Intimacy?

[lelc2002@yahoo]

Maybe you should go back to the ICU nurse now.....tell him your hardware's good for at least 20 yrs & you have $ 200,000..........vested in your back!

[crookedspine]

My doctor told me that as long as I listened to my body I could do anything I wanted...except swing from the chandeliers (and darn...that was my favorite part). I, too, have been laughing hard over this thread! I love it...and it is true that everyone needs to know these things. I was glad that my husband and I both felt comfortable enough with my doctor to ask. Linda

[crookedspine]

By the way, I am about 8 months post-op. Doc said that when I was 6 months. Linda

[katblack]

Maybe you should go back to the ICU nurse now.....tell him your hardware's good for at least 20 yrs & you have $ 200,000..........vested in your back!

Bwahahaha! I totally would except this man did things to me I don't even think I'd let a bf do to me. If I saw him in public, I'd probably turn and walk the other way.
What kind of things? Oh, ya know that whole constipation issue everyone talks about? Well they give you a suppository in ICU to help you get back to normal.
He was so nice. He asked me would I like a female or male nurse to do it. I was so stoned I said I don't care and then he just rolled me over and poof, up my butt. *hangs head* I should have said female. Those damn drugs!...lmao

I do have a man in mind. Just gotta convince him it would be fun to test all the new metal with me.

[HGD24]

My surgeon suggested waiting 7 weeks.

[sweetness514]

Every now and then if I get too excited, I might move the wrong way and realize that my body doesn't bend or move that way anymore, but like every other part of recovery, you do learn to adjust for this part of life as well...sex can be fun once again!

Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel...the floor is pretty hard on the back and I dont do that anymore but wild positions are not a guarantee that it's quality and very satisfying sex. It's more reaching your thirties and being with someone you are totally free and comfortable with hehe.

[sonya]

you guys have made me laugh harder than i have for years. i had lower spinal fusion 15 years ago when i was still a virgin. so it was great experimenting ALL the wild stuff! your body tells you if it is uncomfortable but my husband and i still have a VERY exciting lovelife.

[Jacque's Mom]

"Working on getting my shoes on and off"

This thread is the best one - we certainly could use the laughs! I especially love the one about the shoes....very, very funny. I remember the day before my surgery, the nurse came in and my husband (fiance at the time) was in my room making sure I was hanging in there, and she said she was going to put a "do not disturb" sign on my door so we could be "alone" for a little while. Are you kidding me? I was in so much pain and so nervous, that was the last thing in the world I was thinking of! I guess she had good intentions. My mother-in-law always said "if you have a sense of humor, it can get you through the rough times" and she was absolutely right. GOOD LUCK TO ALL.... Lynn

[lelc2002@yahoo]

Sweetness,
As far as the floor goes, I can't even handle a burbur rug...we're talking major curves.... I was hoping Boachie would write off the surgery costs & just put me in as a case study!!!!
Lynn: I have had to have a sense of humor about this cause if I don't laugh I'll cry... !!
http://lynnebackattack.blogspot.com

[Pips]

Ah - the trick with the floor is to make sure you have a man underneath you - let him get squashed against the hard floor and protect those curves....

...oops, have I said too much

BTW, had my review appointment today and its good news all the way. I shall update the blog tomorrow.....

[sweetness514]

When we got married just a few years after my surgery I wanted to experience many areas, and after the floor bit and being sore for a few days, my hubby went to buy some type of floating device to be more comfortable...LOL the thing just blew up.

We did all right though for sometime when I was more painfree and flexible, and one of the last places on my list is outside, and sometimes I just think about bringing the whole mattress out at night, now that would be comfy Ok, now I'm blushing, enough about this subject for me

[Megan_aust]

Stopping oral contraceptives before surgery

Hi everybody,

I guess my question is somewhat related...

I am strongly considering having surgery and just wondered what your opinions are about stopping oral contraceptives before surgery.

I'm not really concerned about the inconvenience of it all, rather I'm worried about symptoms such as depression/ anxiety and irregular bleeding.

The doctor has just told me to stop taking the pill 2 weeks before surgery (I will be lucky if I'm given that much notice), but refuses to acknowledge my concerns about possible hormonal and mental disturbances. I went through hell when I started taking the pill and my doctor's response was "if it rained you'd blame the pill."

Prior to surgery I'm already pretty wound up about the decision, and hormonal distubances on top of that will probably put me in the funny farm. As it is I'm having a hard time living my life with having to make this decision.

Also, would heavy or irregular bleeding be a reason to put off surgery? I've been told it might put me at risk of infection during my recovery.

Does anybody else have any experiences of this, or any recommendations? I feel that this is a little considered issue for surgery as an adult, and I'm having trouble finding any useful information about it.

All of your comments about post surgery are very encouraging though - perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel for my poor husband, not to mention myself!

[Sharshe]

Hi,
I had been put on the pill for heavy bleeding but it didn't help. Last year I had an endometrial ablation, that helped a ton. If I hadn't had that done I don't think I would have been able to handle this operation. Since surgery I had my period in the hospital (heavy) and only spotting since. It seems from what I've read here that everyone reacts different, the anesthesia can really mess with your hormones. Hope this helps some.

[Suzy]

Hi Megan,

I DID NOT stop my pills before my surgery. You will experience depression and anxiety as it is going through this surgery why add to it??!! I have not heard of ANY Dr. telling someone to stop taking their BCP's prior to their surgery. Did you get a reason for it? I take mine continually for anxiety and PMS control and did so through my surgery and recovery. (I am not a Dr. nor do I play one on T.V. or the forum.) This makes NO sense to me. You need to ask why. And is this Dr. who refuses to acknowledge your concerns about this your spine surgeon? Yikes. And why would you "be lucky" to get two weeks notice before surgery?

I am also puzzled at someone telling you that you would be put at risk for infection by having your period during recovery...WTH? Many, many women on the forum have said they had the surgery trigger their period even if they just had their cycle recently. No infections reported on the forum to my knowledge.

There is light at the end of the tunnel leading to surgery. A big, bright, warm, happy light called a new beginning. Keep reading the post-op stories. Pretty much everyone would do it over again, including me!

[Karen Ocker]

stopping pill before surgery

There is some concern that female hormones can cause blood clots--which can travel to the lungs--and be fatal. However I'm not sure if all docs agree. I stopped hormone replacement therapy 6 months before surgery for other reasons and had a small clot in my calf post -op resulting in blood thinners needed for several weeks afterward. Just being in the surgical position--prone with the legs below the hips encourages pooling of blood and clots in the legs. That is why special stockings are worn and a special leg-maggaging device is used routinely.

Right after surgery it might not be possible to take anything(pills) by mouth if the intestines have not yet started working. When that happens anything taken by mouth just sits in the stomach and does not get absorbed--or in extreme cases gets thrown up. Taking the pill right up to surgery then stopping might cause a period around the day of surgery.

Ask your doc-don't just decide on your own--because what you do not know can hurt you.