Low Back Pain Help - Surgery in the Future

[cathleentreloar]

hi, my boyfreind Michael is going to have his L5 S1 removed and his spine lengthened, in the mean time while we are waiting for the operation is there anything he can do to be more comfortable , he is on pain killers , muscle relaxents, lyrica, and is doing his own cathader each day aswell, but still is in pain , and still wetting him self at times if he cant get to the toilet quick enough...

[Dr. Brian Panik]

going to have his L5 S1 removed and his spine lengthened

I assume you mean the disk will be removed and the spinal "fused" at this level? Diskectomy and spinal fusion are common procedures these days.

I am also assyming that you are asking for advice other than that of the traditional analgesic pain medication reccomendations?

The power of the mind is, well powerful. I would encourage him to attempt to focus on overcoming the pain if possible by engaging in mental tasks that can occupy the mind and thus distract him from the discomfort. If he has any specific interest or passion to become mentally involved and engaged with that by reading books, researching the topic of interest online or performing other mental tasks that are related to those topics which are very intellectually stimulating for him. Also the laughter "is the best medicine" cliche is not something to overlook, maybe watch a stand up comedy routine? Tell him an occasional joke?

Finally, many times Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory (NSAIDs) are frequently overlooked in favor of narcotic type of pain medicines and muscle relaxers, but they can still play an important part in some patients' therapy and as such I would encourage you to encourage him to discuss this with his physician.