Piriformis release surgery, discussion and information

I hope all is coming clear now or getting close. Sorry I didn't call you back. My husband and I have our own business and I work whenever I can. So lately my time is been training or working... Anyways your number rolled off of cell. So please call me again Sat. afternoons are pretty good.

You WILL be climbing again! Know that!!!!

Kym from Big Island
Hawaii

I didn't realize subject line is so tiny...

Above post is for Julie.

I think I am feeling the percocet or just to darn tired to think straight.

Kym...again

Hey everyone,

Dr. Layzer called me back with the results from my MRN and...

POSITIVE FOR PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME ON BOTH SIDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have never, ever in my entire life been so relieved. I feel like one of those people on mystery diagnosis who FINALLY got an answer and though it's bad news it's the best news I have heard in a year. I am so freaking happy right now I am grinning ear to ear.

Dr. Layzer said that he only had the radiologist reports and had not seen the images but he said that on one side (i'm assuming my left) the nerve was compressed all the way down my butt (I think maybe to the ischial tuberosity, aka "sits bone") and the other side was compressed at the sciatic notch.

The phone call went a little something like, "Hi Julie, it's Dr. Layzer...did you get to meet with Dr. Barbaro while you were out here?" I said, "Yes, but it was more like a meet and greet appointment because we didn't have the MRN results and I guess the proof is in the pudding." And then he said, "Well, you have your pudding, you've got it on both sides." Then is was a frenzy of me saying saying thank you way too many times.

He said that Dr. Barbaro will be calling me in the next few days to discuss surgery. One note: he said that I may not be able to have both sides done at once. I told him I'd lay on my stomach for a month if that is what it takes but he wasn't sure if it would be possible. I will see what Dr. Barbaro says. More than anything, it's such a long and expensive trip I would like to get them both done at once.

Holy moley, I can't believe I finally got a diagnosis. It's real, there are PICTURES of it--from this point forward NO DOCTOR can EVER, EVER, EVER tell me that my butt pain is not coming from my butt.

I was able to get the CD of the images from my neurogram and have started a blog for anyone who is contemplating getting an MRN and seeking out the surgery. I'm going to do my best to keep up with it and kind of make it into a blog that goes through the whole journey. What I've got up right now I made this morning before I got the phone call from Layzer so it's just a few of the MRN images. I'll keep it updated. See if you can post on it, too because I haven't figured out if I can receive posts on it yet. That is, if you want to. :)

Mary, I figured you would like this too and please let me know if you want any of my images to put on your site.

My blog site is: ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** posting of web addresses is not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

Okay, that's all for now. Just wanted to give you all the news. I'm about to call every freakin' PT I have seen to tell them the results because they have all been so baffled as to what is wrong with me. I'm certain they will be happy to know that we now have actual proof that it is PS.

Holy c**p. Whew!

Take care everyone,
Julie

Julie:

Congrats! I know exactly how you feel. Sounds like you thought you were crazy (like I did) and found out that you aren't! What a relief. I know it's been a long, hard road for you and I'm so happy you found concrete evidence and now have a solution. I hope you are able to get it all done at once but if you can't, hold on to the fact that you will be fixed no matter how long it takes and it will be worth waiting to get your life back. I've never heard a happier post and wish you a smooth journey from here out. You're so young and have so much life in front of you and now you can really be hopeful about the future.

Take care,

Leesa

Julie,

I don't want to rain on your parade. But I had a piriformis release almost 3 years ago. The MD found that the piriformis was impinging on my sciatic nerve so bad it left a deep groove in the nerve, however the surgery did not change my symptoms at all. Hopefully, you will get a good outcome, some people do, but many do not.

lhuggable

lhuggable: That wasn't rain.......that was a downpour with some lightning included!!!

Julie: I had my PS surgery less than 3 WEEKS ago and am back to work and walking 20-30 minutes a day. At the risk of sounding all "Pollyanna-ish"... chin up and focus on the positive. Congratulations on your diagnosis! You've known it all along and now it's been confirmed. That's gotta be a good feeling!

Margie

lhuggable,

Your poor outcome is quite common in PS surgery. Part of the problem is, the PIriformis might itself not be the problem. There are 6-8 different problems that can cause similar pain. For example I have high hamstring tendinopathy, where the hamstring tendon is damaged,which caused sciatic nerve inflammation like PS. If I got Pirifirormis release it would not do a thing for me.

Also surgery can create scar tissue, even years later.

