Brynn?

[flowerpower]

Has anyone heard from Brynn? Just wondering how she's doing.

Renee

[Suzy]

Hi Renee,

I heard from Brynn on July 6th. She had been unable to keep food down and was weak. She was going to go to the Dr. for blood and urine tests to see what was up. I have not heard from her since. I sent a note asking how she was doing just a few days ago, I will post when I hear from her. She said it was still tough to sit at the computer that was why she hasn't been on. Lets all send her good thoughts and hope she gets this behind her soon.

[Shari]

Thank you Suzy,

Thanks for keeping us informed on her recovery!!! I lost 40 lbs after my surgery, so I hope that she is having the same problem as me. I was in so much pain and heavily medicated and lost all appetite. I had to force myself to eat. I hope that's her only problem!!!

She will be in my thoughts and prayers!!!

Shari

[brynnski]

Hello, everyone!

I hadn't been on the Forum for quite awhile so today I logged on and there was a message about me! So I'll update you. This is a good time to do it because finally I'm feeling pretty good. I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel.

About a month after I returned home from the hospital I developed a sensitivity to both the pain meds and the Senna I was taking for constipation and I was very nauseated almost every day, even throwing up many days. I felt weak, isolated and not up to communicating much. Friends still came over to bring me dinners and to visit, but often I didn't even feel like having company. I finally went to see my PCP for the first time and he discovered something else. He took my blood pressure and discovered that it was off the charts. It also was very unstable, fluctuating by over 20 or more points within minutes. He had taken me off my medication I used to use (I've had mild to moderate hypertension for a few years) and put me on a milder one in the hospital because it was low there. So now I'm back on my old one plus the other one. It is still fluctuating but it is lower than it was. He tells me not to worry for now. My body has been through a lot and it is just reacting. The good news is that for the past 2 weeks or so I have really started feeling a lot better. My pain from my surgery is now quite minimal so I've been cutting back on my pain meds (slowly). My strength is coming back more each day. I'm no longer nauseated (but I'm trying alternatives to Senna). I have started driving to my local shopping center and it feels fine! I even went to a wedding yesterday and lasted 3 1/2 hours!

It's been 2 1/2 months since my surgery and now I finally feel very positive about it. I am not aware of the hardware and it isn't very painful at all. When I was shopping last week (one of my first excursions into town by myself) I got a severe muscle spasm between my shoulder blades, above my fusion. I have suffered from this since I was a teen, and had chronic pain from it before my surgery. We were hoping that it was related to my back being crooked and off balance, and that it'd go away after my surgery but it looks like it won't. It hurts much more than my surgical pain and is still with me. I plan to start an exercise program that targets this area when I start physical therapy. I've tried everything else. But I'm keeping my spirits up. My back looks very straight and is healing well now. Hooray! According to my PCP I've gained only an inch, which is great since I was 5'8 1/2" before my surgery. I had been 5'9 1/2" until about 4 years ago and now I am again.

I've lost weight but I don't really know how much since I don't know how much my rods weigh. Does anyone know about this? I have gained a bit back since my appetite keeps improving, and I like being thin so it's fine.

Thanks for asking about me!

Brynn

[Shari]

Hi Brynn,

It's so great to see you on this forum and doing so well after your rough time!!! If you are out and about at only 2 1/2 months after your previous problems, I think you're doing just wonderful!!!

My fusion is from T-1 to L-5 and I was told my hardware weighed about 1 pound.

I'm so proud of you for being able to what you can do right now!!! Keep it up!!!

Shari

[brynnski]

Thanks, Shari! Yesterday I actually drove myself to a movie and sat through it, for nearly 3 hours. I was wearing my brace, of course, and the seats were very comfortable. But that is real progress, at 2 1/2 months!

Take care,
Brynn