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  • #16
    Your welcome...

    I think of healing like having a kitchen knife cut. It takes a while to heal, after a month it feels better, but if you hit it with a hammer, it has a tendency to really slow the healing process down. (smiley face) I have done this!

    We all fall at some point....but you don’t want to fall now. Later is ok, only after you are healed.

    Recovery is a slow calculated balancing act.

    Skiing is similar if out of shape.....The 1st day should be short, like 2 hours, then skiing times increased slowly over a few skiing days. If I go out and ski hard with the soft tissues out of shape, I could do a lot of damage in the beginning of the season and possibly kill the whole ski season with an injury.

    Ed
    49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
    Pre surgery curves T70,L70
    ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
    Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

    Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

    My x-rays
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

    Comment


    • #17
      hi all,

      i'm almost 6 mos post-op. physical therapy was very good for me (mainly for slowing me down a bit!) but then i sort of plateaued. my therapist suggested i take a break for a while so i can get used to going back into work. it's such a long commute that each time i go in i have to recover for a couple days after.

      feeling pretty down lately that i seem to be recovering so slowly. i hope it's normal to plateau at this stage... i walk about 5 miles a day, but god forbid there are some hills in there (which is hard to avoid sometimes) because it flares up this nerve pain in my hip that shoots down my leg.

      is it normal to still have to take tylenol every day?

      thanks for listening,
      spring
      Surgery Jan 6, 2014 at 38 yrs
      Posterior Fusion T10-L4, osteotomy 1 lev.
      Pre op-Thoracolumbar Curve-50 degrees

      Comment


      • #18
        Five miles! That is amazing! I am 7 months post-op and am doing PT for the last four weeks, but there is no way I can do five miles (and I thought my healing is going great!) I am lucky to get a half a mile before the nerves flare up, but I am working full time, so that alone is exercise and constant changing of positions. Keep up the good work and don't feel down, you are progressing great!
        Tamena
        Diagnosed at age 12 with a double major curve

        Braced till age 15

        SSBOB T12-L2 Anterior age 34. (October 22,2012) Dr. Robert Gaines Jr. ( Columbia, MO)

        Revision Surgery T2-Sacrum with Pelvic Fixation Prosterior age 35 (November 13,2013) Dr. Michael Kelly (St. Louis, MO)

        Revision Surgery L4/L5 due to BMP Complication age 36 (November 20,2014) Dr. Michael Kelly (St. Louis, Mo)

        Revision Surgery due to broken rod scheduled for October 19, 2016 with Dr. Michael Kelly (St. Louis, MO)

        Comment


        • #19
          Originally posted by tae_tap View Post
          Five miles! That is amazing! I am 7 months post-op and am doing PT for the last four weeks, but there is no way I can do five miles (and I thought my healing is going great!) I am lucky to get a half a mile before the nerves flare up, but I am working full time, so that alone is exercise and constant changing of positions. Keep up the good work and don't feel down, you are progressing great!
          Tamena

          Thanks so much for the encouragement, Tamena! I should say that that's logged on a pedometer. So I can do a couple miles straight before I start hurting, but mainly I just try to get up and walk throughout the day (lots of little walks) and by the end of the day it's about 5 miles. I could not do 5 miles all at once!

          I'm glad you are healing well! Working full-time has got to be so hard. I am lucky I work from home, but once or twice a week I have to go in to work and it's almost a two-hour commute each way on the train. Icepacks help a lot.

          Good luck and keep me posted on your recovery!
          Surgery Jan 6, 2014 at 38 yrs
          Posterior Fusion T10-L4, osteotomy 1 lev.
          Pre op-Thoracolumbar Curve-50 degrees

          Comment


          • #20
            Originally posted by springchicken View Post
            hi all,

            i'm almost 6 mos post-op. physical therapy was very good for me (mainly for slowing me down a bit!) but then i sort of plateaued. my therapist suggested i take a break for a while so i can get used to going back into work. it's such a long commute that each time i go in i have to recover for a couple days after.

            feeling pretty down lately that i seem to be recovering so slowly. i hope it's normal to plateau at this stage... i walk about 5 miles a day, but god forbid there are some hills in there (which is hard to avoid sometimes) because it flares up this nerve pain in my hip that shoots down my leg.

            is it normal to still have to take tylenol every day?

            thanks for listening,
            spring
            Hi Spring,

            I think it is very common to have these plateaus along the way, which are very discouraging. Your horrendous commute is probably taking quite a toll on your energy and healing, so try to keep positive thoughts and things will continue to improve over time.