Also the release might not even do much if the nerve is chronically inflamed. In that case, only rest and lifestyle changes (never, ever sitting or running, in my case) will succeed.

BillT

Julie:

Chins up, butts up, everythings up!!! Stay positive.

Margie:

WOW, good for you. That's encouraging and SO wonderful to hear.

Thank you Margie and Leesa for your support. Thank you a million times over.

lhuggable, your comments are duly noted. Thankfully, I'm not a m***n and understood the risks and success/failure rates of this surgery prior to your comment.

Julie

Question to the group:
Occasionally, I have a rush of burning down my right leg to my foot, and it spreads throughout my pelvis especially when sitting. My left side where I have no pain is sometimes affected - my pelvis region, not the leg. It's almost like someone poured hot oil into my pelvis. It can go away over a couple of days and I'm back to just right buttock and hamstring pain.

I have a herniation of the L5-s1. Have any of you experienced this problem?

Thanks
Mark

Julie,

Did not mean to sound so negative, but do want you to continue to keep your eyes and ears open and question everything. Because I believe there is a whole syndrome of pelvic disorders that cause many overlapping symptoms. And, unfortunately, if it was always so straightforward as a simple piriformis muscle causing pain there would be a lot less of us on this board. Of course most MDs believe all butt and leg pain originates from the spine, and of course many people like us out there, especially those with failed back surgeries, know otherwise.

Again, I truly hope you have found the answer.

lhuggable

Julie,

Fantastic news. I have no/none/zilch/notta doubt you are relieved. You're probably like me in that you can handle dang near anything as long as you understand it. Now, you can take the next step with WAY more confidence. One step at a time. So happy for you. What a road to get here.

By the way, after reading Margie's posts, I can understand why he wants to do one side at a time. My incisions weren't nearly as long and doing both sides at one time was very tough. I also can fully understand the desire to get it over with. I mean, the heck with the money, if you have to go through surgery, it's perfectly normal to want to get it all done one time and be done with it. Margie can probably provide the best advice.

Margie, wow. You are doing great. How did I miss that progress? Way to go.

Hope all are doing well. Had a little bit of a rough day here but still worked out. Up to 7 minutes on the elliptical(did not hurt but trying to moderate), arm and shoulder workout with light weights, and then 1 mile walk with the bride and pup. LOL, I'll bet I feel that in the morning.

Your friend,

David

Julie,

I am so happy for you that you have found the diagnosis and treatment! Its a relief to finally know what's going on and what to do about it. We'll look forward to hearing the rest of your story and look forward to the day when you are able to start climbing again.

Margie, sounds like you are doing really well. Take it easy and remember one day at a time!

David, back to the gym! What a milestone! You have to be really happy with that. Keep adding a bit at a time and marvel at how well its going!

After having the radio frequency treatment last week, I'm back to being without pain. We've walked a couple of times since then without pain, so I'm back on track.

Donna

Donna and David,

I'm not setting any records with my walking pace - just going nice and easy and doing gently stretches as well. Thanks to all you trailblazers I know that I have to ease into this.

Mark,

Fortunately I've never experienced the hot oil treatment in my pelvic region. YOWSERS!!!! I've certainly had my share of burning from the butt down the whole leg and into the foot but it was more of an annoyingly 3-5 on the pain scale as opposed to the molten lava feeling that you're enjoying. Hope you get some answers soon.


Kym,

Good to hear from you again, though sorry you're having trouble. Although the fact that you're doing the ironman stuff keeps from from staying awake all night worrying about your recovery! :) Again, it's good for us all to hear that super athletes like you have your ups and downs after the surgery just like the rest of us.

Margie

Julie, so glad you have moved further along in your struggle to find an answer. I can't think of anyone on the forum who has worked harder to get some answers. Good for you. Your blog just blew me away. Yours and Lynn's story is truly one of survival and courage. Your writing is beautiful so you can add that to your list of talents. I really hope this story has a happy ending and you get the relief you deserve. Margie's success should give you lots of hope. Hang on to your optimism.


Dr. Huggable, good you are still following the forum--sorry you have not found an answer. I have to be aware both of your outcome and that of Donna, David and Margie. H'girl's struggle has also given us something to think about. Leesa is still in that recovery phase so we will just keep hoping for her. I have certainly come to understand that pelvic entrapments are more complicated than I realized when I first researched piriformis syndrome which makes making a decision for surgey a more difficult process.


Shirley