Pinched nerve after surgery?

When I was a kid I broke my leg and then caught the measles in the span of about two months, so I was lying in bed for quite some time. Somehow I got a pinched nerve and have had a bit of numbness in my outer right thigh when lying in certain positions in bed. Nothing major, I could usually roll over and it would go away. But since I had surgery on Friday this pain has become way, way worse and seems to have now travelled to my left thigh as well. In my right the numbness has advanced to burning and spots feeling like something sharp is stuck whenever I lay down. Today I noticed the numbness when I was just standing. I have talked to my family dr about this and he says it's from being overweight and as I lose weight it will go away. Well I'm down 10 lbs since Friday and it's gotten way, way worse!! There has to be a connection to the surgery - the way I was lying in bed? How I was moved during surgery? Has anyone else experienced this? My dr said there is nothing to do but lose weight, but if anyone else has had it did you find something to help the pain? I don't know how I'll even lay down to sleep tonight :\

Katie,


Does it burn as in hot to the touch? Swelling or redness (erythema) in the area that is numb? If so please call your Doctor or go to Emergency. If not it could be your sciatic nerve but worth getting checked since you are a few days post-op. Better safe than sorry.


Sending you healing vibes~~

No burning, hot to the touch skin, but it feels like it's burning inside. No swelling or redness at all, and my doc did rule out a blood clot since I have no other symptoms. He seems convinced it's just meralgia paraesthetica which is when the nerve in your outer thigh gets pinched, and that it will go away as I lose weight. But the speed with which it's gotten worse freaks me out and the pain is not easy to live with, especially as my abdomen is still sore from surgery too :(

Hi Katie, I have problems with my sciatic nerve and the burning is a symptom of that for me.  Even though the pain might be related to weight you have the right to feel better before enough comes off to make a difference.  My doctor sent me to a physiotherapist and gave me pain meds.  Just because you are heavier does not mean you have to suffer with the pain.  Perhaps you could go back in and ask him if physio would help until the weight comes off.  They can give you ideas on how to alleviate the pain through movement and help you find a good position to sleep in.  It might even be worth going on your own if he doesn't send you.... Hope you are feeling better soon....I know it can be very painful :(  Sometimes it helps to sleep on your side...not the one affected...with a pillow between your knees.  I also found that a heating pad makes all the difference for me when sitting and lying.

Take care, good luck with the doctor.  Hope you get some sleep!

Maybe I'll look in to going to physio, I have a friend who does it so I'm sure she could point me in the right direction. My family doc is a bit crusty and about two years past when he should probably have retired so sometimes it's easier to just go around him! I was going to call a chiropractor, never even thought physio but I'm sure that is actually a better idea as the Googling I've done says you can help it with the way you sit, lay down, as you said. Strangely enough last night was the first night I was able to lay on the afflicted side (my abdomen has been too sore to lay that way before) and the pain was a lot less! Enough that I could sleep, although I did take two Percocet as well. Strange. 

Thank you so much for the advice, I'm going to email my friend right now! Hopefully you've found relief for your sciatic nerve, I will definitely try the heating pad trick as well :) Thanks! 

I'm glad I was able to give some helpful feedback...hope things get better soon, Sue

 I am going through the exact same problem right now. It started 1 month after surgery, but would only really affect me after standing for a few hours. In the last week it began hurting in both legs after an hour and this weekend it happens immediately and also when I sit. I can't take any meds because of the sleeve surgery. I believe it is the way my weight has shifted and hope it goes away because it is getting worse FAST. Did yours go away? I don't understand how I can lose 60 pounds and hurt NOW.

The burning and pain from the numbness in my thigh has gone away, but I do still have numbness in my outer thigh - it just doesn't hurt any more. It started to lessen about two months after surgery so that there was no pain, but the general numbness hasn't gone away. Mine didn't travel to other areas and I think losing weight has helped. Weird that yours started later, and is getting worse as you loose weight! Did you ask your doc about it, just to be sure it's the same thing? No meds helped with my pain, but maybe your doc could suggest something that is compatible with the sleeve? Yikes, I hope it gets better!!

I just want to say that whenever I hear "its because of your weight" it makes me want to scream.  It is true sometimes but too often doctors use it to brush aside real concerns. It is not helpful and I think is the easy way out for them. We cannot deny we are obese and are almost "shamed" into not standing up for ourselves - and it is we who have to suffer in the meantime. Makes me really angry. Could you call your centre and ask them what they think, maybe get a second opinion? In the meantime, would it help to use pillows to take the pressure off?  I found that helped a lot with my knee injury. The nice thing in your situation is that if it is your weight then you should get relief soon. Here is a link to how to treat a pinched nerve at home: 

http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-a-Pinched-Nerve

Just ignore the part where it mentions to take NSAIDs, most of the rest might help. Take care.

I know, my doc relates everything back to my weight. And while it's true I am definitely not helped by the weight I carry, especially in my belly because it puts pressure on the tops of my thighs, not every single thing is caused by my weight! In this situation I don't disagree that my weight could be worsening the problem, but I think the way I was lying during surgery or after, or maybe the way I am lying/sitting to compensate for my incisions is what is causing this. I think I'm going to put a call in to physio centre and see what happens there. Maybe I'll email my nurse at the centre too and see what she says. Thanks for the link! I will try a few things and see if they help :)