Upcoming surgery and severe back pain

Hi there. Just wondering if anyone went into a surgery with severe back pain? and if they did, what happened? I have chronic back pain, due to a bulging disc and arthritis in my back and take pain pill for it. This past week I had been to a chiropractor that was filling in for my regular chiropractor that was on vacation and this other one pushed on my bad disc because he said it was necessary to put my hip (reason I went~~much pain thought left hip was out) back in place)~~anyhow~~that was Monday, the 10th.

After not feeling any relief (go figure), I called my PCP the following morning before work, and he gave me a steriod shot in the low back on the left side. I had an epidural 3 weeks earlier from a pain management physician that had not worked. Besides, the shot, he prescribed an anti-inflammitory (nsaid) along with a pain patch. I still have not felt much relief.

I am going to start my 2-week pre-op diet on Tues., and have my pre-op visit with the surgeon on Thurs. and see what he suggests about going through with the surgery on Tues. July 2nd, or postponing it a month later. I am praying that we can do it now because it has all worked out with my job and the time off and everything with the insurance and all that stuff. I know I can still take the pain medication, I know I will not be able to the NSAIDs after surgery, but I could take aleve, which is good. I have had back pain for over 20 years although it keeps getting worse. I have even been thinner and the pain has been as bad as this. Today was the first day that my son did everything for me as far as loading the washer, dryer, going to the store and picking up the heavy items and taking them to and from the car. I did not lift them once. That was a big relief! He knew there was a big problem this week (he came home from band camp while I was at work) when he saw the pain patches on the table in the bag!

So, now he knows he is the only one in the house who can do all the stuff that I can no longer do. I hate to say that. I start to cry every time because it makes me feel like sometimes I am worthless, even though I am not! I hate feeling helpless, let's put it that way! I can hardly move and do some things on my own with my back feeling like this!

I'm sorry you are in so much discomfort. Be advised that Aleve is also an NSAID. You will not be able to take that after RNY either. Perhaps your Dr. will give VSG some thought. Please tell him how dependant you are to NSAIDs for pain relief.
Take care

My post was a bit misleading. I am not dependent on nsaids. I just thinking that aleve was not one of them (so my mother told me) and I was going to use that after surgery. I don't use it now. All I use now is pain pills prescribed by my physician. And the pain patches he just prescribed to me. I really have never taken pills in my life, except for this past year beginning in December when I found out I was prediabetic, and had GERD, and then in Jan, began to see the NUT and taking vitamins and then more medication for other problems such as depression and several other things.

But sorry if that post was misleading. I do not take any current NSAIDS at the moment. At the beginning of last week I took an anti-inflammitory for a few days (which is an NSAID) but is the same one that made me sick to my stomach from a few years back so my PCP told me to discontinue that and not to worry about any anti-inflammitory.

Thanks for the information, though. And, I could not have VSG because of my GERD. My pain pill is Narco 5/325 and it has the acetamenonphin in it so that will work. the generic for that is the vicodin 5/325.

As the previous person mentioned, Aleve is the brand name for Naproxen which is an NSAID, so you won't be able to take it post-op.  If you rely on NSAIDs to help deal with your back pain, you may want to seriously rethink having RNY.  The only anti-inflammatories that are safe are steroids (which have some downsides of their own of taken too frequently) and pain medications are limited to Tylenol and prescription meds (since aspirin is also an NSAID).  If your back pain will not be helped by losing weight (the arthritis in my knees didn't improve by losing weight), you will have a lifetime of issues with getting pain relief and should strongly consider this aspect of RNY.

I seriously underestimated how difficult it would be to live without NSAIDs for the arthritis in my knees.  If I had known, it might have tipped my decision making process to the DS (the sleeve wasn't available 6 years ago). There is still the risk of ulcers from NSAIDs with the sleeve and the DS, but because they remove the remnant stomach there is not that risk (and treating ulcers in the blind remnant stomach of a RNYer is a bigger issue than treating an ulcer in the pouch and the primary reason NSAIDs are so strongly discouraged).

