www.incontinentsupport.org

I will be having back surgery in the near future. I am wondering if anyone on this forum has had back surgery, and if it worsened your incontinence? Thanks for your thoughts.

Yes, a L3-L4-L5 fusion worsened my incontinence. It is not supposed to do that, but it did. I should emphasize that it did not cause my incontinence, only increased it. Hopefully, you will not suffer any adverse effects.

Good luck with your surgery!

--John
(double incontinent)

Back surgery can be a difficult trial; report back when you can, and good luck.

I had an L3 and an L4 laminotomy with nerve root decompression 4 years ago. That was the end of my severe back pain. The operation was done by a spinal neurosurgeon rather than an orthopedic surgeon. A fusion with external hardware was not an option for me. A recent MRI showed that the repair work still looked good but the problem had moved to L5-S1. But the pain is nowhere like before.
The one thing that didn't improve permanently was my incontinence. In my case, difficulty with fully emptying my bladder is likely related to my enlarged prostate. However the sporadic lack of signals that my bladder is full is probably spine related; that can lead to a major leak. The best to you on your surgery. Stan

I found out my back surgery will be a right L4-5,LS-S1 laminotomy foraminotomy. There are other areas that show some deterioration, but not sever enough at this time to warrant further involvement. I almost wish everything would be done at once. Maybe I'll luck out, and not have another procedure. It will be an out patient procedure unless something is noticed along the way. I asked about my incontinence issues if the would stay the same, be better, or worse. The surgeon indicated they would probably remain the same, possibly worsen. My surgery is next Wednesday the 19th. I'll keep you posted.

dp66, My best to you for the surgery and recovery.
You mentioned it would be an outpatient procedure, wow! Where do they do that?

The team here in Arizona require general anaesthesia for any back surgery.
Their concept is that if the patient is on his stomach he may not be able to maintain breathing throughout the procedure.
Is the doctor planning to just use a spinal block? I had that for a hip replacement and recovery was relatively quick and easy.
Again my best. Stan

Stan, I live in Iowa. The surgery will be done at Allen Hospital in Waterloo, IA. I will be under general anesthesia. Since my surgery will be a laminotomy rather than a laminectomy, it's not quite as invasive. These days doctors and hospitals want to get you up and moving as soon as possible. I guess I will find out how fast I will be able to get up and moving. I will keep everyone posted. Thanks for the well wishes.
Dennis

Thank you Dennis, Stan and John for sharing .
I have been trying for a very long time to be referred to a good spinal neurosurgeon and finally this week I received that referral. It has been fourteen months since I was rear ended at a stop light last March 2020. I have been in varying degrees of unrelenting back pain and my incontinence has also become severe since that traumatic impact. Like you I hope to have a definitive diagnosis and treatment soon.
I also just received an official diagnosis for PTSD by a leading Psychiatrist at a Trauma Centre that specializes in this. I will be receiving treatment and EMDR therapy before any surgery on my back is performed .
All the best on your surgery and let us know how it goes.

Paul Henry

All the best on your surgery tomorrow Dennis.
I will be thinking about you and praying it goes well.

Paul Henry

Update on my back surgery. Wednesday, I had an L4-5, L-5S1 laminotomy foraminotomy. The surgery went well with the exception of a weak area around a lamia (not sure if that's spelled right), but there are 2 fibrous bands that go from your brain and around your spine. Their function is to protect against spinal leaks. It wasn't torn, just weekend. As a precaution, they patched the area. Because of this I needed to be placed flat on my back for about 18 hours. Not much fun. A first happened to me during this overnight hospital stay. Because of my incontinence I was in a diaper. First it was one of theirs which failed. Since I was immobile, 2 young nurse changed me. Embarrassed, but what could I do. Then, one of my own diapers needed changing, another first for me. I had to help with the 2nd one, but all in all they were very professional. Later, another nurse came in to see if I needed changing. Fortunately not. The older I get, those experiences don't bother me nearly as much. But it was a first. Now, if my back will heal. Very sore, and have lots of restrictions. Thanks for reading