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  • Need someone to help!!!!

    I just had surgery on may 11. I'm 24 years old. They did a fusion from t3 to L5 and a bone graft with the rods. I have never even had a tooth pulled so this is totally tramatic to me. all these new things are happening, i feel numbing and tingleing around my waist and shoulders and thighs, really agervating kinds feeling. Does anyone know what i mean? And i have no appetite at all, and i wake up at 5am so stiff and hurt so bad all i do is cry and try to walk it off .....i'm loosing my mind i feel depressed is that normal? Someone tell me they have gone through this before and help me please!
    Tara Ward

  • #2
    Hello,
    I am 26 and i had my surgery on the 29th. I couldn't eat either but eventually your desire for food will come back. My roomate in the hospital was 70 plus. She was eating everything in sight and we had just had the same surgery! Boy did i feel like a punk after i saw her clearing the plates. Anyway, all i could eat was canned fruit. I tried to be one for adventure and ate 5 string beans. Those beans came back up. Just take it slow. Drink and try to hold down crackers. It took me quite a while before i was ready to eat anything other than chicken noodle soup. Your body will let you know when its ready for more. As for the tingling call your doctor or doctor's nurse. I have called mine quite often. If you feel tingling you should definately give them a call. I say that cause tingling and numbness seems to be the only thing that causes my nurse any consern. I have felt just a little bit of everything. I felt like i had marbles in my back for a long time and i wanted an exray for everything so that i could see for myself that all of my screws were in place. My nurse assured me that it was my tissues reconnecting and to keep taking my meds. She also perscribed some muscle relaxers. They help me sleep really well. Your body will be feeling all sorts of things especially when its trying to heal. Calling the doctor's nurse will put you at ease. As for depression, it seems like this is a never ending situation but it will end. In the hospital i had to keep telling myself i will get better and this will be a memory just to stay sane. Within three weeks post op i could feel myself getting stronger and now that hospital and most of the pain is a memory. Just remember to take it easy and find something to keep you occupied. I am just now begining to feel the bordom but keep your head up.

    feel free to email me i'm just sitting around the house like you waiting to get back into living. And watching everyone have summer fun through my windows.

    joyleeshaw@hotmail.com

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    • #3
      Taraward,

      I just had A/P surgery with fusion from T2-the sacrum. My suregery was on april 8 and april 12. I have a lot of posts on this website under Just had surgery. I to had and still have a lot of tingling and numbness. It's all part of the recovery process. I Have an incision in the belly area, right hip (bone graft site), right rib cage, and the back from the neck to the buttocks. My appetite is coming back. I ate mainly instant oatmeal and toast and first. Take your pain meds regularly. The muscle relaxers that I have say to take on anempty stomch. They work better that way. Please excuse my errors in typing and spelling as it is getting time for my meds so the pain is coming back a little bit. Theresa
      Theresa

      April 8 & 12, 2004 - Anterior/Posterior surgery 15 hours & 7 hours
      Thorasic - 79 degree down to 22
      Lumbar - 44 degree down to 18
      Fused T2 to sacrum
      June 2, 2005 - Pedicle subtraction osteotomy @L3 7 hours
      MAY 21, 2007 - Pedicle subtraction osteotomy @ L2, extended the fusion to S2 and added pelvic instrumentation 9 hours

      FUSED T2 - SACRUM 2

      Comment


      • #4
        Dear Taraward,

        I had many surgeries (not back surgeries) and I can tell you for sure that the pain meds side effects are depression...and once you know this you can understand that the feelings you are going thru are normal....they suck but they are normal...also try to eat or drink a balance diet b/c you need those vitimans to help with your fusion. To everyone that just had surgery I hope that we can give support together....
        I trying to imagine myself coming home from the hosital and walking up a huge flight of stairs( we have a victorian home and the stairs are steeper than normal) should I have the local first aid carry me up with a strecher? God this whole thing is frightening..but necessary...
        CONNIE


        Surgery June 28th 2004
        fused T4 -L3
        Hip graft
        Grown 1 1/2 inches
        25/o upper T 15/o
        53/o T 15/o
        37/o L 6/o
        Dr. Micheal Nuewirth
        New York City

        August 6, 2004
        Pulmonary Embolism
        complication from surgery

        January 2007 currently
        increasing pain at the T4/5
        point irratation heardwear

