Hi everyone.. In 2012 I was chasing a suspect and jumped over a fence and when I landed I blew out my L-4 disc which exploded and shot chunks into my spinal cord. I didn't feel the pain right away but started having lower back spasms and eventually was paralyzed with pain. The next morning I ended up being taken by ambulance to an ER. They gave me morphine and discharged me. My wife then took me to another ER a few hours later. My right foot was starting to drop and they admitted me into the ER where they gave me IV Dilauded and eventually sent me home. The third day my bladder had stopped working my right leg was gone and I was eventually rushed into an MRI and then into surgeries. I had two surgeries over three days to remove bone and the disc fragments. Short story is now I have bladder/bowel issues (frequency and urgency, and diarrhea or constipation). The biggest problem is my right foot. It works now but I have lost almost all strength in the big toe and toe next to it. I have unbearable pain in the big toe with burning and sharp zapping pain. I was taking 2400mgs of Gabapentin a day and have recently been moved to 300mg's of Lyrica daily. I have pain in the bottom of both feet and got orthotics made. I where a "blue rocker" type AFO when I have to walk longer periods of time. My feet get very cold sometimes and I've been having right ankle throbbing pain which I've been getting cortisone injections to help with. Now I feel like I'm losing mobility in my ankle. I know I'm lucky and that I still have the majority of use of my bladder and it could of been worse. Does anyone else have these issues with there ankle/feet? Ive been getting ingrown toe nails more frequently as well???????
Welcome to the forum coachk, your issues are unfortunately very typical for CES..Everyone has varying degrees of issues but they go along a similar spectrum.
My ankles and feet are a big issue for me and earlier on I had terrible pain in my ankles, it felt within the bone. It settled eventually but then a different issue crops up.
Be sure that you are having specialist advice from a spinal unit in regards to anything related to Cauda Equine because I have yet to find a doctor who knows enough about this.
Are you an ex-cop? It sounds like you had a spinal cord injury with a delayed reaction. Did they do a scan of your back the first day you were there at the ER?
Hi everyone.. In 2012 I was chasing a suspect and jumped over a fence and when I landed I blew out my L-4 disc which exploded and shot chunks into my spinal cord. I didn't feel the pain right away but started having lower back spasms and eventually was paralyzed with pain. The next morning I ended up being taken by ambulance to an ER. They gave me morphine and discharged me. My wife then took me to another ER a few hours later. My right foot was starting to drop and they admitted me into the ER where they gave me IV Dilauded and eventually sent me home. The third day my bladder had stopped working my right leg was gone and I was eventually rushed into an MRI and then into surgeries. I had two surgeries over three days to remove bone and the disc fragments. Short story is now I have bladder/bowel issues (frequency and urgency, and diarrhea or constipation). The biggest problem is my right foot. It works now but I have lost almost all strength in the big toe and toe next to it. I have unbearable pain in the big toe with burning and sharp zapping pain. I was taking 2400mgs of Gabapentin a day and have recently been moved to 300mg's of Lyrica daily. I have pain in the bottom of both feet and got orthotics made. I where a "blue rocker" type AFO when I have to walk longer periods of time. My feet get very cold sometimes and I've been having right ankle throbbing pain which I've been getting cortisone injections to help with. Now I feel like I'm losing mobility in my ankle. I know I'm lucky and that I still have the majority of use of my bladder and it could of been worse. Does anyone else have these issues with there ankle/feet? Ive been getting ingrown toe nails more frequently as well???????
Same for me but L1 crushed and went into the cord. You have a spinal cord injury in the Cauda Equina and CES it sounds like?. Did they not send you to rehab as such? You should have had a period of rehab.
I have a fusion and was paralyzed immediately but I got alot of return in the weeks and months following injury. I have foot drop and paralysis in both feet so have worn AFO's for 26 years. I spent 6 weeks in an inpatient rehabilitation program.
I would be careful with the Cortisone injections because your pain is likely coming from the spine not your feet. Did they help at all? I am no doctor but have tried everything under the sun to get rid of the nerve pain with little success.
