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  • #31
    Hi Liz, I am a gardener. I did make things easier right after surgery. Like I had large planters built so I did not have to get down so much. It has been overv5=years since my major fusion and I still can't stay down on the ground but I get up and down . I make it work because I like to do it. It still isn't pain free but I just keep changing position all of the time. It all gets done eventually. After surgery , we still adjust our actions to fit what we need. I think you realize that surgery improves things but it still makes some things hard to do. If you love gardening as a hobby it is still possible, but not right away. I live in Illinois with trees that she'd their leaves and that is a big fall ordeal.
    T10-pelvis fusion 12/08
    C5,6,7 fusion 9/10
    T2--T10 fusion 2/11
    C 4-5 fusion 11/14
    Right scapulectomy 6/15
    Right pectoralis major muscle transfer to scapula
    To replace the action of Serratus Anterior muscle 3/16
    Broken neck 9/28/2018
    Emergency surgery posterior fusion C4- T3
    Repeated 11/2018 because rods pulled apart added T2 fusion
    Removal of partial right thoracic hardware 1/2020
    Removal and replacement of C4-T10 hardware with C7 and T 1
    Osteotomy

    Comment


    • #32
      My upcoming surgery is starting to feel real; I have my pre-op clearance visit today. But what is really on my mind is how you deal with a pet that sleeps with you (in my case a large house cat who is a big baby). Now that winter is here and the temp here has dropped into the 60's (please don't hurt me), Freddie doesn't just sleep on the bed, but has to be right up against me hard all night (poor thing must be freezing).

      The problem is that he pushes me all over the bed as I try to escape this hot, heavy cat and I end up in some rather contorted positions. If I shut my door, he will cry all night. Fortunately we have long summers here and this is only a winter problem but my surgery is in Jan.

      Anybody have experience sleeping with pets post surgery they can share? If I kick him he will go, but come back as soon as I go back to sleep.
      Before 39* lumbar at age 18, progressed to 74* lumbar and 22* thoracic age 55
      ALIF Jan 13, 2015, PLIF Jan 15, 2015 with Dr William Stevens, Honor Health
      Fused T-7 to S-1 with pelvic fixation

      After 38* lumbar

      Xrays
      Before: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...7&d=1414268930

      After: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...6&d=1424894360

      Comment


      • #33
        Pets post-op

        Originally posted by Lizardacres View Post
        My upcoming surgery is starting to feel real; I have my pre-op clearance visit today. But what is really on my mind is how you deal with a pet that sleeps with you (in my case a large house cat who is a big baby). Now that winter is here and the temp here has dropped into the 60's (please don't hurt me), Freddie doesn't just sleep on the bed, but has to be right up against me hard all night (poor thing must be freezing).

        The problem is that he pushes me all over the bed as I try to escape this hot, heavy cat and I end up in some rather contorted positions. If I shut my door, he will cry all night. Fortunately we have long summers here and this is only a winter problem but my surgery is in Jan.

        Anybody have experience sleeping with pets post surgery they can share? If I kick him he will go, but come back as soon as I go back to sleep.
        Hi- I had my surgery in July (T9-sacrum) and our 3 spoiled dogs and 5 spoiled cats were a concern. As far as the cats (they pretty much all sleep with us during the course of an evening) I found that the only problem was if something startled them and the would leap across the room and over me. They did cause me to flinch more than a few times and scared me in the process (fear of breaking something was very real for me). In the end, I was fine with them.

