Life Returns to Normal

[Confusedmom]

Hi guys,

I'm just 2 weeks post op today. And, yes, I DID enjoy my first shower!

Doreen, I have that small hump, right at the top of my hardware. About where a crewneck shirt line would fall. I am thinking I must have some mild kyphosis above that, which makes it appear more prominent. Ironically, the only other place I can feel the hardware is the very bottom--right by my tailbone. I joked with my husband that maybe I should gain 20 lbs, so these little things wouldn't be noticeable.

Karen, I do so like the idea of feeling normal again. I know it will be a while, but I am okay with that.

Question: How long were you able to sit up early in your recovery. I'm getting into pretty bad pain by 15 min. I seem to be able to lie down and walk almost indefinitely, but sitting is a real pain in the a@&. Literally. Is that normal? Thanks!

Evelyn

[scooter950]

I'm going back to my surgeon in April, hopefully to discuss surgery - i will probably schedule it for Nov timeframe, like when I did my cervical spine in 2011. It's a relatively "slow" time at work ... As for neck humps: I have a posterior neck hump- I hate it, I think it's from the C spine fusing - so the Cspine no longer rotates, but the thoracic spine does rotate- so the junction sticks out. Very un-attractive but my hair is shoulder length, and I keep it that length because: #1 - I feel it hides the shoulder disparity and #2- now it hides the neck hump. HA! who am I kidding? LOL

[golfnut]

Janet,
I had to chuckle when I read that a book has occasionally hit you in the face when you fall asleep. It's happened to me several times as well. I had better stick with paperback books.

[jrnyc]

so happy for you guys doing so well...
Janet...the image of you sitting on the floor and tipping over had me giggling...and i am not
even a giggler!!
i kinda figurd none of you would be slouching ever again...
are you guys what servicemen might call "ramrod straight"??
Karen..sounds like you have a new, straighter "normal"

jess...& Sparky

[Doodles]

Karen--Yes, hard back novels can be deadly.

Jess--The image is bad! That keeps me out of yoga classes and in zumba.

[Doreen1]

Hi guys,

I'm just 2 weeks post op today. And, yes, I DID enjoy my first shower!

Doreen, I have that small hump, right at the top of my hardware. About where a crewneck shirt line would fall. I am thinking I must have some mild kyphosis above that, which makes it appear more prominent. Ironically, the only other place I can feel the hardware is the very bottom--right by my tailbone. I joked with my husband that maybe I should gain 20 lbs, so these little things wouldn't be noticeable.

Karen, I do so like the idea of feeling normal again. I know it will be a while, but I am okay with that.

Question: How long were you able to sit up early in your recovery. I'm getting into pretty bad pain by 15 min. I seem to be able to lie down and walk almost indefinitely, but sitting is a real pain in the a@&. Literally. Is that normal? Thanks!

Evelyn

How wonderful... your first shower!! :-) Sitting early in my recovery was very painful and 15 min was about my limit for a few weeks. I believe it is normal. Things got better with each passing week and now I can sit through a 2.5 hour movie comfortably as long as I am in the straight back chair.

Warmly,
Doreen

[Doreen1]

so happy for you guys doing so well...
Janet...the image of you sitting on the floor and tipping over had me giggling...and i am not
even a giggler!!
i kinda figurd none of you would be slouching ever again...
are you guys what servicemen might call "ramrod straight"??
Karen..sounds like you have a new, straighter "normal"

jess...& Sparky

Hi Jess,

Someone just recently asked me how long will I be ramrod straight. My response, "Forever," with a big smile on my face. :-D

[golfnut]

Evelyn,
I couldn't sit comfortably for very long during the first month or so. I think that's why I walked so much! I also seemed to find relief in laying on my back and taking afternoon naps.

[nanlo]

Hi All,
So happy and excited for you, Karen and Doreen, and all who have a new life post surgery. I am extremely happy with my results too, especially knowing that my future looks much brighter than if I had not had surgery.
Karen, what's a non-union? Inquiring minds want to know! Or do they?

