Do's and Don'ts after surgery????

[Aussiemum]

Okay everyone, give me your 5 cents worth on this issue........

My surgeon (or staff) are driving me CRAAZZZYYY!! or I should say crazier!

Why is every surgeon so different in how they treat their post op patients???
Elysia is now 4 weeks post op and hasn't returned to school, we don't see our Surgeon until she is 7 weeks post op.
After her surgery and we were being discharged from hospital, the surgeon paid us a visit, yep everything is fine, you can go home and off he went!

We were told that the Physio would give us advice for home. When the physio came she just said, keep up the walking every day and if it hurts - don't do it. Now I have read a lot on this forum about the no bending, no lifting, no twisting - and remember that Elysia didn't have the Lumbar spine fused only Thoracic to L1.

My friend who's daughter same age had her surgery a week after Elysia - has had her daughter back to school for 1/2 days. She was also fused similar to Elysia, without the Thorocaplasty.
I decide to ring the surgeons secretary today who now tells me the surgeon prefers her to wait until he sees her, but if she wants to return to school for a little, then no backpacks, no carrying books, no sports, no bending!

That's not what the physio told us - she said if it hurts then don't do it.
What constitutes bending??? Elysia bends over the sink to brush her teeth, she bends forward over the table to do her school work. I'm confused??? She lifts the water jug to pour herself a drink, she takes bottles out of the fridge for a drink!

Okay enough rambling on - what EXACTLY is the rule for this kind of surgery. Even though it doesn't hurt, could she possibly damage something inside??
Bloody hell!!!!!! Why don't they have written hand outs to give to people on discharge to tell them exactly what you can and can't do. Just have a standard list and tick the ones applicable to each patient!!!!

Also - Elysia is still loosing weight - she was 46 kilos prior to surgery and is now down to 41.4 - she's looking very pale and very very very skinny!!!!! Do you think this is muscle tone since she's so inactive now??
She still feels 100% with only a few aches and pains so if that's an indication I shouldn't worry I suppose.

thanks everyone!
Del

[vndy]

Del,

Here's what I was told, and I was also fused to L1.

Lifting - I was cleared to lift up to 10lbs at my 2week post op appointment. A gallon of milk is also a good gauge of what's comfortable.

Bending - I was told to squat to pick things up from the floor rather than bending over. I squatted down to brush my teeth at first, and now I bend from the hips. Think about the difference between curving your back (a no-no) and bending forward, flat, from your hips.

Twisting - just dont do it.

My family was concerned that I looked pale and thin for quite awhile. I take vitamins daily and have made an effort to eat some red meat to keep my iron up. They say I look better now.. but I still think I'm pale!

Hope this helps! I know my surgeon was ambiguous too sometimes - it's clear they have never been in the patient role.

[MATJESNIC]

Del,

I understand your frustration. Each child has a unique surgery and each surgeon has his/her own opinion. But the advice above is good. No bending, lifting or twisting. Did they teach her how to log roll out of bed?

Most surgeons agree that they should only lift 5-10 pounds in the beginning.
Bending from the hips is different from bending the back.

Her body is using up all of her calories to heal her back. It may be a while before she gains. But really encourage lots of healthy foods with lots of calories. Milk shakes, peanut butter, cheese, etc. Nicole lost a lot in the beginning and finally has been able to gain some weight. It really does make them so much stronger when they can do that.

[Sherie]

Hi Del

We actually did receive an entire packet on what to expect prior and after surgery. Ditto what everyone said above. Sheena just went back for a post op visit at 3.5 months. I asked about lifting, he said use your common sense. He said if you lift something heavier then make sure you hold it close to your body. The muscles are still healing in the back and can tear easier. As far as bending, he said swimming was an excellent way to build up flexibility but I don't think Elysia would necessarily have that problem.

I've attached an activities chart from our packet.

I remember Sheena being pale at 7 weeks when she returned to school. Her blood count was low when she was discharged so I gave her iron supplements and prepared a lot of iron rich foods the first few months. It was about 2-3 months until her appetite returned to normal. She's still 6 lbs under her starting weight (if you include the hardware it's probably a little more than that).