            I took tylenol every day for about two years. I also still love to lay on my heating pad in the evenings before bed.

            I improved at one year, at two years, and I had a large improvement after the two year mark, mentally as well as physically. I didn't quite realize how deathly afraid I was of suffering broken rods again. At my two year appt my surgeon told me I could do anything I wanted within reason, as long as it did not hurt, including bending, which I had been avoiding before that.

            This recovery is like recovering from being hit by a truck. There is really no way to hurry it, other than taking good care of yourself and trying to be patient! You will get there too.
            Gayle, age 50
            Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
            Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
            Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1


            mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
            2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
            2017 curves stable/skeletely mature

            also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable

            Comment


            • #21
              Originally posted by leahdragonfly View Post
              Hi Spring,

              I think it is very common to have these plateaus along the way, which are very discouraging. Your horrendous commute is probably taking quite a toll on your energy and healing, so try to keep positive thoughts and things will continue to improve over time.

              I took tylenol every day for about two years. I also still love to lay on my heating pad in the evenings before bed.

              I improved at one year, at two years, and I had a large improvement after the two year mark, mentally as well as physically. I didn't quite realize how deathly afraid I was of suffering broken rods again. At my two year appt my surgeon told me I could do anything I wanted within reason, as long as it did not hurt, including bending, which I had been avoiding before that.

              This recovery is like recovering from being hit by a truck. There is really no way to hurry it, other than taking good care of yourself and trying to be patient! You will get there too.

              Thank you for your message, Gayle. I have been having a rough time lately. The physical side is one issue, but the mental side is my real challenge. Just got back from a wedding and much of my family had forgotten I had even had surgery. Since I look normal-no braces, no casts- there is bewilderment that I'm still struggling. It's hard to set limits for yourself as you well know! had to tell myself it was ok to leave a little early.

              I'm relieved to hear you took Tylenol for a long while. Thank you for sharing your experiences and for your encouragement! I feel overwhelmed when I think I have months of recovery ahead, but also optimistic...things will get better gradually.
              Surgery Jan 6, 2014 at 38 yrs
              Posterior Fusion T10-L4, osteotomy 1 lev.
              Pre op-Thoracolumbar Curve-50 degrees

              Comment


              • #22
                I only had PT while in the hospital. due to my insurance they wont provide PT after because I'm a lot younger then most of the adults here. probley due to my young age at the time of surgery at 18
                Kara
                25
                Brace 4-15-05-5-25-06
                Posterior Spinal Fusion 3-10-10
                T4-L2
                Before 50T
                After 20T

                Comment


                • #23
                  Originally posted by kennedy View Post
                  I only had PT while in the hospital. due to my insurance they wont provide PT after because I'm a lot younger then most of the adults here. Probably due to my young age at the time of surgery at 18
                  Yes Kara, I have noticed that the younger patients are not prescribed and don't need any PT after surgery. My girls bounced back very quickly on their own after being fused as teenagers.
                  Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                  No island of sanity.

                  Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                  Answer: Medicine


                  "We are all African."

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Hi Spring,

                    I know exactly what you mean about everyone forgetting you had surgery and thinking you should be perfectly normal by now. Showing an x-ray occasionally is helpful for clueless people who just don't get it, although I strongly feel it's nobody's business and you shouldn't have to do that, but I have pulled out my x-ray to show a couple of people who really didn't get it. They are always truly shocked. People just can't possibly understand this recovery, even if they are well-meaning close family and friends. I sensed that people didn't really want to hear about my long recovery, so mostly I got used to not mentioning it. And I really do think that the mental aspect of this recovery is something that is seldom talked about, even here.

                    Hang in there, be good to yourself, and take it easy. I think overdoing it is always a mistake, something you can strive to avoid. Pretty soon you'll be the one on here giving out advice several years later to new post-ops.

                    Best regards,
                    Gayle, age 50
                    Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
                    Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
                    Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1


                    mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
                    2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
                    2017 curves stable/skeletely mature

                    also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Originally posted by leahdragonfly View Post
                      This recovery is like recovering from being hit by a truck. There is really no way to hurry it, other than taking good care of yourself and trying to be patient! You will get there too.
                      Its funny how Paul’s surgeon told him that he didn’t want to do his surgery.....My surgeon did it differently in that he told me that it wouldn’t feel like I was hit by a truck, when I get done with you it will feel like you were run over by a freight train and hit with every axle. Its not like you come back and say “Lets do it, lets do it now!” (On the decision making process)

                      Spring, on the wedding, you have to realize that people that are not in the scoliosis community just don’t know. They expect you to be that spring chicken a month after because someone they know had a single level microdisectomy and recovered wonderfully....Not all spine surgery is the same! We have to listen to our bodies and take things one step at a time. Leave if you have to leave, lay down if you have to lay down. The eventual benefits of my recovery took a long time but I hung in there and followed through. I have a thread here about walking in the Redwoods back in November 2008. The photo I posted shows how taxed I was at that stage (10 months) it was after doing my first mile.