        You might want to layer some extra blankets that your cat can snuggle into that's not right on top of you. Just a thought. Also, the meds made me cold so you might welcome the furry critter :-)

        Risë

        Comment


        • #34
          I sleep with two cats. When they got pushed out of the way, they just moved into another position. I am recuperating now from SI joint surgery and when I nap, they are very comfortable nap friends with me
          Melissa

          Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

          April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

          Comment


          • #35
            Thanks for your feedback. I like having Freddie around for naps, He is very comforting. I just worry that I will unconsciously move away from him and end up in a crazy pretzel position, like I do now. Usually I wake up because I get into a painful position. I can really only lie in one position now and sleep, on my right side. All other positions are really uncomfortable. It sounds like after surgery most sleep on their back, but maybe I am wrong about this. If I am on my back I won't be so inclined to roll away. I'm probably overthinking this, just don't want to bend or twist while sleeping.
            Before 39* lumbar at age 18, progressed to 74* lumbar and 22* thoracic age 55
            ALIF Jan 13, 2015, PLIF Jan 15, 2015 with Dr William Stevens, Honor Health
            Fused T-7 to S-1 with pelvic fixation

            After 38* lumbar

            Xrays
            Before: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...7&d=1414268930

            After: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...6&d=1424894360

            Comment


            • #36
              Sleeping was very hard for me in my immediate recovery due to pain....Maintaining any position was also difficult and I found myself moving often.....Sleep or lack of it becomes extremely valuable and you will take any chance to try to get those winks in.....Cats will move when you do, and will understand that you are hurting and in pain. They probably understand this better than humans do. My cat was trained to sleep at my feet most of the time however one time I awoke with him on my chest with his face around 1 inch away from mine. This startled the heck out of me.....with him just staring at me with intense cat thoughts.....(mice, birds, a slice of roast beef, theory of relativity)

              One thing that was problematic in the beginning with me was the positioning of myself on the bed before laying down. If I was too close to the headboard, I would lay down and hit my head on the headboard. Its impossible to move up or down the bed after surgery, it seems the only thing we can do is to log roll and log rolling out of that position takes a bit of effort. If you go sideways on the bed, its not easy getting up out of bed. I have a medium tempurpedic and it wasn’t soft enough......the foam topper doubled my sleep time....I would highly recommend one, latex foam 2-4 inches thick no matter what mattress you have. The bed also needs to be dead flat. With a full fusion, if the bed is hammocked and inch, you will feel it. If it’s a king and its hammocked, sleep sideways on that bed. Beds almost never hammock sideways for some reason....

              I didn’t have a cat when I did my recovery but I think they would be good company. Squatting becomes valuable for getting down to feed the cat or empty the dishwasher....Do this with one hand on the counter for extra support.....

              Having an electric blanket handy would be a good idea since we get cold while on meds....I don’t know what would happen if Freddie started kneading the blanket and hit one of the wires..... Don’t worry, its low voltage and would be a minor cat issue. (smiley face)

              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


              • #37
                My kitty had kneaded my electric blanket and nothing has happened to either the cat or the blanket.
                Melissa

                Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by mabeckoff View Post
                  My kitty had kneaded my electric blanket and nothing has happened to either the cat or the blanket.
                  That made me laugh. Actually, I was thinking along the same lines and have been trying an experiment in the evenings this week. When I get home from work, even though my retired husband is home during the day, Freddie stays glued to my lap as much as possible and I don't want him to feel rejected if I don't always feel up to this after surgery. Would somebody please explain to me why if you take a cat and dog of the same diameter that the cat weighs approximately 3x as much?

                  Anyway, I put a heating pad out on the sofa next to my recliner and my smarter female cat figured out right away that this was the best seat in the house, so I figured it wasn't going to help me with Freddie as she is rather possessive. By the third night, however they were taking turns and right now as I sip my coffee, instead of sitting in my lap and making me spill my coffee all over my white robe permanently covered in coffee stains, Freddie has voluntarily chosen the heating pad and is dozing. First time ever I have had my morning coffee in peace.

                  After Xmas I'll move it to the foot of my bed and see if he takes to it there.

