on Dec 15 i had a 10 wk followup with dr lenke; xrays were taken and he said things were as well as could be expected; said i could workout with weights and i could stretch, just to take it real easy at the beginning and stop if i begin to feel any pain
on the plus side:
1. i'm completely free of any of the preop pain i had in my buttock and legs;
2. i can stand and walk indefinitely;
3. i've regained some of the energy i had lost;
4. was able to wean off the pain meds (not pleasant)
remaining:
1. just very slight residual tenderness and numbness in the surgical area;
2. one thing worse after surg was a little weakness in my left quad, most noticeable when trying to walk up stairs, improved maybe 80% so far, can go up stairs without holding on the a banister now but takes some extra effort
3. just once in a while i feel a very slight ache at what would seem to be the top of the rod on the right side but not a problem at this point
my perspective on the surgery has changed some since my post about 3 weeks postop; i view it as an overall positive experience; the pain was soon forgotten but i was deeply touched by the many kindnesses and concerns shown me and these i will not soon forget
there is one thing i would do differently if i could do it again; the first night in the hospital i was left in significant pain and i don't think i recovered from this until after i was home; it is a well known principle of pain management that you don't let pain get out of control as it can be very difficult to catch up; mine was never caught up with, consequently i never could get any real sleep leading, i believe, to the 2 days of delirium i had, extending my hospital stay a few days; if i had to do it again, i would SCREAM BLOODY MURDER until i had sufficient pain relief to sleep (and then be as sweet and gentle as a lamb). Sucking it up was a big mistake. And as for that horse manure 1 - 10 pain scale, there are only two answers to ever give: 0 or 10, i.e. either you want more or you don't. If you think telling them 7, 8, or 9 will necessarily get you some more help, well it didn't for me.
on the plus side:
1. i'm completely free of any of the preop pain i had in my buttock and legs;
2. i can stand and walk indefinitely;
3. i've regained some of the energy i had lost;
4. was able to wean off the pain meds (not pleasant)
remaining:
1. just very slight residual tenderness and numbness in the surgical area;
2. one thing worse after surg was a little weakness in my left quad, most noticeable when trying to walk up stairs, improved maybe 80% so far, can go up stairs without holding on the a banister now but takes some extra effort
3. just once in a while i feel a very slight ache at what would seem to be the top of the rod on the right side but not a problem at this point
my perspective on the surgery has changed some since my post about 3 weeks postop; i view it as an overall positive experience; the pain was soon forgotten but i was deeply touched by the many kindnesses and concerns shown me and these i will not soon forget
there is one thing i would do differently if i could do it again; the first night in the hospital i was left in significant pain and i don't think i recovered from this until after i was home; it is a well known principle of pain management that you don't let pain get out of control as it can be very difficult to catch up; mine was never caught up with, consequently i never could get any real sleep leading, i believe, to the 2 days of delirium i had, extending my hospital stay a few days; if i had to do it again, i would SCREAM BLOODY MURDER until i had sufficient pain relief to sleep (and then be as sweet and gentle as a lamb). Sucking it up was a big mistake. And as for that horse manure 1 - 10 pain scale, there are only two answers to ever give: 0 or 10, i.e. either you want more or you don't. If you think telling them 7, 8, or 9 will necessarily get you some more help, well it didn't for me.
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