[golfnut]

Nancy,
I thought that a non-union was the same as pseudarthrosis which can result in rods breaking which I have read about in the "Revision Section". This is the definition that I just found:

"Nonunion is permanent failure of healing following a broken bone.

Nonunion is a serious complication of a fracture and may occur when the fracture moves too much, has a poor blood supply or gets infected. Patients who smoke have a higher incidence of nonunion. The normal process of bone healing is interrupted or stalled. In some cases a pseudo-joint (pseudarthrosis) develops between the two fragments with cartilage formation and a joint cavity. More commonly the tissue between the ununited fragments is scar tissue.

Since the process of bone healing is quite variable, a nonunion may go on to heal without intervention in a very few cases. In general, if a nonunion is still evident at 6 months post injury it will remain unhealed without specific treatment, usually orthopedic surgery. A non-union which does go on to heal is called a delayed union."

[nanlo]

thank you, Karen!

[djkinkead]

Hi Everyone,

I am now seven months post surgery.

In answer to the books hitting you in the face as you fall asleep, the answer is iPAD! :-) Pretty light weight, but I guess the edges are a bit sharper than a book's. :-)

To Jamie's question about slouching--you don't slouch. You can't. I am finding in the past couple months I am getting more flexible. I can now empty the lower part of the dishwasher--couldn't reach it the first three or four months. Picking something off the floor would have turned into a Laurel and Hardy moment with the chance of hurting myself. Love those grabbers....still use them occasionally.

I still have a bit of a rib hump on the right side and I find there are chairs that I simply cannot sit back against without discomfort within about five minutes. Some chairs are okay. Ergonomic (sp?) chairs are totally out for me now--with the spine being held in place by the rods and screws, there is no "give" so I can't sit back.

To this day I have a nice soft pillow on the back of my office chair. It helps me sit up straighter and its nice and soft so I am comfortable. I still have to get up and walk around for a short period of time about every hour, but you should do that even without any surgery. It's good for you!

I also found that for a while some of my brain cells were sluggish...it worried me a bit, but now at seven months post surgery, I seem to be getting back to what I consider my normal sense of intelligence and memory.

For taking a bath, I purchased a bath pillow set with foam in them....its the only way I can lean back and soak a bit.

Sorry for the rambling....just wanted to relay life at seven months post surgery.

[golfnut]

Where did you find the bath pillow? That sounds good to me. I have an Ipad but it was a couple of years old. I know the newer ones are lighter. I am planning to get a reader of some kind mainly because I can't find a decent nightlight for reading that doesn't bother my husband. I've bought some clip on lights but haven't really found a good one.

[golfnut]

I forgot to congratulate you on being 7 months post-op. It sounds like you are doing really well!

[djkinkead]

The pillow I bought looks like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Better-Sleep-I...218228&sr=8-30

I found my at Bed Bath and Beyond, don't see it online though through their store.

It doesn't always behave itself and the suction cups don't always hold--but actually if you google bath pillows there are LOTS of designs. I know I can't sit and relax in a tub without that to lean against.

What's nice about the iPad and reading at night is the screen is lit up--so you can probably read away while husband snoozes. Or you can go whole hog, get some nice Bose headphones and watch movies/tv shows on the iPad as well. I love the iPad. The newest IPad has better resolution. Not sure how important that is.

The only caveat I am finding is being able to walk super long distances--I pretty much am done in after two miles.

Otherwise I think the recoop is going pretty well.

One thing funny--everyone talks about the stomach kind of sticking out more after surgery. Yep, I have the same problem--and it's right at the same level where my ID badge hangs from the lanyard--so as I walk it starts bouncing off my stomach...very annoying. I have to hold my badge in front of me so it doesn't go in to full swing of beating me while I walk. :-)