                  Ed, I hear you on the latex topper. I have 9" of pure latex to sleep on and the top layer is soft and I just replaced the top layer as the soft latex breaks down faster than firmer layers. This mattress is the only reason I can sleep. The way my lumbar kyphosis sticks out and my spine is rotated I need something very forgiving to cushion my curves. The latex is supported on wood so it cannot sag.
                  Before 39* lumbar at age 18, progressed to 74* lumbar and 22* thoracic age 55
                  ALIF Jan 13, 2015, PLIF Jan 15, 2015 with Dr William Stevens, Honor Health
                  Fused T-7 to S-1 with pelvic fixation

                  After 38* lumbar

                  Xrays
                  Before: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...7&d=1414268930

                  After: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...6&d=1424894360

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Glad that the electric blanket might have helped you somewhat.
                    Melissa

                    Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                    April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Had my final pre-op visit with the surgeon's office yesterday, but I met with the PA who assists during surgery instead of Dr Stevens. She went over in great detail what to expect. I will be getting cobalt chrome instrumentation as it is stronger, will not be getting a brace, will be fused from T4-sacrum with one or possibly two osteotomies, to be determined during surgery. They will use BMP sparingly, during the anterior surgery only at L4-L5. Also, was told I have a 50% chance of going to rehab for a week or so after surgery with a max of five days in the hospital.

                      I'm not sure how I feel about going to rehab. I'm such a homebody and it would be great to be back in my own bed. But I'm trying to keep an open mind and my husband is in favor as he thinks the PT would be helpful. I wonder if the decision to go to rehab is really a way to get you out of the hospital in five days and still give you care. That would not necessarily be a bad thing - I think of Fifa who really wasn't ready to go home after five days. If anybody has anything positive or negative to say about rehab, I would be most interested to hear your thoughts. It's only about 15 minutes from our home, so my husband could spend as much time as he wants with me.

                      I'm feeling a little melancholy today and starting to feel anxious off an on about the upcoming surgery. My son just got on a plane to go home after spending xmas here and we had a lovely last day yesterday. We went to an Italian deli for lunch with my parents where half the people were speaking Italian and gesticulating wildly. It felt like we were in Europe! Then we drove out to the desert and went for a walk. I'm getting ready to go outside and finish cutting back my roses for spring, even though it is a little early for that. If I don't do it now it won't get done and here, it is a January job, so it's really not very early to be doing it. Bare root roses are in the nursery now.

                      Liz
                      Before 39* lumbar at age 18, progressed to 74* lumbar and 22* thoracic age 55
                      ALIF Jan 13, 2015, PLIF Jan 15, 2015 with Dr William Stevens, Honor Health
                      Fused T-7 to S-1 with pelvic fixation

                      After 38* lumbar

                      Xrays
                      Before: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...7&d=1414268930

                      After: http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...6&d=1424894360

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        It's odd to me that you've been told you'll be in the hospital for maximum of 5 days. Not sure how they expect people to get discharged in a specific time frame, everyone is so different.

                        I guess rehab may be a way to extend inpatient care w/o being in the hospital. For what it's worth I was in the hospital for total of 8 days, including the day of surgery. The delay in discharge was due to my bowels -- if I had made enough poop I have been discharged 2 days sooner.

                        It could be the hospital has a policy in place because of past experiences in dealing with insurances not paying after the 5th day?
                        30 something y.o.

                        2003 - T45, L???
                        2005 - T50, L31
                        bunch of measurements between...

                        2011 - T60, L32
                        2013 - T68, L?

                        Posterior Fusion Sept 2014 -- T3 - L3
                        Post - op curve ~35


                        Comment


                        • #42
                          I went right from the hospital (8 days) to intensive, in-patient rehab for 2 weeks. I was 400 miles from home and a little bit lonely b/c my husband went home, due to his back issues during my stay. I would gladly do rehab again! At 2 months post-op, I KNOW I'm much farther along in my progress! A lot of that has to do with building confidence in what I could & couldn't do. I had PT & OT. OT helped me with the practical stuff: showering & dressing. Also, OT focuses on the upper body with strengthening & correct posture. I have lots of bad habits to un-learn!

