limitations a year after surgery?

[caliber]

What limitations do you have a year after surgery? Never to lift more than 15 pounds again? How does one move, go to the grocery store? Please share your no limitations or limitations with me as I try to make a difficult decision of surgery or no surgery. Tell me what has happened to you within the year or after the year you had surgery. I am to be fused C7 to L1 . I have a 50 degrees kyphosis.

[LindaRacine]

I have a page on my website that you might find helpful:

http://www.scoliosislinks.com/PostSurgActivities.htm

[JenniferG]

A very helpful list!

[titaniumed]

Linda

I have not seen this chart. Wow, it explains some things.Of course I have noticed the column for adults fused to the sacrum which includes me.

Right off the bat, Sitting for me was a tough thing after surgery, I mean like 3 minutes max. I didn't have to ask my surgeon,my body would tell me what I could do. It was about 2 weeks before I could sit more than 10 minutes. 4 weeks for 20 minutes. 8weeks for 30 minutes.

Loading the dishwasher they have 6 months indicated. I remember that being an issue that forced me to squat immediately.

Running. Never. Not that I go and run everywhere! LOL I can run alright if I have to. 300 feet max sprint.

Skiing and Motorcycling. I suspected and already knew that a crash was out of the question. I will ask why those long screws were driven into my pelvis at my 1 yr check coming up here next month. Due to my history with extreme sports, I'm wondering if that decision was based on an assumption that I might go and try something wild again? I look at everyone's x-rays and I haven't seen any long pelvic screws like mine. Have you or anyone ever seen screws like that?
Am I the only one?

Being athletic and young at heart is really testing me here lately. I sold 3 motorcycles and surrendered my plates on my 4 wheel drive to keep me from storm skiing and a little safer. I will never stop thinking about this. Powder skiing is heaven.

Sorry for unloading.Thanks for the link

Good news for Horseback riders anyway, its called an impact jacket. For $395, not a bad idea.

http://www.impactjackets.com/operations.html

Regards
Ed

[Pooka1]

Good news for Horseback riders anyway, its called an impact jacket. For $395, not a bad idea.

http://www.impactjackets.com/operations.html

Interesting product but I suspect that more people injure their back from poor technique, especially at sit trot, than get injured falling off or even being thrown. And the only solution to poor technique is hundreds and hundreds of quality lessons and thousands and thousands of wet saddle blankets. It's why they say it takes two life times to learn to ride well and it only being a very mild exaggeration.

Dressage is the most intrinsically difficult thing I have ever attempted. It is more difficulty for me than staying in a marriage long-term, getting a doctorate, raising happy kids COMBINED. Those things are pieces of cake compared to dressage.

[debbei]

At my 6 or 7 week checkup, Dr. Neuwirth said that short of downhill skiing or any other contact sport, I was free to do anything. After that is when I started to drive. I do go to the grocery store, but don't carry the bags back into the house. That's what teenagers are for!

I'm about 2.5 months post op now, and I've been doing laundry for over a month now. I find my grabber very handy to pick up stuff off the laundry room floor. I have the teenage boys drag the clothes up and down the stairs.

I've been loading/unloading the dishwasher since about 1 month post op. Even when my parents were staying with mme, I couldn't just lay around here and do nothing, so I found ways to do things differently. I'm sure you will too.

[titaniumed]

Sharon

I remember riding in Golden,Co back in 1981. It was English saddle on a good horse indoors. Lessons for an hour, and very slight knee squeezes. Of course I had coaching from the side and had total control over this horse. It was amazing. I had him dealing cards!

Now Nevada has horses. I rode about 15 yrs ago western and the pelvic tilt and the bouncing was a little too much for me. I was really twisted down low pre-surgery and the pain was incredible. So I have been afraid of the pain and have neglected to just go and talk to them for hours. Kinda like a Mr Ed thing. Anybody remember that show?

Anyway, since I'm doing so well, It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get involved in riding since I love horses. Of course we would have to have a mutual understanding first. If that horse doesn't do comedy, or deal cards, I'm not getting on him.

I think that the air bag needs to expand to about 10 feet dia and be really soft! Like a Macys day parade balloon!
Something with some bounce to it, to absorb the shock. I guess that's not a good idea, if a car hit me I would fly quite some distance.

Oh well
Ed

[JenniferG]

Do you squat or bend to unload the dishwasher, Debbe?

I am going to be fused to the sacrum and the only things I am hoping to eventually be able to do are kayaking and play with my grandkids. Gardening would be nice too. Notice I'm not excited about doing housework, but I guess that should be on my list too.

