Back problems post-surgery due to hydraulic table?

I recently had colon resection surgery where they removed some 14 inches. The surgery was about 7 hours and I couldn't get out of bed for 8 days. Come to find out, I have 2 bulging disks that I didn't have before. The surgeon believes that the damage was caused by the hydraulic operating table they used. Has anyone ever seen these things? They're medieval.

Greetings Jay... surprisingly, I have not yet seen one of these hydraulic tables, and likely a good idea for my medical team, that I have not, lol... though there is no humor in your post nor in your pain, those who know me probably already know the quirky side of me that is imagining some sort of wicked looking dungeon rack lol... on the serious side however, I have had, after EACH of my surgery experiences, terrible ongoing back trouble with herniated and bulging discs, as have a few of my friends... you brought up a very interesting subject I now intend to research a bit... this is not good. I am so sorry to hear you are also having such painful problems with your back and your discs... I hope you are better now???

This is very interesting indeed... I for one will be looking into this a bit deeper.

It will also be interesting to see if anyone else posts of the same problems.

Be well and take care!

DOE

Well, now that you mention it. I do have a bad backache since the surgery. I thought it was from having to lay on my back for almost 4 months and not being able to do too much since. It would be interesting to learn if there is any kind of correlation. I have no idea if anything is out of whack in my back since I try to stay away from doctors unless the pain is really, really unbearable and family members bug me to go. I don't know what kind of table I was on, but I do know the surgery was done by a robot. (Which conjures disturbing images in my mind every time I say that.)

If I find anything useful or interesting about this subject, I will share it.

So, the surgeon believes that my back injury is probably due to the hydraulic operating table with stirrups, and the precarious position that I laid in for hours. I Googled "hydraulic operating table with stirrups." The images all look pretty scary to me. All I know for certain is that my back hurts like hell.

No, really, Google it and look at some of the pictures.

I did. All I can say is, I'm glad I was totally knocked out. I have no idea what positions they had me in to do this. I do know my left boob hurt like hell for months after, which I could never figure out.

I'm pretty sure I woke up at some point in the surgery, because I get this recurring nightmare about waking up during the procedure. I only found out about the table after I had complained about the pain and the nightmares.

Jay,

I too had terrible back pain after my surgeries and 5 months in the hospital. I went to a chiropractor who I had seen in the past and a few cracks and twists later my back was as good as new. Might be worth looking into if you have not already.

Dave

When I had my large bowel removed 25 years ago, I woke up with tremendous back pain. Despite having my stomach sliced open, the only thing I complained about was my "f@cking back". (I put it that way as for the first 24 hours I don't recall much at all, but my family tells me I was constantly referring to my back in that manner and morphine in the same sentence). My understanding is that there is some arc to my body when the surgery was done, to get easier access to the stomach area. Given the weakened state of my bones (despite only being 18 years old, I had already been on high doses of prednisone for 4 years), the bending of the back for so many hours was just too much.

Pain management wasn't as good 25 years ago, post-operation, than it is now, but that said, once you leave the hospital all the good pain management options are out the window! Back to my story. I eventually got released from the hospital (I'm in Canada) and sent home with a prescription for Tylenol 3's to deal with my back pain. That was the biggest mistake. For anyone who suffers back pain, there comes a point when you will do whatever you can to get some relief from it. I would take 2 pills, wait at most an hour. If I didn't feel better, I would take 2 more and so on and so on. It reached a point that I was taking so many of the Tylenol 3's, I could no longer keep any food in my stomach. My typical meals would last in my stomach 45 minutes before I threw up.

I was and still am 6'1" tall. When all this post-surgical back pain reached its worst, I only weighed 100 lbs. I ended up back in the hospital where I spent about 6 weeks being fed through a nasal gastric tube and then a combination of that and a regular oral diet. I left prematurely, as I had a life I needed to get back to, as I was just starting university and I couldn't stay in the hospital until I reached 140 lbs, as that felt like it would take forever.