                      It was worth it.....adult scoliosis surgery also teaches patience. It’s a life changer for sure.

                      Ed
                      49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
                      Pre surgery curves T70,L70
                      ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
                      Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

                      Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
                      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

                      My x-rays
                      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

                      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Originally posted by springchicken View Post
                        Thanks so much for the encouragement, Tamena! I should say that that's logged on a pedometer. So I can do a couple miles straight before I start hurting, but mainly I just try to get up and walk throughout the day (lots of little walks) and by the end of the day it's about 5 miles. I could not do 5 miles all at once!

                        I'm glad you are healing well! Working full-time has got to be so hard. I am lucky I work from home, but once or twice a week I have to go in to work and it's almost a two-hour commute each way on the train. Icepacks help a lot.

                        Good luck and keep me posted on your recovery!
                        Congratulations on 5 miles! I am about 15 months postop and no way could I do close to 5 miles!

                        I decided that if my scar was on the front and visible to me everyday as I dressed, that I would have more of an appreciation of the enormity of he surgery. I rarely look at my back just because I never really think about doing it. When I was telling my pain management MD about my back pain, it suddenly occurred to me that the Scoliosis curve was straightened in maybe less than an hour (my day 2 surgery was 10 hours) that is, after all of the hardware was put in place, the actual cranking of the spine (there's probably a better medical term), took a very short amount of time relative to the years that it took to become angulated. The back muscles must have been in phenomenal spasm as the short side became long...ouch! And the long stretched out side became short. An amazingly quick transition! No wonder it hurts so much!

                        Susan
                        Adult Onset Degen Scoliosis @65, 25* T & 36* L w/ 11.2 cm coronal balance; T kyphosis 90*; Sev disc degen T & L stenosis

                        2013: T3- S1 Fusion w/ ALIF L4-S1/XLIF L2-4, PSF T4-S1 2 surgeries
                        2014: Hernia @ ALIF repaired; Emergency screw removal SCI T4,5 sec to PJK
                        2015: Rev Broken Bil T & L rods and no fusion: 2 revision surgeries; hardware P. Acnes infection
                        2016: Ant/Lat Lumbar diskectomy w/ 4 cages + BMP + harvested bone
                        2018: Removal L4,5 screw
                        2021: Removal T1 screw & rod

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          THank you everyone for your encouraging responses. I really need to hear from people who have gone through it to put things in perspective. It's so hard for people to understand-you're right about that. Even my husband grows frustrated and he is a very patient guy. But I know he gets tired of me trying to analyze if I'm on the right path, or what I could be doing better, etc etc.

                          Summer seems to be a greater challenge because everyone wants to get together. I just need to learn to say no sometimes!
                          Surgery Jan 6, 2014 at 38 yrs
                          Posterior Fusion T10-L4, osteotomy 1 lev.
                          Pre op-Thoracolumbar Curve-50 degrees

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Originally posted by titaniumed View Post
                            Its funny how Paul’s surgeon told him that he didn’t want to do his surgery.....My surgeon did it differently in that he told me that it wouldn’t feel like I was hit by a truck, when I get done with you it will feel like you were run over by a freight train and hit with every axle. Its not like you come back and say “Lets do it, lets do it now!” (On the decision making process)

                            Spring, on the wedding, you have to realize that people that are not in the scoliosis community just don’t know. They expect you to be that spring chicken a month after because someone they know had a single level microdisectomy and recovered wonderfully....Not all spine surgery is the same! We have to listen to our bodies and take things one step at a time. Leave if you have to leave, lay down if you have to lay down. The eventual benefits of my recovery took a long time but I hung in there and followed through. I have a thread here about walking in the Redwoods back in November 2008. The photo I posted shows how taxed I was at that stage (10 months) it was after doing my first mile.

                            It was worth it.....adult scoliosis surgery also teaches patience. It’s a life changer for sure.