[Aussiemum]

thanks everyone, that sheet was excellent sherie!!! I'm a real systems person when it comes to doing things around the home and office so when instructions are so nandy pandy and nothing in writing I just wonder about those poor people who can't understand English properly.

I have obviously, from all the advice on the forum, been getting Elysia to be extremely careful in whatever she does but was both frustrated by my friends daughters return to school but also felt embarrassed. I found I was asking myself am I being too overprotective? Am I making a big deal out of all of this?? My brain started taking over, what must people think when they come to visit and see Elysia sitting and walking around almost normal??

Carmel, that was interesting what you said regarding the back using up her calories to heal itself, that makes sense to me! Elysia was happy when I told her that might be happening as she considered herself fat - silly kid!

Vindy - 2 weeks post op appointment??? Can you believe we don't see our surgeon for 7 weeks!!!!! That's so long!

Anyway thanks for the help - that also makes sense about the bending from the hips as opposed to the bending of the thoracic. I had all the information there but was just tying myself up in knots wondering if I was doing the right thing by her or not!

Cheers
Del

[Mom37]

I understand your concern. My 14 year old daughter is 6 months post op and was given full clearance to do anything we approve of as her parents. We also received a page of guidelines, but our doctor told us to use our best judgement, and her body would tell her what she can do. I think each person is different, and each doctor has their own opinion. I think you are her best judge, as well as her opinions and comments to use as a guide. My daughter was encouraged to become active physically as soon as she felt ready. Swimming has been great source of excercise for just stretching out and light lap swimming to gradually get back to being active.

Sherie,

I am glad Sheena is doing well, and I hope your appointment went well.

[laurieg6]

I know how you feel. It's especially hard when your surgeon isn't readily available. We weren't given a list either and I ended up calling the orthopedic nurses at the hospital quite a few times.

Alexander had about 7 weeks of summer left after his surgery and he was very bored by the time school started. He could have gone back for at least 1/2 days maybe a week or two sooner. But I guess it was good for him to take it easy and walk several times a day. When he did return to school, we were also told no backpacks and no lifting more than 5 lbs. So I drove him to school and helped him carry all his stuff when it was too heavy for him. By about 3 months post-op, he was told he could lift everything. We weren't really told about any bending, lifting, twisting restrictions so he was bending over to tie his own shoes as soon as he could.

Alexander was also very skinny for many months. But at our last appt. which was 7 months post-op, he'd gained about 5 lbs from before the surgery. I think all the swimming is helping to build muscle and he is eating a lot again. Your daughter's surgery is so recent, I wouldn't worry about he weight or about getting her back to school yet at all. She will be back to her old self before you know it.

Take care,

[MATJESNIC]

Sherie,

How did the appt go? Thanks for sharing that activity sheet. Did you ever notice that dancing is never included on those sheets? Maybe because there are so many types of dancing. Anyway, would love to hear about your trip. Nicole's 6 month is Wed and her appt is Thursday. I thought this day would never come.

[Snoopy]

Ladies,

This topic is always so confusing to us parents. The interesting thing is, I was going through some Scoli info I have over the weekend and found a list that was given to me by another parent on this forum. This following list is what Dr. Boachie gave her in 2005 as a guide to follow after her daugher's surgery.

[U]ONE MONTH-NO BENDING!!![/U]
Driving
Lifting 0-5 lbs.
Light upper extremity exercise
School
Walking

THREE MONTHS
Bending up to 45 degrees
Bicycling
Light jogging
Recreational swimming (no diving, flips or turns)
School dances

SIX MONTHS
Bending-Full
Cross country skiing
Dancing-ballet, jazz, non-impact aerobics
Lifting 5-10 lbs.
Limited gym*

ONE YEAR
Amusements (NO ROLLERCOASTERS)
Bowling
Diving from side of pool (if depth is greater than 8 ft)
Lifting more than 10 lbs (Max 50)
Rollerblading/skateboarding
Skating-ice, roller
Sledding
Snowboarding, monoski
Snowmobiling
Tennis
Windsurfing

TWO YEARS
Competitve swimming
Contact sports*
Diving from board
Hang gliding
Horseback riding (no jumps)
Routine gym
Rollercoasters

NEVER
Bungee jumping
Gymnastics
Jumping on horseback
Motorcycling
Parachuting

*LIMITED GYM-Games, jogging, light exercise, non-competivie swimming with no diving and no flips
*NO CONTACT SPORTS-Baseball, basketball, boxing, football, hockey (field or ice), karate, lacross, soccer, tennis, volleyball

Mary Lou

[Snoopy]

Since my last reply was so long, I thought I'd break it into two. My daughter is fused from T3-L2 with NO pedicle screws. Here's some of her restrictions and how long they lasted. Sorry if they sound a little confusing.

