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  • Three weeks post-op

    Three weeks post-op as of today! Yeah! Thought I'd put a little message out there for what milestones I've hit at this point...

    Sleeping - still not sleeping through the night, because my pain med schedule has me up at 3 am every night. Besides that, I also wake up to use the bathroom and pace my house for 10 minutes or so every few hours to loosen myself up. I wake up fairly stiff still.

    Showering - I am finally able to raise my arms up enough to shampoo my own head. My showers are independent and have been for the last week or so. Shaving is something I do as little as possible , but it is possible, I just have to sit down.

    Walking - I am able to comfortably walk a little over a mile, and try to do this atleast 2 times daily, and feel better with 3 times.

    Driving - I drove for the first time two days ago. I practiced on some back roads before going on to the highway. I was amazed at how much more mobility I have in my neck than when I first got out of the hospital. We don't have freeways here in Alaska, and my route to work is pretty straightforward, so I don't feel like a hazard to other drivers.

    Work - yes, I am back at work, but only part-time. My disclaimer to that is that I have a flexible boss, a desk that raises and lowers, a desk job, and a great couch in a break room that I can go to whenever I need to.

    Pain meds - my bout with pain last week has greatly diminished, so I am trying to stay away from the oxycodone. I'm taking Vicodin and Tylenol, and it seems to be effective.

    Stamina - my energy level is definitely at its greatest earlier in the day. Yesterday, I worked for 3 hours, and went home to lay down with an ice pack. I also went to bed around 10:30 pm and woke up at 7 am, so it definitely wore me out. But I woke up feeling pretty well rested, and that is a change from a week ago. Energy is certainly something that comes and goes at this point; in the morning, I take a shower and walk, and usually need to lie down for 15-20 minutes to regain energy.

    Some people close to me think I am rushing certain things, but only I know my body, and I don't think I have done anything that I haven't been ready for. I have been totally comfortable with setting limits for myself and admitting when I am not ready for something. For myself, the sooner I have returned to doing things as I normally did them, the sooner other things have followed. My body definitely lets me know when it's time to be still or lie down, and when it's time to move, and I just try to stay in tune with that.
    31 year old female
    55* (day of surgery) thoracic curve w/compensatory lumbar
    T4-T12 on Aug 15, 2007

    MRI, pre-surgery
    Xray, 3 mos. post-op
    Machu Picchu, 8 mos. post-op

  • #2
    Wow, that's amazing. I certainly wasn't doing all that at 3 weeks post-op. I am now at 3 months post-op (today)! Yay.

    Best,
    Anya
    "You must be the change you want to see in the world."

    Previously 55 degree thoracolumbar curve
    Surgery June 5, 2007 - Dr. Clifford Tribus, University of Wisconsin Hospital
    19 degrees post-op!

    http://abhbarry.blogspot.com

    Comment


    • #3
      wow, geo!

      I can't believe how much you're doing at 3 weeks! and going in to work for 3 hours! i still can't do that! You are doing incredibly well, and I bet your doctor agreed. keep up the good work and inspiring us ! Lisa

      And Anya, congratulations for making the 3 month mark!
      Lisa age 47
      T curve 69 degrees
      L curve 40 degrees more or less - compensatory
      fused to from T-3 to sacrum
      anterior and posterior surgeries completed June 1, 2007
      pushing hard in recovery !!

      Comment


      • #4
        Hey geo! That sounds like great progress. Well done! Please keep posting on your progress--weekly if possible. I am 33 and 4 weeks away from surgery, so I am very interested in your healing trajectory as my fear mounts.
        Age 33
        40 degree diagnosed 1993; 70ish degree 2007
        Fusion to T9 to L5 October 3, 2007 with Dr. Kurt Von Rueden
        Corrected to 8 degrees

        Comment


        • #5
          You're doing great! It's so true that only you know your body and you'll know when you are doing too much! Congrats on such a great recovery thus far
          Sonia
          58*
          Surgery 6/29/07
          T3-L4

          Comment


          • #6
            Thanks for sharing, Geo. You are doing great. You had a fairly small fusion compared to what my daughter will be having. I used to always think of all spinal fusions as the same. But some are short and some are very long. That must make such a difference in recovery and in flexibility later on. Keep up the good work.
            Melissa
            From Bucks County, Pa., USA

            Mom to Matthew,19, Jessica, 17, and Nicole, 14
            Nicole had surgery with Dr. Dormans on 9/12/07 at Children's Hospital of Phila. She is fused T-2 - L-3

            Comment


            • #7
              Geo,

              Congrats on the great recovery! Please remember to listen to your body and don't push too hard. I'd hate to see you have a set back.

