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  • #1

    Still feel weak!

    Hi everyone,
    It has been a while since I have posted- I am 2 1/2 years post op -had anterior'posterior surgery in Dec of '06. I'm not complaining-I had a good outcome for a very severe curve and I was 45 at the time of the surgery so I am pleased. But I still feel weak and tired and I wonder if this is what others feel years after surgery. I guess my lung function is not what it used to be because I still get out of breath just walking up the stairs-when I walk for exercise I have to stop several times to catch my breath. I used to have such stamina and now every task seems to just exhaust me. I have had everything checked and I'm fine- maybe this is "normal" for us post surgery patients?? I am fused T4 to sacrum so of course I can't bend at all so things are more difficult- maybe this is part of the lack of stamina. I have a small farm I try to maintain on my own and I just don't have the energy anymore to keep up. It's discouraging! Any comments? Thanks!
    Cathie
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  • #2
    Hi Cathie,

    I'm sorry that you are still feeling weak. I think anyone who has the combined posterior/anterior surgeries has some lingering aftereffects. I do have stamina and energy, BUT I don't work full-time and my life is not physically demanding.

    However, I will tell you that my lung capacity is certainly NOT the same as it was, and my singing has been negatively affected by this. I have to take a lot more breaths and no amount of practice or breathing exercises has helped beyond a certain point. Luckily my singing is just a sideline, but still, some of the fun has gone out of it. I've thought about getting a pulmonary function test but to tell you the truth I would rather not know how much function I've lost.

    Since our breathing muscles are cut, and the diaphragm is detached from the chest wall (then re-attached), and our lungs are moved around a bit, it makes sense that lung capacity would be affected by scar tissue and God knows what else. But this is something I did not know going into surgery.

    For me, it's been a trade-off, because I got such a fantastic correction and feel very confident that the best job possible was done on my back.
    Chris
    A/P fusion on June 19, 2007 at age 52; T10-L5
    Pre-op thoracolumbar curve: 70 degrees
    Post-op curve: 12 degrees
    Dr. Boachie-adjei, HSS, New York

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    • #3
      Hi Cathie,

      I agree with Chris about lungs and diaphram. I was fused T-1 to L-5. I had the A/P surgeries as well. I am just slighly over 4 yrs post-opp.

      I was 45 also. It wasn't until about 3 1/2 years post-opp, did I start to feel like I was getting as back to normal as I could. I still have bad days occassionaly,and winter sometime sucks.

      2 weeks ago I fell head over heels down a carpeted flight of stairs. When I did get up, I was brused and sore for about a week. I feel fine now!!!

      I was very depressed for a couple of years and that took the wind out of my sails. Once I finally admitted it to myself, I got some medicine, and I felt like a new person mentally at least.


      Glad to talk to you again,
      Shari

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      • #4
        Hi Cathie...

        I was 42 at the time of my surgery. I was fused T4-L3. The exhaustion that I felt was gone within a year.

        Have you had a pulmonary function test?

        Regards,
        Linda
        Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
        ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
        Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

        Comment

        • #5
          Thanks for your replies-
          No, Linda I have not had a pulmonary function test. Thought about it, and I may do that, but like you Chris I wonder if I'd rather not know. I wonder how many people my age have gone back to a really demanding job- mine is pretty hard one me. And I have an hour commute. On the weekends I can easily sleep 12 hours- and I feel that I need it. (Not being lazy!) I notice that when I am overly tired, I get out of breath even more easily. I get dizzy too-when I stoop down and then get up, etc. I used to get dizzy just walking up the stairs but that has gotten better. I wonder if this is all related to lung function?
          Cathie

          Comment

          • #6
            Cathie...

            There are many reasons why you might feel the way you do, and may have absolutely nothing to do with your surgery. Even if it's pulmonary function, there are things that can be done to improve how you feel. You should talk to your primary care doctor about this, and make him understand that you're not just a little tired, but that it's become a way of life for you.

            Hope you can figure it out.

            Regards,
            Linda
            Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
            Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

            Comment

            • #7
              Question for Linda

              Linda, do you know/can you explain how the anterior approach (with rib removal) affects pulmonary function? I know in my case the diaphragm was cut away from the chest wall and then reattached..is this the reason? My right lung was not deflated but it was nudged aside.

              This seems to be a recurring theme with anterior surgery.
              Chris
              A/P fusion on June 19, 2007 at age 52; T10-L5
              Pre-op thoracolumbar curve: 70 degrees
              Post-op curve: 12 degrees
              Dr. Boachie-adjei, HSS, New York

              Comment

              • #8
                Hi Chris...

                I really don't know. I do know that anterior surgery can have an effect on pulmonary function:

                http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

                Regards,
                Linda
                Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                Comment

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