Just over a year check up on Wednesday

[Angelacross]

Hi Everyone I have my appointment this Weds the 29th July, it is a year since I went back work then thats why they wanted to have the appoinment now.

My op was May 21st last year, I am wondering I will of course mention it to my surgeon aswell, but I am still getting pain in my soulder blades and the middle of my back, is it still normal to get pain a year and a bit on from the op?

I havent been doing anything to make it play up I am still very careful what i do...but some days I feel like I have taken about 6 stepts back on recover as it hurts all day...

Thank you for any advice.

Angela

[titaniumed]

Hi Angela

I had minor pain and tightness at 1 year post. I find that it happens if a weather system moves into the area. My surgeon told me that it common and due to the moisture.

Let us know how your check-up goes on Wed.

Ed

[Angelacross]

hiya thank you for the reply I will guess its normal then, i will mention the pain though esp in my shoulder blades.

I will let you know how the appoinment goes tomorrow.

Angela
xx

[Angelacross]

Hiya everyone well after a long day at the hospital, my appointment was 3.30pm went in at 5.15pm I am finally home.

The bone graft has started to take in the middle, and they dont know what the pain is caused by, but they have said after another year (unless the pain gets worse) I can have all the hard ware out, anyone know what that is like and does the bone graft hold the spine ok on its own?

I am thinking about it because i have pain everyday with it, but if it calms down within the year like they are hoping it will when it fully heals, then I wont bother even if I am still getting pain once twice a week, I know there is bound to be pain, just want it to be less then what i started with...

Anyway all in all the healing has started which is one thing, I just wait now I guess...

[JenniferG]

I hope you are pleasantly surprised over the next year, Angela.

[Angelacross]

I would have liked to have seen 1 of the 3 surgeons who where in on my op, but I have heard that Mr Chan is very good anyway.

For the pain he said quite a lot of people get pain from the hardware and I shouldnt worry but if it does get worse go to my doctors and tell them to refer me to the next clinic with my surgeon, think they run them every 2 or 3 months.

I am hoping everything will carry on healing ok, he showed me my X-ray and I could see that the middle was healing ok, its the top and the bottom that havent started yet, but he said that can tak anything 18months to 2 years to fully heal, so seeing me in a year it should all be done then..

[debbei]

Hi Angela

I had minor pain and tightness at 1 year post. I find that it happens if a weather system moves into the area. My surgeon told me that it common and due to the moisture.

Let us know how your check-up goes on Wed.

Ed

We've been having TERRIBLE weather lately, summer storms like you can't believe. My back has been off and on with terrible spasms and I'm trying to figure out exactly what I did to cause it. Last night, at my final PT appointment for my shoulder, my PT said, well, look outside! (as it was a tourential downpour). SHe's mentioned it to me before, but all of a sudden, the last 2-3 weeks might make sense to me. These MAJOR severe weather systems have come in and out, and I have had horrible horrible spasms in my problem area just appear out of no where, after doing nothing I can think of to cause them. She said our bodies are 90-something percent water, and it's the pressure changes that cause the muscles to spasm, when these muscles aren't so sure of their place in our bodies anymore after the surgery.

I guess it kind of makes sense. I just wish it would stop.Where is the wether even, constand with no severe changes? Maybe I should move there.

[debbei]

Hi Everyone I have my appointment this Weds the 29th July, it is a year since I went back work then thats why they wanted to have the appoinment now.

My op was May 21st last year, I am wondering I will of course mention it to my surgeon aswell, but I am still getting pain in my soulder blades and the middle of my back, is it still normal to get pain a year and a bit on from the op?

I havent been doing anything to make it play up I am still very careful what i do...but some days I feel like I have taken about 6 stepts back on recover as it hurts all day...

Thank you for any advice.

Angela

Angela,

Do you take anything for the pain? I get the shoulder blade tightness/pain (on my left side) off and on, and believe it or not, tylenol does help it. I'm not sure how/why, but it seems to relax the muscles and stop the pain. Motrin does as well, but I try not to take it too much. I was cleared to take motrin at 9 months. When I'm having a really bad spasm, I'll take a muscle relaxant prescribed by the dr., but only before bed, or if I will be home all day because I don't want to get sleepy driving or at work.

Also, have you tried heat and/or ice? My PT recommends 15 minutes of heat, stretches and a few exercises, and then 10 minutes of ice. Not regular ice from the freezer, but those flexible cold packs that you put in your freezer and re-use. If I go straight to ice when I'm having spasms, it just tightens me up more; if I use the heat first and then the ice, it feels really good.

Good luck Angela, I hope the pain stops for you.

[Angelacross]

Hiya thank you for your replies.

debbei, I dont try to use to many pain killers if I can, I am in UK so names might be different here, I have tramadol which is prescribed to me all the time, but most of the time I have a heat wrap thing on which I got for around £20 which is great and works a treat, it is hard to keep it on the shoulder blade though, as its meant for the lower back and then wraps round you.

I am hoping when the bone graft takes up the top it will ease a bit, the weather I argee doesnt help when I was in Egypt last december with the hot weather it didnt play up once, but in the UK with rain rain and more rain, it does..