              Melissa,

              I agree with you that the length of fusion does have an affect on flexibility, but not necessarily on recovery time. Jamie's fusion was very long, and her recovery was quicker than Geo's. She showered at 10 days (the first day she was allowed to shower), off ALL pain meds by two weeks, given permission to return to school part-time at 3 1/2 weeks (returned at about 4 1/2 weeks because she was on Christmas break) and has never slowed down since.

              I truely believe your attitude going into surgery makes a big difference in your recovery. You've said Nicole doesn't like school and if you tell her she can take as much time off school as she wants, she won't be as likely to push herself to recover. Jamie wanted to miss as little school as possible, which is why we scheduled her surgery for December so she could use her Christmas break to recover and not miss school. If you baby her, she is going to have a tougher/longer recovery regardless of the length of her fusion.

              Mary Lou
              Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

              Comment


              • #8
                That makes sense, Mary Lou. Yesterday was her first day of 8th grade and she hardly had any of her friends in her classes. I am not kidding you when she said "I can't wait for my surgery." I know she will be a stronger person after surgery. It has to be a life-changing experience.

                So far, we are all positive and really looking forward to getting this done. If you saw her back you would know why.

                We are very fortunate because she will be having 5 teachers come out for homebound and we already know that 2 of them are her actual teachers. That is really lucky. Nicole has really great teachers this year and she already said she was happy with them. Nicole loves to complain so that is good news!!!

                I am not rushing her back. I will be happy if she goes back in the middle of Nov. right before Thanksgiving.
                Melissa
                From Bucks County, Pa., USA

                Mom to Matthew,19, Jessica, 17, and Nicole, 14
                Nicole had surgery with Dr. Dormans on 9/12/07 at Children's Hospital of Phila. She is fused T-2 - L-3

                Comment


                • #9
                  Melissa,

                  I can't believe Nicole just started back to school! My girls are in their second week of school.

                  Yes, this surgery is a life-changing experience. Jamie has always been more mature than her peers and it only got worse after her surgery. When her friends would complain about breaking a finger nail, she'd just shake her head and think, gee, if only that was the worse issue I had to deal with. I found myself reassuring Jamie that once she got to High School, things would be different. I assured her she would have classes with upper classemen and therefore would be making friends with kids who were on her same maturity level and she has.

                  Remember, every child recovers at their own pace and you will know the right pace for her.

                  Mary Lou
                  Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Congratulations on a successful recovery so far, Geo! It sounds like you are doing great. I bet walking really helps. When my son has back pain, if we take a walk it usually goes away.

                    By the way, you've spoken of having your surgery in Seattle. That's where my son had his surgery as well. Dr. Ted Wagner did the surgery @ Children's Hospital & we are very happy with the results. Who did your surgery?

                    Melissa - Good luck with Nicole's surgery. I know it will go really well. It sounds like you're on the right track with timing her return to school. Alexander might have been ready sooner but I'm really glad he had almost 8 weeks to recover before school started. Today his back hurt a little after school but after a little tylenol & a walk he felt totally better. It's hard though to miss out on all the running around the kids do at school. He has to walk or sit & watch them. He's also bringing a pillow to school now so he can more comfortably lean back in his chair.

                    Mary Lou - Alexander has also always seemed more mature than his peers & his surgery has seemed to make this more obvious. He can't roughhouse or get wild at all now with his friends, no tag, etc. He seems sad about it but also so resigned & accepting of it.

                    Take care,
                    Laurie

                    Mother of Alexander & Zachary:
                    Alex is 16 years old and in the 11th grade. He has congenital scoliosis due to a hemivertebrae at T10. Wore a TLSO brace for 3 1/2 years. Pre-op curves were T45 & L65; curves post-op are approx. T31 & L34. Had a posterior spinal fusion from T8 to L3 on 7/12/07 at age 12. Doing great now in so many ways, but still working on improving posture.
                    Zach is 13 years old and very energetic.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Anya - Congrats on 3 months! I can't wait to get there. I've been keeping up with your posts, and I am glad that things are going better for you than they were....this surgery is a real butt-kicker, to say the least!