                          I'm currently receiving in-home PT & OT. My family dr made the request & surprisingly ins approved!

                          Rehab isn't for everyone, but it was good for me. My ins only wanted to pay for the type of rehab that's in a nursing home - only 1 hour a day! No way! My dr appealed & got approval for intensive rehab, which was about 4 hours a day.

                          My 8 day hospital stay is still being questioned by ins. They only approved 5 days, saying the extra days were medically unnecessary. I wasn't informed of that while I was in the hospital. Bills & ins payments are trickling in . . .

                          I'm glad you're on this forum - the info is so valuable!
                          Peg
                          61 yrs old
                          75 degree lumbar curve with thoracic kyphosis
                          T3 - S1 surgery with Dr. Buchowski in St. Louis, on 10/27/14
                          Working on healing in Columbus, Ohio!

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            I was fused T9-sacrum all posterior. I spent 8 days in the hospital and my insurance company didn't question any of it. I had the option of going to rehab but decided against it. I had a visiting nurse and pt/ot person come to the house one time each. PT and OT told me I didn't need it (actually said that was very unusual). Going into the surgery physically strong was a huge plus. Work those legs! Home nursing care really wasn't necessary as my husband was happy to take care of me.

                            My suggestion is to do what makes you comfortable but you really don't need to decide until after surgery. See how you feel. There's not a whole lot you can do PTwise in the early stages and as far as OT goes a lot of it is common sense based.

                            Good luck!

                            Risë

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              I was told right at the start that I would be in the hospital 5 days. Four of which were in intensive care. I then went to inpatient rehab. And they were great. I got better care in rehab than in the hospital. But I do live alone.
                              T10-pelvis fusion 12/08
                              C5,6,7 fusion 9/10
                              T2--T10 fusion 2/11
                              C 4-5 fusion 11/14
                              Right scapulectomy 6/15
                              Right pectoralis major muscle transfer to scapula
                              To replace the action of Serratus Anterior muscle 3/16
                              Broken neck 9/28/2018
                              Emergency surgery posterior fusion C4- T3
                              Repeated 11/2018 because rods pulled apart added T2 fusion
                              Removal of partial right thoracic hardware 1/2020
                              Removal and replacement of C4-T10 hardware with C7 and T 1
                              Osteotomy

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Liz,

                                5 days is too soon especially after an A/P. I would plan on rehab just in case you need the shots.

                                I was in for 10 days and then they wanted me to go to re-hab. Since I was tired of playing doctor and having a noisy roommate, I went home and my surgeon ordered the nurses and PT people to come to my home everyday. This is a cheaper option, and believe it or not, I was trying to save my insurance company money. What a concept.

                                I kinda ran out after they pulled all the hoses on the 9th day and was not weaned to orals. I was NPO ,no food by mouth, had an ileus, had a meal and a BM. I had to wean home alone to OXY which was tough because I didn’t have the option for a shot. I was a shot begger. The injectables are the ticket.....4 seconds to heaven. The IV Lortab is especially powerful, its better than morphine. After you get used to the good stuff, you have to come down which isn’t easy..... I was a junky for 10 days.

                                I also felt the melancholy leading up to my surgeries, I think we all do. It was a long 34 year wait for me, out of time, out of control pain levels, and I couldn’t back out.

                                I didn’t have any lists, the hospital told me not to bring much since they were not going to be responsible for theft. I brought my cell phone and a change of clothes in a shopping bag....Have your hubby bring the things you need on a daily basis, it wont be much. Chapstick after a few days.....Hospitals don’t have chapstick, this really blew me away....

                                Release and put your trust in the professionals that do this every day. Remember that you always swim with the current, never against the current.

                                You will do fine.

                                Peggy, good to hear your doing well. Just in case, remember that there is a state insurance commissioner in each state. I had to use Nevada’s once....... they police the insurance companies. Worked like a charm....and its free.

                                Remember to love your nurse and your state worker!

                                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

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