He is the epitome of what a pro athlete should be and I have always enjoyed his pure love of the game and the manner in which he conducts himself.

I played competitively for 13 years through early college so I know how the love of the game can fade. The fact that he still is having real fun at an NFL level geritol age is truly amazing. He is a genetic freak but a kid at heart.

GO PACKERS!!!!!

Member

David:

Glad you got in touch with the NP. Sounds like what you're experiencing may be normal for recovery. I have high hopes for you.

Sorry about your Boys. GO PACKERS. If Brett wasn't married, I may move to Wisconsin Smile

Leesa

Member

New post here. I am 18 days post surgery by Dr. Filler. I am interested in like patients and their outcome.

Member

Huggable,

Really glad to have you. Very good people on here.

Read backwards. Several people who have had Filler's surgery have posted and some in detail. What is your background and how are you doing thus far? I hope well and I know we are all interested. I am 6 weeks post surgery today. My saga began December 4th.

Thanks,

David

Member

Hey Huggable,

Glad you're here. I'm not post surgery but would love to hear your experience thus far. I'm seriously considering it, as are a few of us, and are so, so interested in how you got to Filler, the diagnostics, pain pattern and how you are doing post surgery.

Do read back on all the posts. David and Donna are our surgery "vets" and a few are in line to be the next, and others of us are just trying to make the decision on whether or not to go out to CA. You'll find a ton of info here, and (lucky you!) you can also provide a ton of info for the rest of us.

I'm so glad you found this forum. It has been great for me, to vent, find out info, experiences, etc.

Take care, many hugs
Julie

Member

Tomorrow is 3 months since surgery so I thought I'd give you all an update. The incision has completely closed up and the infection is gone. Even the itching from the tape has stopped. So that area is all good.

During the past month, I've done a lot of 'firsts" since surgery:

*We went hiking...not quite mountain climbing, but there were significant hills that I wouldn't have done before. We spent about 2 hours on the trails. Its true I was sore the next day, but it was muscles complaining that they haven't been used that way in a while.

*I sat through an allllll day(9am -8:30pm) meeting without pain. I even gave my seat cushion to another participant, since I didn't need it. No one should be subject to that kind of punishment, especially when followed by another all dayer the next day. But I lived through it!

* I cleaned the shop at the seminary where we work. This shop hasn't been cleaned in over 4 years and I did a lot of lifting, pulling, pushing, etc and came out very tired, but not in pain.

*I lifted a 40 pound bag of dog food, without feeling it.

While I realize that not all of you will recover like I have, I hope you read this as hope and encouragement that there is a day coming when you will feel better too. Hang on to that hope.

By the end of a busy day, especially when I've been on my feet a lot, I do feel a bit of nerve pain in the piriformis area. Resting is all it takes to get rid of it. That pain is only level 2 or 3, so its not bad at all.

I got a note from Sheila, Dr Filler's NP, with the go ahead for "gentle" stretching and strengthening. She said there was no specific program to follow, but if I was in more pain afterward, that I had done to much. I'm not much on planning my own workout program, so I hope I can figure something out.

So far, so good. I continue to be very glad and thankful that I had the surgery and that it has been successful so far.

Donna

Member

Donna:

WOW, such great news. A 40lb bag?!!! Good for you. Extremely happy to hear of your progress. I know it will continue and thank you so much for the update. .

Huggable:

Yes, PLEASE give us some details on your history and how you are feeling. You found a very good place for information and support. I hope you are doing well after surgery. Take it easy and get better.

Leesa

Member

Donna:

One more thing......it doesn't sound like you are following doctor's orders "gentle stretching and strenghtening"....sounds more like you are getting ready for a heavy weight fight with all the lifting, hiking, etc.

(said with a smile)

Again, good for you. Keep it up.

Member

David, a friend of mine was here today who is a nurse and I was talking about the forum and how great it kwas. We were talking about post surgery and she said that it is very common for people to feel worse at some point after surgery and that what you are going through is very normal. She also said that people are often on a high immediately following surgery but then when they realize that the recovery is longer and harder than they think it is difficult both physically and mentally so again to confirm that what you are experiencing is just what to expect but then things do get much better.

Good to have a new person on who has just had surgery. That should be helpful for you also. It is helpful for those of us who are considering it also. I hope I will be very realistic if and when I do decide to go through with it. I am now 95% certain that I will go, but still a little scared about the surgery.

Bye for now.

Shirley

Member

Donna, I somehow missed your update until after I did the former one but your news is great and gives me lots of encouragement to get moving on my decision. Congratulations to you for feeling so good and thanks for your encouragement to the krest of us.

Leesa, the 21st is fast approaching or is it the 23rd. How are you feeling about that? Hope there are no more postponments.