                      Lisa - thanks for all your supportive posts along the way, they mean a lot during this time.

                      shegiles - I definitely understand where you are at right now! It is really nice to have posts out there from those in similar age-ranges, so that's what I'm trying to do. I will try to post weekly, because I know how helpful that is when you are facing all of this.

                      Sonia - thank you! Hope things are still going well for you also. Are you back at work full time, and if so, how is that for you?

                      Matjesnic & Snoopy - I think there are such a multitude of factors that go into a "successful" recovery, such as type of surgery (posterior, anterior, or both), what levels are fused (selective thoracic vs. lumbar, vs. to sacrum, etc), skill of doctor, age of patient, health and fitness level pre-surgery, reaction to anesthesia/pain meds, nurses, attitude going into surgery, support group (family, friends), etc., etc. I found that for myself, I did what I could to "control" those factors that I could, and the rest was up to the surgeon that I carefully chose and trusted.

                      Laurie - Dr. Wagner was my surgeon also! I cannot say enough good things about him or his team at U. of Washington Medical Center. I am so happy with my experience there, and have sent profusely mushy cards to all those I came in contact with
                      31 year old female
                      55* (day of surgery) thoracic curve w/compensatory lumbar
                      T4-T12 on Aug 15, 2007

                      MRI, pre-surgery
                      Xray, 3 mos. post-op
                      Machu Picchu, 8 mos. post-op

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Geo:
                        Congratulations on your excellent progress! Thank you, though, for pointing out how many variables there are in anyone's recovery. I have to constantly stop myself from comparisons to others on this forum with similar circumstances who are doing better than I am in recovery. I feel that I have done and still do all the "right" things - good health, good attitude, supportive family and friends, sense of humor, strong will to get better, etcetera, plus all those other variables you mention. Yet, at 3.5 months, my recuperation is agonizingly slow. This is not an easy thing for someone who has a reputation as an energetic go-getter ("trulyaries," get it?). No amount of "wishing" is speeding it along. So I celebrate everyone else's successes, and I pass no judgment and have lots of sympathy for those who seem to be having a more difficult recovery. So those of you who are in the same boat as I am - take heart - and take comfort in all the support and info on this forum!

                        Back to business, Geo - do you have a shower seat? I still have trouble raising my arms above my head, so I have both a shower seat and a stool in my bathroom, which makes it a lot easier to manage anything "above the neck."
                        trulyaries
                        FeliciaFeliciaFelicia
                        10/24/00 posterior fusion T4-L4 at age 57
                        8/5/05 posterior surgery for spinal stenosis at L4-L5; laminectomy and fusion
                        5/14/07 posterior revision with fusion to sacrum
                        2/11/08 anterior discectomy L5-S1, and reinforcement of fusion with plate attached to L5-S1
                        3/9/2011 and 3/11/2011 revision surgery with Dr. Lenke, St. Louis - complete revision and fusion with instrumentation from T1 to sacrum, one lumbar osteotomy.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          thx geo for posting your postop details. great to here what i should expect.

                          i'll be doing a similar fusion t4-t12 soon but my congenital scoliosis is towards the left and not right like most.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Hi Geo,

                            Congratulations on your great recovery!!! Keep it up. I am so happy for you!!! I am also so amazed and slightly jealous!!!

                            Take care,
                            Shari

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              trulyaries - I don't have a shower seat in my home, but my sister's home had one, and that's where I spent the first couple of weeks post-op. I was definitely using it, too, because just taking a shower was exhausting.

                              This surgery is definitely the most difficult thing I've ever gone through physically and mentally. I hope my posts don't sound too sugar-coated, because even though certain things are coming quickly to me, I also struggle with frustration and impatience, and even depression at times. When just changing out of clothes and into pajamas causes pain and fatigue, it can really get you down. Reading posts by others helps me to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's also no guarantee of my own recovery projection. I think it's important to remember that each day is a little different, so it helps to look at things from a greater perspective, such as weekly.
                              31 year old female
                              55* (day of surgery) thoracic curve w/compensatory lumbar
                              T4-T12 on Aug 15, 2007

                              MRI, pre-surgery
                              Xray, 3 mos. post-op
                              Machu Picchu, 8 mos. post-op

                              Comment

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