I am prepared to give up a year if necessary but if I'm able/allowed to do any of those sooner, I'll be very happy.

[debbei]

Jennifer,

I squat to load/unload the dishwasher. Housework isn't on my top priority list either--again--that's what teenagers are for!! LOL I think once I go back to work and finances are a little better, I'll get a cleaning lady once per week, which I haven't had in 5 years.

[Pooka1]

Kinda like a Mr Ed thing. Anybody remember that show?

I remember that show. You and I are about the same age. I understand they put peanut butter on that horse's roof of the mouth to make him move his mouth like he was talking.

My horse Pete and I have an effective non-verbal communication going. He gives me the "look" that says, "If I'm so damn good, where the heck is my treat?" So I'm having to give him a carrot quite a bit. Just being able to move the worldwide price of carrots a little is about the right level of treating for Pete.

Anyway, since I'm doing so well, It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get involved in riding since I love horses. Of course we would have to have a mutual understanding first. If that horse doesn't do comedy, or deal cards, I'm not getting on him.

I think that the air bag needs to expand to about 10 feet dia and be really soft! Like a Macys day parade balloon!
Something with some bounce to it, to absorb the shock. I guess that's not a good idea, if a car hit me I would fly quite some distance.

Oh well
Ed

Those are good thoughts.

Some more ideas would include getting lessons on a draft cross or other horse that is known to have very smooth gaits. Horse differ greatly in this regard. Some are moving sofas where you have to expend energy to fall off and others have so much suspension that you better have abs of steel to sit that (and enough Polygrip if you have dentures). The ones with suspension and great gaits are highly prized by good riders and command extra money. Amateurs tend to prefer the smoother horses.

Good luck. I hope you post pictures if you ride!

sharon

[vndy]

I am a year post op, and cleared to do anything and everything. My doctor said nothing is off-limits. I traveled for the first time 2 months post-op, jet-skiied (slowly) about 6 months post-op. To be honest, the thing that was the hardest was dancing, until about 10 months post-op, because after not moving normally for so long, I was stiff and awkward! I'm going to go skiing for the first time post-op on Thursday

Good luck.

[LynnMarie74]

excellent info!

I have a page on my website that you might find helpful:

http://www.scoliosislinks.com/PostSurgActivities.htm

Linda...you were holding out on me! LOL Kidding! Really tho, this was very helpful. Answered a bunch of my lingering questions......this is the best web site ever!!! My husband is actually getting jealous of my time spent on here!! Thanks to everyone who has helped thus far!!!

[titaniumed]

Mr Ed

People probably think "Where does Ed get his ideas?" Well folks, I grew up watching 1960 television!

Sharon, It was a little more than just peanut butter you know!

Mr Ed has permission to slide into home plate!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVm-HwAkVp8

[Pooka1]

Should have checked the peanut butter theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Ed

The peanut butter legend

It is often said the crew was able to get Mister Ed to move his mouth by applying peanut butter to his gums in order for him to try to remove it by moving his lips. However, Alan Young admitted in 2004 that he had started that story himself, and explaining the actual method used.[6] Alan Young, in an interview 7 April 2007 on radio station 3AW, Melbourne, Australia, again admitted that a loose piece of Nylon was inserted under Mr. Ed's lip which the horse attempted to remove on his trainers cue. Mr. Ed was so well trained that the insert would be ignored until the required cue.

Careful examination of Mister Ed footage shows indisputable evidence that the "marionette theory" (i.e., Ed's handler pulled strings to make him talk) was at work at least some of the time. Excerpts exist from a few episodes where the lighting and camera angle reveal a visible nylon "bit" being pulled for each word Ed spoke.[citation needed] Alan Young denied this occurred in the radio interview mentioned in the above paragraph. Some may claim a nylon bit was needed in order to have Ed turn his head or perform some other movement without his trainer having to be in the camera shot, but the evidence is clear that the bit was also used when Ed was standing still and merely had to talk. Young finally admitted during his interview for the Archive of American Television that a string was pulled to make Ed talk, noting that "this is for the Archive, right?" before explaining that he'd used the peanut butter fable for years in radio interviews instead of telling the truth.

[fierceliketiger]

Titaniumed, I have super long screws in my pelvis too...I am exactly 4 weeks out from the last surgery, so I still have 2 more weeks until my check up. I will ask too, as to why they used them. Maybe it is because of age. I am 23, and was pretty active before, so maybe they did think we were going to go nuts after the surgery. haha.