Tearfull

I am in tears today. I actually spent 10 minutes crying in the shower. I am 3 months post op and since awakening from surgery I have had back pain. Xrays showed an extra lumbar vertebrae-thats all. i have been going to PT which I find useless. I keep telling the therapist the excercizes we do are the exact same ones I do at the gym only I use more wgt at the gym. She then puts heat on my back for 20 minutes. The exact same thing I do at home--and I have a $20 co-pay for this. I am so frustrated. I have never had chronic pain before and it is awful Even if it is only a low level-which some days it is- it gets old. Today its pretty high. I have called my primary doc and am waiting for him to call me. I am very thankful I have had this surgery ( I am down 62 lbs)and until today the back pain was just a minor glitch. I quess I am just feeling sorry for myself. Is there anyone out there with back pain from day one? Any suggestions? I did tell Dr A and he said it was from nothing he did and he left the room. From the wimp, Linnie

Linnie- My husband had a similar experience with his gastric bypass. When he awoke his right leg was numb. It was from nothing surgery related and we had all the proper tests done for blood clots. It lasted for months and then one morning he woke up and it was gone. There was reason why this happened, the only thing we could think was that it was a reaction to being put under. I don't know how much this will help, but please don't cry. It will get better with increased weight loss I'm sure. Hope your day gets better, Stacey

Hi Linnie I want to make sure I understand this... Did you said you went to see chiropractic? I know great chiropractic in Norwich which my husband goes there once monthly for his back and neck. Let me know if you need his name and phone number then I will be happy to email you this. Is that nervous pitchin your back? I am praying for you Hugs Kathy K

Hi Linnie, Sorry to hear about your problem. I had a similar problem after surgery myself. It's mostly caused by the position you were put in on the operating table. Most likely you spine has been misaligned. You should be adjusted by a chiropractor. I have degenerative disc disease and am very knowledgeable about how to deal with the spine. You should NEVER apply heat. You have many nerve endings around the spine that can get irritated very easily from just a tiny misalignment. The bones around the spinal cord flex and can shift which puts pressure on those nerve endings. They get irritated and swell. Heat will only make them swell more and cause more pain. You should be applying ice for 10-15 minutes every half hour for several hours. I find it works the most at nighttime because you reduce the swelling before going to sleep and the nerve ends have a chance to "heal" during the night. I am just curious why your PT would apply heat. This is not joint disfunction. Ask her cause it just doesn't make sense. I would say try the ice for a few days and get a chiropractor. Good luck Tee

I've generally found PT to be a waste of time for back pain. My advice- find a good chiropracter and RUN as fast as you can to see him! You'll be amazed at how quickly they can make a difference. Good luck to you!~ Lisa C

Linnie- May I ask if you still have a Gallbladder?? Maggie went through months of pain--thinking it was her back and found out it was gallstones! I am an U/S tech and classic pain from GB starts in the back...sometimes middle..lots of times right side. I think its worth a shot to get that checked out. Frequently-post ops get gall stones. Hope this helps. Joanie

I guess it was Dr. A's day to ooze compassion heh? I have read of other WLS patienst waking with sore shoulders and backs and they said it was from the position they were in while under anesthesia... I feel really bad for you...I have had a fractured verterbrae from a riding accident and even low level pain can wear one down...I was wondering if you ever considered homeopathic remedies...or acupressure..or even acupuncture as an alternative? You might want to look into a pain clinic...there are a lot of different strategies now for dealing with chronic pain...I know how hard it is to feel helpless. Your feelings are valid and you are no wimp. I hope you fain relief soon! Sher'

Hi Linnie, Please do not feel like a wimp. Take it from me who has experienced chronic back pain for about 5 years now. I have to take prescription meds for the pain because it gets very unbearable at times. I agree that if your PT is not working then you might want to go to a chiropractor but with most insurances they have a co pay too. I have been looking in to other forms of pain management but haven't found anything good yet. If you become aware of any other avenues to take please let me know and I will do the same. I will be keeping you in my prayers. Keep your chin up. ~Julie~