Lora

I want to thank you so much for your advice. I do not rely on NSAIDS. I was going to take them after surgery only because my mom said they were not NSAIDS. This is one reason I posted up here. I also wanted to replies. I just looked it up after I saw you all reply and I see that Aleve is an Nsaid. Thank you for that information. I have not taken that in a long time. The only pills I take now on a daily basis are my vitamins and supplements and regular pills day and night. And them my pain pills ( Narco 5/325 and they acetamenophin in them). I could not have the sleeve due to my GERD. I already found that out with my first meeting with the surgeon back in January, because I had asked about that first. I will still give him all the information about my back from last week and see what he think and see if he thinks I will be able to handle the surgery. I will be considered a lightweight when I do have surgery. At my last meeting, June 3, I weighed 248 and at 5'4" my BMI stands at 42.6. With my 2 week pre-op diet to go, I could still lose another 8 lbs and get down to 240 and end up 41.2. Who knows? Only God knows what happens on the other side of the bench so I just need to quit worrying and let him handle this whole process, He has so far!

Thanks for all your advice, and encouragement to us newbies! It sure is a big help!

Connie

Aleve is an NSAID!  Please take a moment to educate yourself about NSAIDS.  The only OTC pain reliever that is not an NSAIDS is Tylenol (or generic Tylenol).

Also, make sure you check with your surgeon before using any more NSAIDS, including Aleve, prior to your surgery.  They often advise being off NSAIDS for a week or two before surgery, because taking them close to surgery can increase the risk of excessive bleeding.

Well, thank you all for the advice. I have not taken any aleve for years. My mother told me to start taken it after my surgery and I did not look up any information on it. I take pain pills (prescribed~Narco5/325) on a daily basis and that steriod shot was just to help relieve that pain from that the chiropractor when he pushed on that bulging disc. I do not get those on a regular basis. I have just begun in this last week to take the pain pills on a regular basis because my PCP got a bit upset with me since he knows that I do not like to take them because he "knows" that I only use them when I abolutely need them and this time I waited entirely too long, so now he wants me to take them around the cloc****il this pain subsides and then on a daily basis at least two a day until no pain, then down to one, then completely off, then when have slight pain, go back to one a day, then work back up to two a day when pain goes up and so on so I don't have to get to this point again. He said this is why I have pain pills in the first place. I am one of those "I just can still do things by myself" kind of people" "I don't need any pain pills" "I will be okay" kind of people and I am just fooling my own self. The pain patch that I am on is Lidcoderm and I know that is not nsaid but is an anestetic.

I know I cannot have the sleeve because of my GERD and I am on two medications a day for that now. They said that if I had the sleeve, it would make it worse. I had bile come up once in the middle of the night and it felt worse than strep throat! I had to take a concoction called "Green Goddess" prescribed by my doctor and it was nasty and numbed up my throat and my mouth for a good time! Anyhow, thanks for the advice, and I am going to talk to the doctor about all of my medications on Thursday at the pre-op visit and see what he has to say and tell him about this flare-up with the back pain. They do know about the chronic back pain though, and that I do not take anything for it except for the pain medication.

Once again, thank you all for the advice! It is always greatly appreciated!

Connie

My insurance did not cover the Sleeve either at the time I had surgery.  It was right on the edge for many insurance companies to cover the Sleeve.  As the posters above mention, Aleve is also an NSAID and I too would strongly recommend something besides the RNY if you really need the NSAIDS.  All the damage that is done prior to the surgery on joints and discs will not improve with weight loss.  It will help not carrying any more weight to cause further damage, but again once the damage is done it's done.  I have no regrets with RNY but I truly miss my Advil.  I rely upon prescription pain medications and that gets old REAL fast.    Jane

Do NOT get adjustments for a bulging disc. I did that and my disk wound up blowing 14 millimeters into my spine. I didn't get any relief from epidurals until several weeks after the third one. It might take a while, just hang in there.

I have already had surgery on my lower back and neck and I suffer every night from pain in my right buttock. I had surgery 2 weeks ago and I did experience back pain on the left side in the region om my " new stomach". I however could control the pain with paracetamol, which I was prescribed.

I would suggest that you discuss this with your surgeon and if he approves the surgery, mention it to the theatre staff before you get operated on. They can then try to be extra careful with you.

I hope you get approval.

Chuse
Elana