-Surgery December 7th and returned to school 1/2 days January 3rd. Full time at 6 weeks.
-Two months post-op we were told: Still not allowed to change classes with the crowds and no riding the bus. No gym for the rest of the school year, so total of about six months. Allowed to lift 5-10 lbs.-NO MORE. We asked for how long and were told until we see the doctor again. Asked if she could go to a water park in May (5 months post-op) and the answer was NO. Can she swim-yes. Take a tub bath-yes. We were told she needed to start p.t. since she wasn't bending very far although today was the first time she was told to bend-so about 8 weeks without bending. P.T. 1-2 times per week for 6 weeks.
-Six months post-op (June) we asked if she can go bowling and were told yes. Ride our 4-wheeler-NO, when? 1 year. Run, jump-yes. When, now. Dive into the pool-NO. When? 1 year. Go to amusement park-NO When? 1 year. Ride any amusement park rides? 1 year.Take regular gym-yes, in August when returning to school (about 8 months post-op). Switch classes with everyone, be in crowds, yes, in August. Hunting, NO when? 1 year. Weight restrictions-none, use common sense.
-One year checku-up-told yes to everything she asked to do. Ride our 4-wheeler, hunt, ride all rides at amusment park, and dive into pool.

Jamie's doctor told us he was being very cautious with Jamie since she doesn't have any screws in her back. I too found it very confusing as to what she was allowed to do and wasn't allowed to do. I made it a point to talk to Jamie before every appointment to see what she wanted to do and then we made sure to specifically ask those questions. It tended to make things easier.

Mary Lou

[MATJESNIC]

Mary Lou,

Thanks so much. I really appreciate your input. Do you (or anyone else out there) have an idea of when they are allowed to do all the amazing water park rides. I am talking about all the major slides, like in Dorney Park.

[Snoopy]

Melissa,

You're welcome. Dorney Park is exactly the water park I was talking about when Jamie was 5 months post-op. She missed that trip, plus a trip to Hersheypark which she earned by being on the honor roll at least 3 marking periods.

Jamie went to Hersheypark and Dorney Park at one year post-op and didn't have any problems at all. She rode everything she wanted and still does. We never asked about the water parks, but assumed the restrictions for them were the same as any other amusement park. Remember, when you slide down a water slide, you are traveling at a good rate of speed when you hit the water at the bottom. For me, I would think that would have the same effect on the body as jumping into the pool or diving would.

If Nicole isn't allowed to go to on her trip to Dorney, it will be a sad day for her but she will survive. On the day Jamie missed going to Hersheypark, I kept her out of school and we went out to lunch and probably shopping to still make her day special.

Mary Lou

[MATJESNIC]

Mary Lou,

Nicole is going to Hersheypark with the choir in May. She will be 8 months post-op. I am going to ask if there is anything she is allowed to do there. She will go, regardless, because they are performing near there.

Dorney is where she loves to go over the summer. I wonder if there's a difference between going down on tubes vs. slides.

We have so many questions written down. We are going to go back right before she starts high school because I don't want her to have to miss right in the beginning.

[Snoopy]

Melissa,

You sound like me--I always had a ton of questions written down for every one of Jamie's appointments!

If you are going on the choir trip with Nicole let me know. We'd love to see you guys again! Send me an e-mail closer to the time of the trip and give me details.

Good luck with her appointment.

Mary Lou

[Aussiemum]

thanks Mary Lou, that was a comprehensive list! Elysia is the same as your daughter, no pedicle screws only hooks! Since we haven't seen our surgeon yet did you ever find out why that was??? I would be interested to know.

Cheers
Del