Back op update

[pippaandben]

I have been sent a copy letter from the surgeon to my GP. Apparently I have/had multilevel canal stenosis, scoliosis of the spine, and had surgery to undertake multilevel decompression and fixation. The drop foot I have been left with following surgery he is blaming on having an element of diabetic neuropathy and stocking type neuropathy. He seems dismissive of the fact that I "feel the left foot is weaker than before surgery".

Before surgery I could move my angle joint to lift my toes , had completely normal feeling in my foot and ankle joint and knew if my toes were bent under my foot. Now the top of my foot including upper part of toes are numb. I catch my toes and stumble and fall regularly and have to wear a velcro splint to try and give some elevation. I am due to go to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in November to see if I am a suitable candidate for electrical stimulation pack. Before surgery I was just numb fat the front of my leg from below knee to above ankle and have read that foot drop is a common side effect after spinal surgery.

I know he is a brilliant surgeon (repairing shattered spines and enabling people to walk etc) and he said at the time that the op was more complicated than he had expected from the MRI scan and I suppose I should be grateful that I am not paralysed BUT....!!!! I had thought that diabetic neuropathy was painful - like neuralgia whereas I am just numb and it seems to take time for the message to get through if I stub my toes or drop something on them. Sorry for ranting a little but I will never forget the panic I felt in recovery when I could not move my foot and toes at all and he seems to be so dismissive.

 

[grovesy]

Sorry to hear this!

 

[Northerner]

Sorry to hear this Is there any possibility that things might improve in time? As I understand it, diabetic neuropathy can manifest itself in both ways - either as sharp pain or numbness/loss of sensation. The numbness that some people experience is the reason why they say it's important to check our feet regularly in case we have an injury we didn't feel. He might just be choosing to blame diabetes from the sound of things, but perhaps things will improve as you heal? I hope so {{{HUGS}}}

 

[mikeyB]

He's an experienced surgeon, so I should imagine he knows what he's talking about. I seriously doubt he would just "choose to blame diabetes". You'll probably have EMG studies (that's where they stick electrodes on you and look at nerve conduction speeds) as part of your assessment, so you'll probably get the answer then. You could ask them. Hope everything goes well for you.