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No news is good news... Has anyone worn high heels after recovery?

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  • No news is good news... Has anyone worn high heels after recovery?

    Hi everyone! I am at 5 months. Not much to report as I have been pretty much sedentary (read in bed, watch tv, go for walks) and no matter how little I eat I am still about 8 lbs heavier than when I went into surgery.

    The best thing ever is purchasing a little bidet hose that can easily attach to the hose that goes to the fill the water tank in the toilet. The hose has a small spray and it is wonderful for those of us who cannot bend and reach adequately. Yes, it is cold water but somehow it does not matter to our private parts.

    I go to St Louis for my apptm on May 13th and flying out the next day.

    I am a fanatic of high stilleto heels (have them in boxes for past 20 years). Does anyone been able to wear a little heel after fusion? I have a wedding to attend in September and not going wearing flats, flipflops, nor old ladies shoes.

    Hope everyone is well. Not much to complain, started driving at 4 months and all is well except storing and retrieving the walker. It is hard to walk here in the desert in San Felipe, Baja, Mexico.
    Gardenia
    Baja California, Mexico & El Centro, Ca
    pre-surgery 75° and 89° - post ?
    Dr. Bridwell Nov 27, 2012 @Barnes Jewish @62yrs
    T11 to Sacrum Dural leak at L2 & L3 ccmail4g@gmail.com

  • #2
    Hi Gardenia,

    5 months already and it sounds like you're doing great. Glad you're persevering with the walks, without them your weight would be harder to control. Maybe try a walk in the morning and a walk in the afternoon? Is it hot or cold in the desert of San Felipe?

    Regarding high heels. I'm not a fan, though I wore them years ago. I also don't like old lady shoes so I do occasionally wear a low heel, which can look ok. But mostly I wear thongs which you call flip flops and in Winter, socks! Going out in Winter I wear my low heeled (or flat) boots. We live in a very casual place, a beachy holiday town so there's not much call for stilettos here.
    Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
    Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
    T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
    Osteotomies and Laminectomies
    Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

    Comment


    • #3
      I personally don't wear heels but I have read many posts over the years of people wearing pretty high heels with success. People may vary on how well they can do...
      71 and plugging along... but having some problems
      2007 52° w/ severe lumbar stenosis & L2L3 lateral listhesis (side shift)
      5/4/07 posterior fusion T2-L4 w/ laminectomies and osteotomies @L2L3, L3L4
      Dr. Kim Hammerberg, Rush Univ. Medical Center in Chicago

      Corrected to 15°
      CMT (type 2) DX in 2014, progressing
      10/2018 x-rays - spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 - Dr. DeWald is monitoring

      Click to view my pics: pics of scoli x-rays digital x-rays, and pics of me

      Comment


      • #4
        yacpatty

        Hi Gardenia,

        So glad you posted. I have wondered how you have been. I am now 4 months post. The longest distance I have been able to walk is 1.25 miles and then I get the nerve pain and have to rest until the nerve pain dies down. I know that will always be the same for me. Because I still have issues in the sacral area that was not fused, I will always have nerve pain when I don't pace. Anyway, about the heels. Being short like you, I have always depended on at least a 2.5-3 inch heel when I dressed to go out and now I have found that my limit is a 2 inch heel and not a hair higher. I found some Anne Klein dressy shoes with a low heel. I am sure if I went to a wedding, I could get into a higher heel but only to stand for a very short period. I know it would aggravate my back and I would be afraid it might hurt the fusion. My 6 month checkup is May 31st. Wish I had some of your nice weather here. Spring has been exceptionally cold and I cannot wait for some high 70 and 80 degree weather. My new balance sneakers with an insert is my mainstay for shoes but with the warm weather comes my open toe shoes and sandels which have a heel around 1.5 inches. I feel so squatty in anything less.
        Be in touch.

        Patty
        1963 Fusion T4-L2 for congenital scoliosis. It was a bone graft and not instrumentation
        1989 to Present....Have had chronic pain. MRI's show severe neural foraminal stenosis L2-S1, rotational scoliosis lumbar spine over 40 degrees, compression of nerve roots L5-S1, Broad Based Herniations L4-L5, L5-S
        Surgery scheduled with Dr. Bridwell on December 11, 2012
        December 11, 2012 Had surgery with Dr. Bridwell. He fused L4-L5 with rods and screws.

