[kelly from ontario]

Hi Everyone
i have been on before asking advise.had severe back pain 2 yrs,unable to sit or stand in one spot.was on lots of narcotics etc.
was given Dr Zeegers name.researched and found out he was an excellent international spinal surgeon.contacted Mark and he helped me to get in contact with Dr Zeegers and the Betaklinik.flew to germany in may.had adr surgery L5S1 may 18th.woke up with no back pain BUT and was unable to feel the down the back of my legs-from waist to feet,no bladder or bowel function.scared++.Dr Zeegers and Dr Yung took me back to surgery to evacuate epidural hematoma(blood clot on spinal cord).the fluid causing compression of nerves.It is very important to have the surgery in the first 24 hours and we were in that time frame.
when i woke up i was still in same situation but Drs explained that this was considered a spinal cord injury and could take months to heal.i was like a stroke payient,i had to learn to walk again(.i had pre op physio and used to walk 6 days/week so i had good muscles at front of legs ).I was kept at betaklinik x 2 weeks and flew home with a catheter in place .dr zeegers and the doctors and staff of the Betaklinik treated me very well.Mark was also in touch with me and very supportive.I went to rehab at the local hospital for 2 weeks on my return home.
it has been almost 6 months and i can walk with no assistance,can drive my car,can walk on my heels and on my toes a bit but my left ankle is very weak and numb.i still have no feeling from lower waist at the back to back of my knees,decreased sensation in calves,no feeling left ankle and only feel 1/3 of bottoms of my feet(heels totally numb),baby toe and next either numb or hypersensitive.going to physio once or twice a week and my legs and feet are hypersensitive .nerves heal at a very slow rate so patience is a virtue..I have to self catheterize every 3-4 hours and must wear an attends for bowels.
i was not prepared for this complication(cauda equina) and i wont lie,i cried for the first 3 days,then decided to get up and do what i could.i still have the odd day where i need a good cry but i do have to be thankfull that i am no longer in constant pain,can sit and stand,can WALK!!!the doctors believe this could take up to 2 years for the nerves to regenerate and i have my fingers crossed and am hoping for the best because im not able to think of the permanent possibility at this point.i have no hard feelings or place any blame.i wanted to tell my story because it is a post op complication that everyone needs to be aware of.
i will say that Mark has always been there with any advise or just supportive words and i thank him for that.dr zeegers has not been very available to me since my return but i realize he is busy and his mother has been ill.I am a young 49 and was hoping to go back to work but that is on hold at this point.i recieve disability pension and am on neurontin (3000 mg /daily)and cymbalta(30 mg/daily) and tramadol. NO NARCOTICS!.when i feel down,i think back to day 1 when i had to be turned in bed,and 2 nurses to walk me.I always try to stay positive and continue to see life with a sense of humor.will keep you posted!!!