I've been hesitant to talk about my experiences after surgery because of quite a few complications, and it's hard to think about these last few years without getting teary, but since my outcome has been very good I feel the need to share. In addition I have just spent $300 getting all of my medical records and in reading them I understand things more. My surgery went very well - I have a 9 degree curve. I have a good fusion, nothing loose or poking through the skin. I was diagnosed with intractable pain a few weeks after discharge and accidentally over dosed with a fentanyl patch by a local pain control dr. I had to be readmitted to figure out a drug regimen to control the pain. I have very little memory of the 4 weeks after the surgery. I was feeling much better, got the flu and passed out hitting my night stand and reopening my incision. The local ER wouldn't touch me so Dr. Lonner had me shipped to the city to resuture my back. When 3 months went by I started PT and work simultaneously. PT worked me too hard (they never treated anyone with such a large fusion) and I ended up with piriformis syndrome and sciatic pain. I could not accelerate my car because of the pain and it became more and more painful. I stopped working because of pain and exhaustion. I found out later that I was also very anemic and my primary did not treat it. I kept researching and found a practice in NY that treated piriformis syndrome and responded very well and gradually healed completely in combination with Lyrica. By the summer of 2008 I made arrangements to go back to work and a week or two after vacation developed a fever and what I thought was piriformis irritation. Instead I had a spinal abscess and was taken by ambulance to NYU where it took 3 hours to drain and flush out the area-also yet another 6-8inch incision. I was diagnosed with MRSE (staph epidermis as opposed to aureus) My blood levels didn't return to normal as quickly as they would have liked so it was highly suggested that all my hardware be removed and in 3-4 months be replaced. I was in the hospital 14 days while the doctors tried to decide what to do with me. In the end I begged them to try strong antibiotics and at least try to see if we could avoid the surgery. Well, I'm happy to say it seems to have worked but what a nightmare. My muscles atrophied from the bedrest and I'm still getting regular blood work so I have not been pronounced healed yet. My major problem now is fatigue. Sometimes I have to leave the shopping cart in the store and go home. I have trouble sitting more than 2 hours and still take hydrocodone when we travel. Although this has been an enormous situation, my family is closer than ever and I have an incredible network of doctors taking care of me. I am going back to teaching piano in the next few weeks and walking regularly to build myself up. I usually tell this story with a lot of humor because it seems so absurd, but I have those times when I am overwhelmed. I don't regret my surgery at all or my choice of Dr. Lonner who has been so wonderful through it all. Except for this forum I have never met anyone else with a fusion and I didn't find this forum until a year and a half after my original surgery. All of you give great advice and feedback and when I was too sick to write I would read posts. I know this is long but perhaps my story can encourage those whose recoveries are not typical. My mistake was not checking the PT facilities in my area and making sure I had medical backup here at home. So thank you all for listening-it felt good to get that off my chest.
dianeh
dianeh
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