        Comment


        • #5
          I would ask at your check up in May when they think you could wear heels. Does Dr. Bridwell use Janet as his physical therapist? She is really conservative, which I actually appreciate now, more than at the time when I wanted to do more than she recommended. I have no problem wearing 3-4 inch heels now, but I didn't try heels too early in my recovery.
          Karen

          Surgery-Jan. 5, 2011-Dr. Lenke
          Fusion T-4-sacrum-2 cages/5 osteotomies
          70 degree thoracolumbar corrected to 25
          Rib Hump-GONE!
          Age-60 at the time of surgery
          Now 66
          Avid Golfer & Tap Dancer
          Retired Kdgn. Teacher

          See photobucket link for:
          Video of my 1st Day of Golf Post-Op-3/02/12-Bradenton, FL
          Before and After Picture of back 1/7/11
          tap dancing picture at 10 mos. post op 11/11/11-I'm the one on the right.
          http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k630/pottoff2/

          Comment


          • #6
            Heels or no heels

            It is like part of the decoration to a wedding in Napa. I can walk in say hello to the hundreds of the parent's friends and the married couple's friends - no one I know. Switch to flip flop when sitting at the table. These are friends of my daughter when she was 12/13 and wanted to go see a concert. So, we the parents went along and had a great time together.

            i am asking only if I could do it in September not an everyday event.

            Patty - I still remember I have to take photos of my house but only several videos of the outside Sea of Cortez and the multi mountain range makes sense. It is in my to do list like so many other things.

            I am using the walker 70/30. Wondering how long will I need to use it, but there are times I know that I need the support specially after sitting which I can't find a chair comfortable enough to sit watch 2 tv shows.

            As to nerve pain: Gabapentin is the only pill I am taking for nerve ending shocks. No more Vicoden on a weekly basis and ever rarely Tylenol. I have read so many books on my Kindle that they are all fused together.

            What I need is a pair of Butts enhancements. Sitting on bones is really not comfortable. It is getting warm early this year and my husband is already preparing the non-heated pool. I like it hot. So, soon I will be able to dip my feet not body until Aug/Sept.

            Wish I had a lot of money to build a recovery center here in San Felipe and even an assisted living with all the wonderfullness of the mexican women and men.

            Hope all is well and remember there are others in worst conditions.

            I had a friend inform me of her bad news about having pancreatic cancer then 3 weeks later she is dead. It tore my heart out. We did not see each other much for the 35 years we known each other but she would send me one or two jokes a week or I to her. I keep hearing more and more people diagnosed with Cancer every day.

            Take care, laugh, and be happy.
            Gardenia
            Baja California, Mexico & El Centro, Ca
            pre-surgery 75° and 89° - post ?
            Dr. Bridwell Nov 27, 2012 @Barnes Jewish @62yrs
            T11 to Sacrum Dural leak at L2 & L3 ccmail4g@gmail.com

            Comment


            • #7
              Gardenia,

              You've got a great attitude!

              I would think you'd be fine to wear heels to a wedding in September. I wore them to a wedding at 8 months post-op. Had to go a little lower than usual, but they were probably 2.5 inches. Nice and padded inside, so that helped. I danced in them!!

              Best,
              Evelyn
              age 48
              80* thoracolumbar; 40* thoracic
              Reduced to ~16* thoracolumbar; ~0* thoracic
              Surgery 3/14/12 with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis, T4 to S1 with pelvic fixation
              Broken rods 12/1/19; scheduled for revision fusion L1-L3-4 with Dr. Lenke 2/4/2020
              Not "confused" anymore, but don't know how to change my username.

              Comment


              • #8
                I can't imagine any Spine Doc or any Physical Therapist in their right mind saying it is OK to where high heeled shoes. Sorry!
                Sally
                Diagnosed with severe lumbar scoliosis at age 65.
                Posterior Fusion L2-S1 on 12/4/2007. age 67
                Anterior Fusion L3-L4,L4-L5,L5-S1 on 12/19/2007
                Additional bone removed to decompress right side of L3-L4 & L4-L5 on 4/19/2010
                New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA
                Dr. Frank F. Rands735.photobucket.com/albums/ww360/butterflyfive/

                "In God We Trust" Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I don't know about wearing high heels but I will share my experience after surgery. For a couple months after my surgery, I had trouble walking. I figured it was just because I was healing from a major alteration to my torso. But the more time passed, the more I realized something wasn't right. I had a pelvic fixation so my hips could not adjust to my spine as I had done before surgery. Before surgery, I had no trouble walking.

                  Once I started walking, I realized the pelvic fixation caused trouble. In order to walk with the least amount of strain to my back, I started walking on tiptoes, especially on my left foot. That alleviated a lot of strain. I had my sons measure my height accurately, standing first on my left foot and then on my right foot. There is exactly 5/8" difference between the two legs. So this means I can wear a 5/8" heel on my left foot.

