Loss of sensation from waist down

[laurenlee25]

HI everyone,

Does anyone out there have a loss of sensation from the waist down post surgery...and if so how long was it before you began walking again??

Any replies would be greatly appreciated!

[Todd]

yep, left side, chest down.

I can walk, just a loss of sensation. very strange feeling but i'm functional. 3 years post op. no change. I did get sensation back on the bottom of my right foot, so, I am still holding out hope.

[m1ta]

I remember waking from my surgery, still drowsy from the anaesthetic, not being able to feel anything from the waist down. I couldn't feel my legs moving at all.

9 months later I would say I have about 30% sensation in my right leg and 70% in my left leg.

It took me about 3 months to walk resonably well.

[Narnold]

Did either of you have a burning sensation post op. as well? If you did, did it subside after a period of time?

[m1ta]

I have burning in my right leg. It's improved a little since surgery, but not a massive amount. It's been 9 months since my surgery.

[funnywalk]

Yes, lost sensation in left leg and foot, but can move below waist. Surgery was 4 weeks ago, tumor could not be removed. Surgeon says it could be 3 months before I know how much sensory nerves will return. Learning to walk again is possible, though strange! Good luck.

[itsallgood]

I had numb spots on my legs, but for the most part, I could feel. I also had numb butt for months. I never felt burning sensations post-op. Strangely enough, for about 3-4 years. I experienced hypersensitivity which was incredibly painful. Today, I still puzzle nurses when they do the knee-jerk test. Nothing happens



As for walking...they had me stand-up by the 2nd or 3rd day post-op. On the 6th day, PT had me do the fire-exit stairs... it was maybe 4 steps. I used a walker for a several weeks, then moved to crutches a few months and transitioned to leaning on the shoulders of family by the winter of 2002. I was very slow walking and the healing took another 1.5-2 years to get my speed back to my former self. Driving a car took about 6 months and was very painful on my back due to bumps in the road, weight shifting, etc.

[jasonohio]

I have lost a lot of feeling from the waist down. I can barely feel my feet at all. It was an adjustment at first, but walking is not much of a problem. I just go extra-slow over uneven ground, and there are little things like walking over bleachers which is really hard.

As I have mentioned in ther posts, I spent about a year post-surgery being pretty sedentary. And then I got off my butt and started exercising as much as I could. My sensation hasn't really improved, but being in good physical shape - as well as building up some muscle strength - has made a world of difference, and has helped a lot to compensate for the lost sensation.

[Narnold]

Jason,

thanks for sharing. Have you also dealt with a buring sensation/electricfying feeling in your legs throuhout the first year?

Thanks,
Nicole

[jasonohio]

Nicole, I have all kinds of crazy feelings in my legs to this day. I don't have a burning sensation, but I do have "electric zingers" and a pretty much constant feeling of dull shaking/trembling. I have just grown used to it and it really doesn't bother me any more. Jason