Laparotomy: Nerve damage

Hey folks. For those of you who had a laparotomy, have you had any lingering nerve damage? I actually lost the ability to move my left leg out to in for a long time. It still feels weak. I was also very numb on the left groin area and while I regained some feeling, I still can't feel hot/cold temperatures in certain spots and the skin around pubic bone area is always sore. I believe this was all due to the fact they had to scrape away from my pelvic wall what they thought was a tumor but it ended up being fatty tissue. It's been 4 months since surgery for me.

Comments

  • Nellasing
    Nellasing Member Posts: 528 Member
    oh dear bluesmama,

    That sounds awful and I am so sorry to hear it!  I sure hope they will be able to figure out something to help you.  Are they listening to you and giving you any helpful information?  4 months still isn't that long- takes so long to heal things completely.   (((HUGS)))

  • bluesmama
    bluesmama Member Posts: 125 Member
    edited February 2017 #3
    They sent a bunch of

    They sent a bunch of neurologists when I was in the hospital recovering from surgery. They couldn't really diagnose the problem but now that I think about it I think they had said that there are some therapies available to help with nerve damage. Something that involved releasing the nerves in some manner. I guess I can mention it to my surgeon during my follow up in May. I realized 4 months isn't that long when I typed it out! :)

  • rcdeman
    rcdeman Member Posts: 263 Member
    edited February 2017 #4
    So sorry to hear you're

    So sorry to hear you're having nerve damage issues! My mom still has nerve damage on her right thigh near the hip. The surgeon says this happens sometimes when something was "nicked" during surgery. She sometimes feels painful shocks that come spontaneously, but it doesn't seem as debilitating as your problem. I've been making her take Vit B 100 Complex and various other things to help her repair (hopefully) quicker.

    If neurologists can't help, I actually think you might want to check out alternative treatments like PT or acupuncture. Could possibly help.

  • Northwoodsgirl
    Northwoodsgirl Member Posts: 571
    Laparotomy or “open” approach nerve damage And

    Just reading this old post. I also experience a weakness in my ability to move my left leg out to the side when laying on my back. So both abduction and aduction. Also I experienced a tight feeling in my left groin-almost like they sutured something together too tightly. A few years after my surgery I finally sought out a diagnosis for this from a physiatrist. He thought I had some ligament band that was too tight or slipping. I ended up starting doing Pilates using the Reformer through Lifetime Fitness club. It did improve I think due to strengthening other muscles. However, it has been 9 years and it still isn’t back to pre-surgery normal. Another note is that I woke up on the surgery table, still intubated and had a burning sensation in my left groin. I knew enough not to move my hand to touch my groin but I did take my left hand out from under the surgical drape and pointed to my left groin and moaned through the intubation tube down my throat. The next thing I heard was someone saying...”give her...”And the next thing I remember was the surgical lamp over the table faded as I closed my eyes. When I told my gyn-onc about it she didn’t say anything of course. Usually the nurse anesthetist and the anasthesiologist aren’t always in the room at the same time very often. I probably metabolized the anesthesia faster than expected. Haha!