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        • #5
          Thank you all of you for comforting me through this, i felt like i had no one and that no one knew what i was feeling and going through. Today i had my first follow up visit at the doctor, he sais all is healing well and that i can go to the pool...anything is better than staying in the apartment another day doing absolutely nothing day in and day out. I swear i am getting so bored. The tingeling is still there but not as bad today. I have a pain in my lower back though on the part that was not fused, kinda by my tail bone. Is this because that part of my spine is being over-compensated? Also is it normal for your shoulder blades to cramp up? is it from all the walking cause that seems to be when it does it the most. I will check back on all of you tomorrow and see how your all doing. I hope you all have a wonderful day, we'll get through this. Must stay positive...remember that. -Tara
          Tara Ward

          Comment


          • #6
            Connie

            Connie, about the strecher thing.....ummm i really didnt have much of a problem with the stairs and i have stairs cause i live on the 2nd floor of my apartment so i have to go up and down them all the time to do my walking, the people at the hospital will teach you how to go up stairs when your there after the surgery before you go home. just have some friends or family with you when you go up them for the first time ok to be safe. Other than that you'll do just fine.
            Tara Ward

            Comment


            • #7
              Tara, I have the same pain in the tail bone area and the cramping in the shoulders. I was assuming the same things you were. Evverything and I mean everything has been shifted around so much in my case. There are days when it's not as bad, then the days that I do more there is more swelling and pain. Hang in there! My doctor has stressed to allow at least 3 months before you start to feel good. Theresa
              Theresa

              April 8 & 12, 2004 - Anterior/Posterior surgery 15 hours & 7 hours
              Thorasic - 79 degree down to 22
              Lumbar - 44 degree down to 18
              Fused T2 to sacrum
              June 2, 2005 - Pedicle subtraction osteotomy @L3 7 hours
              MAY 21, 2007 - Pedicle subtraction osteotomy @ L2, extended the fusion to S2 and added pelvic instrumentation 9 hours

              FUSED T2 - SACRUM 2

              Comment


              • #8
                Dear Tara,

                Keep hanging in there! I, too, had all the symptoms you're having and am getting better. (And ditto to all the comments before mine.) Like my doctor told me: this operation is very traumatic to the body and you will feel lots of odd sensations during recovery, that affect you mentally & emotionally as well. The appetite thing affected me as well and I lost 20 pounds but, that too, is coming back. Try to drink Ensure, Boost, or milkshakes to give yourself the protein needed for healing. I've also taken meds for depression for years and had to temporary increase the dosage. And don't hesitate to talk to your doctor or nurse about what you're experiencing.

                Good luck!
                ~d

                Comment


                • #9
                  tired today.....

                  Well today i just feel run down. My tail bone is achey still and for some reasion my back hurts exceptionally bad today so i guess this is a down day for me, yesterday was a up day...I hate this rollercoaster. Good thing about today was i actully got some sleep, like 12 hours straight, wierd. I started taking a lot of vitamins like calcium, and iron, vitamin C, B12, and a multi-vitamin (centrum) today. It is what i was taking before the surgery to get me all "pumped up" so i call it. Do any of you disagree if i should be taking all this again like i was? Also i want to know if when any of you were healing (the incision down the spine) did u put vitamin E on it? I have been and it seems to make it heal a lot faster, but now like in some spots the scabs are falling off and now it seems like i have a big 'hole' where it used to be. (Guys, I know this sounds gross-lol) but should i be worried about this? Also Have any of you felt a wierd sensation around your abdomin? like around your belly button? -----
                  Tara Ward

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I was puttiing a scar cream and body butter on my scars. It seemed to help the itching from the healing and the scabs fell off pretty easy. I also have strang sensations in the belly area. I assume it's from when they worked in the rib area and had to pull the sides open. Probablly also from when they worked on the back. It seems like my tailbone hurts the day after that I've been up having a good day. I kind of expect it now and just take the following day easy. Alot of reclining in the recliner and laying down in bed watching videos. I'm just down being able to concentrate enough to start reading books again. I don't know about the vitamins, I would call your doctor on that just in case they interfer with any of your meds. Take one day at a time.
                    Theresa
                    Theresa

                    April 8 & 12, 2004 - Anterior/Posterior surgery 15 hours & 7 hours
                    Thorasic - 79 degree down to 22
                    Lumbar - 44 degree down to 18
                    Fused T2 to sacrum
                    June 2, 2005 - Pedicle subtraction osteotomy @L3 7 hours
                    MAY 21, 2007 - Pedicle subtraction osteotomy @ L2, extended the fusion to S2 and added pelvic instrumentation 9 hours

                    FUSED T2 - SACRUM 2

                    Comment

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