Now, 25 years later, I am a morphine addict (that sounds worse than it is, as it's prescribed hydromorphone). I take it 4 times a day to get a bit of comfort. I'm not in pain like I was after surgery, but it's just a constant discomfort that is always there and more noticeable at night. I can only get about 4 hours of restful sleep each night. In 3 days, I am going to explore some non-traditional medicine (if you can call it that). I meet with an acupuncturist to see if he can provide me with any long-term help. I am also looking at getting a TENS machine (the device that sticks electricity into you to help heal you) as well. To be honest, the only reason I am considering these items is that my extended health benefits from my employer cover them in part or whole and I am off on short-term sick leave, so time is plentiful.

Final comment: In my case, laying flat on my back (i.e. going to bed) is not my most comfortable position. I find the position you might sleep in a hospital bed (when you elevate the back of it) to be the least stressful on my back position). Often when I can't sleep or I feel a pinch in my back cutting off feeling to my limbs, I get up and go lay on the couch, with pillows behind my back, to simulate the hospital bed position. If I was single, I would likely get a hospital type of bed / Craft-o-matic style, however my girlfriend wouldn't like to sleep the same way and I do not want to have separate beds or a split bed with me up in the air and her down below. At least not now!

Sorry about the long reply. I find I get carried away here as my health seems to define my life!

After spending 6 months in the hospital with two surgeries. One to remove my perforated colon and the second to correct the blockage and (perforation again!) from the first. I had so many pains and weird sensations that have over time almost totally dissipated. I did have back issues before and still do at times so it is hard to say if anything was caused from the surgery. I had to relearn to walk 3 times through it all, but I think that that was more to do with my weakened state.

But what I REALLY wanted to share was that I have this MARVELOUS blessing of a man who is the grandson of the founder of a technique called ALPHABIOTICS. It is a manual decompression of the spine that is done in a very short amount of time during an office visit. VERY inexpensive. VERY effective. I swear by it. You may want to look into it.

His website is: http://alphabioticinfo.com/

There is a place where you can check to see if there is one in your area.

Just trying to shine a ray of hope! :))

I too am a junkie on hydro morphine. I only take it 3 times in 24 hours...that is all my doctor will prescribe. The government has cracked down on all opiates. If you have a secret as to obtaining this drug, please share it as I could surely use more.

Pain is one thing, I remember it well. I remember the morphine pump. I did not care for the frightful hallucinations. Then, after the second operation, I was on something else intravenously. I remember the rush I got. I liked it a bit too much. I couldn't wait for the next allowed dose. But then, as my time came to leave, my doctor came in and sternly told me that I had to get off the intravenous stuff so I could leave. Best thing that ever happened! I had started to have heavy-duty nausea episodes and was scared that something was going wrong with my ileostomy. Turns out that as soon as I stopped the intravenous and ALL painkiller narcotics, the nausea stopped as well! Opened my eyes. I guess I am one of the ones that can just walk away from the painkillers. Sure, I had a lot of truly weird and not so comfortable sensations for a looong time during the first year or more at home, but not enough so as to take anything. I even had some pills if necessary, but remembering the nausea, I decided no. Being alive and out of the hospital system after 6 months was enough of a "HIGH" for me. :)

A glass of wine (or champagne!) with dinner is all I do. I had soooo many drugs pumped through me in the hospitals that I am glad to say that as of just 5 months ago, I am off ALL medications! :)))))))

Only supplements for me now.

Jay... Although I haven't experienced some of the things that you are going through... I've been through a lot also... I've had my colostomy for 5 years now and I'm still learning to deal with it... Just take it day by day... I just want to tell you that I will be praying for you.

Yes! I did have back pain before and after surgery. But, it had absolutely nothing to do with my having surgery, though. However, it was because I was hooked up to so many things that were giving me medicine. Almost every time I moved my body, the back pain started. It was unbearable. So unbearable that I had to take morphine for it.