Post Fusion leg/feet pain

[ajj1001]

The BAD?? I sweat one second and freeze the next. I get dizzy, blurred vision and unsteady walking (could be the oxocontin/oxycodone too). My voice is slurred and I feel like a ditz. I still am using my walker and I'm 3 wks post surgery. Is that normal? My swelling has decreased, but I can't fit in any shoes yet, except crocks.

Takes a few weeks for the worst of the side effects to go, after that you'll know how it is going to affect you day to day. I can live with the side effects I get for the good effects. Its different for everyone.

[Moni]

The BAD?? I sweat one second and freeze the next. I get dizzy, blurred vision and unsteady walking (could be the oxocontin/oxycodone too). My voice is slurred and I feel like a ditz.[/QUOTE]...

Sorry you are having such a bad time with the drugs you need to keep you functional as you heal up. These are the exact side effects I had when I was started on Neurontin. At first I was on oxycontin as well, and I thought it was from that but when they switched me to Codeine the draggy,blurry vision, ditzy feeling remained so I'd say for me, it was the gaba. Now I guess my body has adjusted as the draggy is not near as bad but the ditzy and forgetfulness is still here with me. I'll take it tho' coz as with you it beats the peewadoodle out of the nerve pain.

Hope you heal quickly.

[Cindylou]

Lyrica is in the same family as Neurontin, but who knows? Maybe you'll have better luck with it. If you could give it another week or so, as Alison said, side effects begin to taper off and you may find you are benefitting from it more than not. Your call of course.

[MaddySpondy]

Yeah, I think I'll stick with the Neurontin for a few more weeks. After talking with my nurse, I'll decreasefrom 900-600 mg to see if that helps a bit without that terrible pain coming back. I see my surgeon next week for my first post-op appt., so I'll run Lyrica by him.

I can handle looking drunk, if that excruciating pain doesn't come back.

My biggest problem in recovery is a few days before I went under the knife, I read an article about this guy who got a fusion surgery (minimally invasive, not mine), who walked 1 mile his first night home from the hospital. He climbed mt. everest 3 months later. I had all these dreams of a really quick recovery like his. That's was I get for basing dreams of recovery on basically an advertisement for the hospital/surgery group.

Thanks for bringing me back to reality!

[KBear]

Yeah, I think I'll stick with the Neurontin for a few more weeks. After talking with my nurse, I'll decreasefrom 900-600 mg to see if that helps a bit without that terrible pain coming back. I see my surgeon next week for my first post-op appt., so I'll run Lyrica by him.

I can handle looking drunk, if that excruciating pain doesn't come back.

That is a really large dose, so it is going to take time to adjust to it. I was on 300 mg and that was after having it doubled 3 years into it. I noticed when they first doubled it, I took the Lyrica and a Cymbalta at the same time and it made me messed up. I couldn't talk, walk and just slept for 8 hours to finally feel better. It was an awful feeling, to feel out of control of your own body; but it did disappear with time.

My biggest problem in recovery is a few days before I went under the knife, I read an article about this guy who got a fusion surgery (minimally invasive, not mine), who walked 1 mile his first night home from the hospital. He climbed mt. everest 3 months later. I had all these dreams of a really quick recovery like his. That's was I get for basing dreams of recovery on basically an advertisement for the hospital/surgery group.

Thanks for bringing me back to reality!

I had the same thoughts about my surgery. I thought I'm young (turned 29 less than 2 weeks before surgery) and I'm going to be back to life so quick. WRONG. I didn't even walk the first day, I was in so much pain, I flat out refused (and I'm a really compliant person, so that was unusual for me). I felt better after surgery, but still not great. It took a good 9 months before I started feeling really good and started weaning off medication. Also, don't wean too quickly, because I did and then I ended up laying around because I hurt so much without the meds, which I think prolonged my healing.