                            Ed
                            Sometimes (often) I wish there were "like" buttons on our posts!
                            71 and plugging along... but having some problems
                            2007 52° w/ severe lumbar stenosis & L2L3 lateral listhesis (side shift)
                            5/4/07 posterior fusion T2-L4 w/ laminectomies and osteotomies @L2L3, L3L4
                            Dr. Kim Hammerberg, Rush Univ. Medical Center in Chicago

                            Corrected to 15°
                            CMT (type 2) DX in 2014, progressing
                            10/2018 x-rays - spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 - Dr. DeWald is monitoring

                            Click to view my pics: pics of scoli x-rays digital x-rays, and pics of me

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              springchicken--

                              Everyone is so different in their recovery journey. You sound like you are doing quite well. When you are discouraged, just look back and see how far you've come. I am seven years post-op, and I remember so well that after one year I was reconciled to the fact that "well, this is how it's going to be..." and I was ok with that. But then at two years, I was SO much better, and at three, even more so, and so it goes. You have to work at it PLUS learn patience, just as Ed said. I had PT at 6 months for arm and leg strength and at 11 months for core strengthening. Both bouts helped me immensely as I had gotten so weak after the surgery. That was my WORK -- because I kept it up in between and afterward.

                              I also remember, since you spoke of your relatives not understanding, that people at my church started asking me at around 8 months or so, "what went wrong?" --- and they just did not understand. I told them that nothing went "wrong" -- that it was just total reconstruction of my spine and would take a long time to recover from. At other times on the forum some of us mentioned it might be wise to have a photo of your x-rays, both side and anterior, to show to people who don't understand as sometimes that helps get the point across. And as Ed said also-- for many people back surgery of any kind is the same thing-- even something relatively simple with a short recovery time, so they just don't "get it." Best wishes with your continued recovery. You're doing great. And that is super if you are down to tylenol! At 5 months I was weaning off of hydrocodone, neurontin, and valium... and onto tramadol. So I think you are doing wonderfully well! Keep it up -- you're doing great!
                              71 and plugging along... but having some problems
                              2007 52° w/ severe lumbar stenosis & L2L3 lateral listhesis (side shift)
                              5/4/07 posterior fusion T2-L4 w/ laminectomies and osteotomies @L2L3, L3L4
                              Dr. Kim Hammerberg, Rush Univ. Medical Center in Chicago

                              Corrected to 15°
                              CMT (type 2) DX in 2014, progressing
                              10/2018 x-rays - spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 - Dr. DeWald is monitoring

                              Click to view my pics: pics of scoli x-rays digital x-rays, and pics of me

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Originally posted by Susie*Bee View Post
                                springchicken--

                                Everyone is so different in their recovery journey. You sound like you are doing quite well. When you are discouraged, just look back and see how far you've come. I am seven years post-op, and I remember so well that after one year I was reconciled to the fact that "well, this is how it's going to be..." and I was ok with that. But then at two years, I was SO much better, and at three, even more so, and so it goes. You have to work at it PLUS learn patience, just as Ed said. I had PT at 6 months for arm and leg strength and at 11 months for core strengthening. Both bouts helped me immensely as I had gotten so weak after the surgery. That was my WORK -- because I kept it up in between and afterward.

                                I also remember, since you spoke of your relatives not understanding, that people at my church started asking me at around 8 months or so, "what went wrong?" --- and they just did not understand. I told them that nothing went "wrong" -- that it was just total reconstruction of my spine and would take a long time to recover from. At other times on the forum some of us mentioned it might be wise to have a photo of your x-rays, both side and anterior, to show to people who don't understand as sometimes that helps get the point across. And as Ed said also-- for many people back surgery of any kind is the same thing-- even something relatively simple with a short recovery time, so they just don't "get it." Best wishes with your continued recovery. You're doing great. And that is super if you are down to tylenol! At 5 months I was weaning off of hydrocodone, neurontin, and valium... and onto tramadol. So I think you are doing wonderfully well! Keep it up -- you're doing great!

                                Thank you Susiebee! I guess that's the key. Everyone is different and all recoveries are different. I really feel bad complaining sometimes when I think of some of the incredible challenges other members on the forum have dealt with/are dealing with. In the grand scheme of things, I know I'm lucky. I guess I just had been documenting my progress every week and for the past month or so I noticed I had plateaued and it discouraged me. Today I took a leftover oxycontin--it didn't do much, I just wanted to see if it would help.

                                Anyways, I will take your advice to heart. It is great to know that you improved year after year! Thank you, and thank you to all the other members, for continuing to share your stories and impart your wisdom. IT means a lot.
                                Surgery Jan 6, 2014 at 38 yrs
                                Posterior Fusion T10-L4, osteotomy 1 lev.
                                Pre op-Thoracolumbar Curve-50 degrees

                                Comment

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