If you are losing function, you need to be seen by someone at a Spinal Cord Injury Hospital not just a spine surgeon etc. I am slowly losing function but I have Adhesive Arachnoiditis which comes with a decades old Spinal Cord Injury. It has taken years to get to the point I am at. The root nerves are all bound in scar tissue and adhered to the spinal column and it's called a tethered cord. It happens over time because a build up of scar tissue. So my bowel/bladder and lower extremities are changing progressively. The only thing is untethering surgery and I have elected to put that off because there is only a 50% chance of improvement.
Please see someone at a spinal cord injury hospital and surgeon familiar with spinal cord injury so you can maintain the function that you have.
cesdavid, that was really quick! Do they know what the possible cause was?
Hi DJ, the direct cause was a central disc prolapse. However, that was just the end of a long number of years being overweight yet still being (or more like trying to be) athletic, along with inherited weak discs (Mom retired at age 39 on disability due to degenerative disc disease). The proximate cause was an afternoon spent moving a few concrete splash pads around. That was the straw that broke this camel's back!
Everyone says their herniated disc was the largest the neurosurgeon had seen. How big is a disc to start with and how much of it was actually out of the disc space? Just curious.
The thing is chrioli,the discs that most commonly herniate are the ones that take the most weight and strain which are the L4/5. These are the largest vertebrae down the spine so therefore will accommodate the largest disc.
Some protrude more than other and some herniate more than others but many will not caused CES. The ones which are the largest are most likely to be the ones which cause Cauda Equina Syndrome.
For this reason, we may hear it more than many...Just a thought
I'm always amazed at how different each CES story is. Wondering how many cases are fast progression and how many slower? I've heard slower outcomes have slower recovery. Wondering if this is always true.
Hi everyone.. In 2012 I was chasing a suspect and jumped over a fence and when I landed I blew out my L-4 disc which exploded and shot chunks into my spinal cord. I didn't feel the pain right away but started having lower back spasms and eventually was paralyzed with pain. The next morning I ended up being taken by ambulance to an ER. They gave me morphine and discharged me. My wife then took me to another ER a few hours later. My right foot was starting to drop and they admitted me into the ER where they gave me IV Dilauded and eventually sent me home. The third day my bladder had stopped working my right leg was gone and I was eventually rushed into an MRI and then into surgeries. I had two surgeries over three days to remove bone and the disc fragments. Short story is now I have bladder/bowel issues (frequency and urgency, and diarrhea or constipation). The biggest problem is my right foot. It works now but I have lost almost all strength in the big toe and toe next to it. I have unbearable pain in the big toe with burning and sharp zapping pain. I was taking 2400mgs of Gabapentin a day and have recently been moved to 300mg's of Lyrica daily. I have pain in the bottom of both feet and got orthotics made. I where a "blue rocker" type AFO when I have to walk longer periods of time. My feet get very cold sometimes and I've been having right ankle throbbing pain which I've been getting cortisone injections to help with. Now I feel like I'm losing mobility in my ankle. I know I'm lucky and that I still have the majority of use of my bladder and it could of been worse. Does anyone else have these issues with there ankle/feet? Ive been getting ingrown toe nails more frequently as well???????
To answer your final question, yes, I'm having more ingrown toenails than ever before. In the 54 years before my CES, I did not have an ingrown that required a visit to a doctor. In the 2 1/2 years since, I'm on my 3rd one - 2 already done and 1 needing done. Strange.
Post by kilg0retr0ut on Sept 4, 2015 8:28:34 GMT -8
Same here Cesdavid, I never had a ingrown one before my injury but it seems all my toenails are trying to become ingrown. I first thought it might be my age. Knight another younger member said she had them so maybe there is a strange connection to ces. How about curled toe's? I have them on my foot with the most feeling. My other foot is slowly turning into a pancake.
Same here Cesdavid, I never had a ingrown one before my injury but it seems all my toenails are trying to become ingrown. I first thought it might be my age. Knight another younger member said she had them so maybe there is a strange connection to ces. How about curled toe's? I have them on my foot with the most feeling. My other foot is slowly turning into a pancake.
Mine are in a bit of rough shape too so it might just be a spinal cord injury thing in general!