I tried to take somelonger than usual walks, carried my granddaughter up and down steps today and am paying a big price today. On the positive side it felt so great mentally to walk in the brisk air and the sun and a beautiful fresh snowfall.

Off to rest my poor old butt.

Shirley

Member

I took my daughter to see Dr. Filler on 1-7-08. We flew to LA on Sunday.

Arrived for 8 Surprised

o appt at 7:40. They informed us the Dr. Was trying to fly back to the state and wasn't sure if he would be in that day or not, if he did, it wouldn't be till late afternoon. I started to cry, and said we would wait to see if he did arrive. They have a wonderful large L shaped couch, so my daughter waited, as she could lay down. Yeah, the Dr. arrived at about 1:00. We saw the Dr. by about 2:00. Nice man, he went over the films that I had provided, and sent us on Tuesday for the MR Neurography. Had our original appt been kept she would have had her MRN on Monday and an injection on Tuesday. We had to wait until 1-11-08 for her injection. It was a weird week the staff all said, and they also said it usually is a lot more flexible. The staff was really nice. Because of their weird week, on Friday when it came time for my daughters injection, they were just going to do it without talking to me about the findings, the nurse CiCi, said there wasn't enough time. And that generally people do not know what they are looking at, I explained that if there wasn't anytime for "Talk Time," then they needed to get my kid out of the injection room. Tadaaaa, I was escorted in, saw my daughters images, Dr. Filler started to talk to me, I explained what I was seeing as I looked at my daughters films/images. He said yep, I have spent a long time researching piriformis, thank goodness. Anyways, she had 3 injections. No real big changes, but on Sat, Sun, she said as she awoke the pain was still there just maybe calmer, her own word. I held my breath because I don't want to jinx it. Monday she actually had a point, temporarily, rated her pain down to a 3. Could it actually be working??????? I am so very afraid, but trying to be cautiously optimistic. Today she was her normal 9 self, I left for work slightly sad, with a fake smile for all of my firstgraders who I haven't seen since the break. I am just praying that she can be in the 15% healed by the injection. They told us 72hours to up to 10 days to notice anything. Not sure, I will keep you all posted. I had originally thought we could be there for two weeks, but Dr. Filler is again out of the state this week. I loved all the weird skulls he had on his desk LOL.

Member

Shirley:

Yep, the 21st it is. I'm counting the hours, thanks for asking. As for your walks, sometimes we just need to do things that make us feel good mentally and pay the price later. Oh well, we try out best right?!

Menzie:

What a week you and your daughter must have had. I'm glad Dr. Filler showed up and you got everyhing done in the end. I"m sure different people have different reactions to the injections but for me, it took up to around 14 days to start feeling any noticable relief and it was very minor at day 14. Then after the 14 days the best I've gotten out of it is that I can be on my feel a little longer now but when the pain comes it's pretty much the same.

I too was hoping I would be in that 15% healed by injections. It's not looking that way so I just have to come to some acceptance that it is what it is and I need to just keep moving forward and stay as positive as possible.

Glad you are in the solution and I hope your daughter gets some relief or at least can have hope that she's on her way to some answers.

Take care everyone,

Leesa

Member

Menzie, do you know what he injected? When I get botox Dr. Ko does an anaesthetic injection along with the botox but the botox can take me as long as a couple of weeks. The aneasthetic injection lasts for a short time but gives immediate relief so I wondered if that was what was going on wiht yur daughter. However I have no idea what Dr. Filler injected so don't pay attention to my experience if it doesn't fit.What did the MR Neurography show? Good for you for saying you wated to ksee the imaging first. Hope things get better. Know it was hard to go smiling into your first grade class with so much on your mind and a daughter at home in so much pain.

What did he inject you with Leesa? You may have told us in the past but I don't remember. I think he does short term injections sometimes but also uses botox. My botox injections act somewhat like you described. I can last longer on my feet and maybe get by wiht a little more walking but I still get the pain once over that limit. However the leg pain is better after the injection but not the butt pain which is like a knife in the kbutt with burning all around it and painful at the attachments at the sacrum and greater trochanter. But as we know botox wears off after 3-4 months.

Jennifer what's up with you? Julie, have you gotten the "butt fund" going? Hope you get to go.

I may make my appointment either end of week or early next week. I am like you Jennifer and may go and then come home before making the decision. I have forgotten who said she was coming from the east as I will be coming from eastern Canada. I am going to be double checking that rumour that people who have to pay for themselves are charged less by Cedars Sinai. I sure hope it is true as my portfolio has dropped so much it is scary with the market down and the US dollar so low.

The group has grown so much so hello to all you even if I haven't mentioned you.

Bye for now.

Shirley

Piriformis release surgery, anyone???

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