Post by al79 on Aug 13, 2015 11:36:39 GMT -8
Hello everyone
My name is Al I'm 35 years old my story in a brief way is that back on August 2014 I fell down the steps in my basement and after the doctor try the pain medicine and the physical therapy he ordered an MRI on February the 20th 2015 and the results came back that I have l5 s1 disc in my back and then he referred me to the pain management doctor on April 23rd 2015 which is the one who give me epidural steroid injection in my back and then send me home.
After I went home that day I start feel numbness and burning and tingling in my feet and I start to feel numbness and weakness in my leg my butt and my gentle area also on the same day I couldn't urinate or bowls movment at all and when I asked the pain management office she told me this normal symptom for the first 24 to 48 hours after the shot.
That was the most bad two days in my life as much I've been in pain and not able to walk or go to the bathroom bcz I don't feel anything over there.
On the third day my wife took me back to the er at the same hospital where is my pain management doctor at.
After they get me inside the er they put me on morphine and then scan my bladder and they find (1100cc) of urine in there so they try 6 time to straight catheter my bladder and finally they did then the er dr show up and she told me that I have a cauda equina syndrome and that I have to have a surgery Asap,that was Sunday night so they transfer me to a different hospital and the neurosurgeon order an MRI the same night they got me their and after the MRI they said I have to have the surgery early in the morning and they did performed surgery on my back and that was a disctomy and laminectomy on 04/27/2015
So three days after I had the injections.and they discharged me from the hospital after 6 days with a fully catheter which is they kept in me for 3 weeks after the surgery then the urology doctor told me I have two solution either to keep the catheter in or sit on the toilet and push hard to empty my bladder so I choose the second solution.
Now almost 4 months after the injections and the surgery I have to use a cane or walker and I still have numbnes in my leg my butt and no sensation on the gentle area also a neuropathy in my left feet and I have to go to the bathroom every 3 hours and sit over there and push hard to be able to empty my bladder because I can't pee while I'm standing any more after the shot also my bowls movment is not normal at all because I can't feel my anus or control my poop.and my balance while I am standing or walking is not normal either.
Thanks GOD that I am still able to walk, my advice to all of you not to take the epidural steroid injection no matter what happened just my advice.
To the forum, 
. After two and a half years I'm still using a wheelchair, I can walk with a walker, but not far. I self cath and have major bowel issues. I'm not so sure that sitting on the toilet and pushing to empty your bladder is a good idea, because it's vital that you fully empty the bladder otherwise you could end up with serious kidney problems, I'm not a doctor, just sharing what I have learnt. Anyway mate stay here and you will learn a lot as there I'd tons of useful information here. 