                  I got a 3/8" lift for my shoe and it has made a huge difference. It's just a simple flexible rubber insert that I put under the lining of my left shoe. I don't have to tiptoe anymore. But now that I've been able to walk comfortably on tiptoes after surgery, I'm thinking that a heeled shoe also may be comfortable. Even though doctors say heels are bad for the back, I can't deny that I had way less pain in my back and pelvis when I was on tiptoes than when I was walking flat footed.
                  1973 Age 15 diagnosed with scoliosis but told too old for surgery.
                  2001 age 43 told too old for surgery, did physical therapy & traction.
                  2001 to 2008 Intermittent use of home traction machine and TENS unit.
                  2009 traction no longer effective - physical therapy.
                  2011 More physical therapy. 2012 Collapsing scoliosis - MRI before surgery
                  At age 53, surgery on October 2nd, 2012 with Dr Hey
                  Fusion with titanium rods and bolts from T1 to pelvis.
                  Post op x-ray

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hi Gardenia.....when you build that assisted living home there in your beautiful part of the world, let me know. ha!! May 31 I go to see the Doc. I went shopping today, was on my feet 1.5 hours and have paid for it the rest of the day with low back tightness and some nerve pain. This is how it has turned out to be for me. Any time I spend that much time on my feet, it ends up that I spend the rest of the day on the couch trying to calm the back pain down. I can only walk 1.25 miles before getting serious back pain and nerve pain. I was hoping for better results with my surgery. SO once again my husband is disappointed we cant travel WITHOUT my transport chair. As for me, I could spend the rest of my life just being comfortable doing the little things that bring joy to me BUT I have to live with the guilt I cant travel the way my husband wants to. Trust me, I don't feel sorry for myself.....just for my husband. Millions of people have it far worse than I do. Let me know how you are doing. I had to laugh at your thinking through the heels/flip flop delimma at the wedding. We girls sure have it tough. ha!!!! kEEP IN TOUCH!!

                    Patty
                    1963 Fusion T4-L2 for congenital scoliosis. It was a bone graft and not instrumentation
                    1989 to Present....Have had chronic pain. MRI's show severe neural foraminal stenosis L2-S1, rotational scoliosis lumbar spine over 40 degrees, compression of nerve roots L5-S1, Broad Based Herniations L4-L5, L5-S
                    Surgery scheduled with Dr. Bridwell on December 11, 2012
                    December 11, 2012 Had surgery with Dr. Bridwell. He fused L4-L5 with rods and screws.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Patty,

                      You are only 4 months postop! Give yourself some time. I was still on Norco at that point, and now, at 13 months, I can be active for a whole day. I still have some problems walking fast, but everyday activities like shopping, cooking, etc. are fine. They were NOT fine at four months. It will get better.

                      Evelyn
                      age 48
                      80* thoracolumbar; 40* thoracic
                      Reduced to ~16* thoracolumbar; ~0* thoracic
                      Surgery 3/14/12 with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis, T4 to S1 with pelvic fixation
                      Broken rods 12/1/19; scheduled for revision fusion L1-L3-4 with Dr. Lenke 2/4/2020
                      Not "confused" anymore, but don't know how to change my username.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        patty,

                        I agree with Evelyn. I,too, am only four. Onths postoperative. I am only able to walk a third of a mile before my leg/hip joints start to ache. The doctor was also not able to give me a y lordosis at the bottom, so my back is very flat and I am still unable to stand up completely straight. I see it coming, but get frustrated that I am not already there. Time, we have to give our bodies time.

                        Libby

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I can wear heels...

                          I am almost 7 months post op and I can wear heels but feel more comfortable wearing wedges.
                          Best,
                          Heidi
                          Scheduled for surgery with Dr. Lenke Oct. 2012
                          53*T 71*L
                          Surgery 10/05/2012 T4-pelvis
                          Correction: looks perfect! Will find out how perfect at future appointments

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            The highest I will wear are 3 or 3.5 in heels, and I'm just fine with them. I wouldn't wear any higher heels even if I didn't have a back problem.
                            __________________________________________
                            Debbe - 50 yrs old

                            Milwalkee Brace 1976 - 79
                            Told by Dr. my curve would never progress

                            Surgery 10/15/08 in NYC by Dr. Michael Neuwirth
                            Pre-Surgury Thorasic: 66 degrees
                            Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 66 degrees

                            Post-Surgery Thorasic: 34 degrees
                            Post-Surgery Lumbar: 22 degrees

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