Sandy's Fusion Aug 13

[loris]

Wow Sandy I can not believe how well you are doing so soon. This is the recovery that I am hoping for. Thanks for all the good tips. Keep up the great progress.
Lori

[mgs]

You give me hope, and inspiration! Best wishes for a continued good recovery.

Mary Ann

[johnsonbunch]

Took a shower by myself and went on another outing today, two banks and then out for a seafood crepe and french onion soup with my friend and chauffeur. Sat in a chair and brought my own pillow. Wore a tank, then the brace, and mom's sundress on top. I looked huge but didn't care. The brace showed around the top of the dress so it was obvious. I left the walker at home. Feeling normal again! Got another friend coming to visit tomorrow and may go out to lunch again!

The Norcos seem to make me a bit sleepier than the Percosets, but they work equally well. I find 1 1/2 pills is the magic number and plan to wean off in a couple weeks by going down to 1 pill, then extending hours between. Hopefully I'll be back to work part time in a couple weeks.

Today's your day Mary Ann mgs! Hope it went well and that you have sucess in recovery. Looking forward to your post-op posts.

[52skeedoo]

Oxycontin and Norco questions

Hi Sandy,

First of all, it sounds like you are doing GREAT ! I'm a few weeks ahead of you since my surgery was June 30.

I can relate to your story of how hard it is to get the oxycontin prescription filled. I was surprised you were taking so many of them (12) a day because they are a long-acting drug. I know when I came home I was taking one 20 mg every 12 hours. Then, I was even more surprised when I read you simply stopped taking them without tapering. Usually people have serious side effects when they do that. Maybe you were able to stop without serious side effects because you weren't on it very long.

I was also given Norco to use for "break-through" pain. Were you warned not to take too many Norcos? I think the max is 8 per day or it can do liver damage. I used to take them on schedule, just like you mentioned, but now I only take them on an as-needed basis.

Keep up the great job recovering.

Sheri

[johnsonbunch]

Firstly, I was taking 5 mg Oxycodone, not Oxycontin. I was confused too. Oxycodone is a quick acting med which is why I needed them every 4 hours. The Norco is Hydrocodone, similar but less potent than Oxycodone even though it's a 10 mg pill. That's all I'm taking. I'm not on a long-lasting med like some of you guys. Doctor preference, or maybe my intolerance for Morphine and some opiates. And the liver damage warning is from the 325 mgs of Tylenol they pair with both the Oxycodone and Hydrocodone.

[jrnyc]

Hi Sandy
CONGRATULATIONS...you sound like you are doing well...it is all healing now,your waiting & worrying are over! the thougths & prayers continue to you for healing & relief!

i have alot of oxycontin...dont really like the stuff..sometimes it makes my breath short, other times it knocks me out...have no trouble getting it in NYC & in CT....lately prefer hydrocodone 10 mg...they tried me on morphine, but i threw up! all this & no surgery yet, cause i keep changing my mind..but all the surgeons say the same thing...T11-S1, L4-sacrum, bilateral fixation, etc!

all august patients should be so proud of themselves...
just concentrate on getting better...i think of all of you & admire your courage...i pray for all to have relief of pain!

i know i am putting off the inevitable...

best to you, sandy
jess

[naptown78]

Congratulations August Girls!

I am in awe. Sandy, I am so jealous of your gain in height to 5'6 ! My dream height! You sound like you are doing so well, unbelieveable. It is so good to read such positive messages such as yours. I know you will have great progress as you seem to have a positive attitude. It will be wonderful if you can go back to work so soon; MYSELF I could not manage to go back for 5 months. I am looking at a possible revision in the near future so I enjoy reading about stories such as yours! Good Luck to the other August surgery Girls! This will be a tough week.........

[johnsonbunch]

15 days post-op

Just passed the 2 week mark. Feeling great, albeit a little sleepy from the pain meds. Got a written Percocet/Oxycodone RX again so I've put the Norco/Hydocodone to the side. I'm starting to stretch a little longer between doses. Hope to wean off asap. I don't like the dopey feeling.

I'm doing more around the house. It started with just wiping the counters and whatever was at waist height, but yesterday I managed to put in a load of laundry. I kicked the basket all the way to the laundry room. No bending or lifting! And if I squat or spread my stance really wide, I can get down quite low relatively easily. I also have very agile "Flintstone feet" and can grab and pick up most anything with my toes. I had to wait for a kid to unload and carry the laundry basket back, but at least I felt like I accomplished something. Today I swept, and cleaned the bathroom best I could. I'm also a lot more comfortable now on the couch and can sit longer in front of the computer. That's important if I want to get back to work soon.

Last night I slept part of the night on my side, supported by my husband and a few pillows. Felt good to snuggle. My butt starts to fall asleep from lying on my back so much. Still have a lot on numbness under my breasts, all across my back and my entire butt and hips. I also can feel the foreignness of the rods. Not painful, just a weird sensation. I look forward to my first follow up appt Sept 8 and being cleared to drive and other things, just not vacuuming.

[johnsonbunch]

Normal activites

19 days post-op. Starting to feel like I'm closer to returning to more normal activities. Pain meds are still making me sleepy, but I managed to make it to a restaurant for lunch a few days ago and through a movie at the theatre pretty comfortably without much need for repositioning. I didn't wear the brace (the surgeon wasn't going to give me one, I begged), because it digs into the tops of my thighs when sitting and makes my legs fall asleep. My throw pillow has become my security blanket and goes with me everywhere.

I had a couple beers last night (don't worry, I made sure it was after my dinnertime dose had worn off and I pretty much skipped the overnight dose so I never got woozy). It felt great to kick back on the lanai with my husband. Today I'm going to try and spend some time on the computer organizing my photos. I think it will be up/down all day since sitting is not my best position.

[valleygirl]

Wow, Sandy. It's is absolutely wonderful to read all your posts. With each and every one that you write (and I read) you sound better and better. It's hard to believe that you just had surgery a couple of weeks ago. You are awesome!

Here's wishing that we all have recoveries like yours!

[jlg627]

Sandy,

You continue to be an inspiration to those of us having surgery in the near future! I'm so happy that your recovery is going well!

[johnsonbunch]

4 weeks post-op

It's been a whole month, hard to believe. Saw the doctor and he says I'm doing fab. He pulled off all my steri-strips and I started Mederma on the incision. I'm clear to swim and drive and return to work when I feel up to it. Think I'll collect unemployment for a while instead while I heal. The fusion takes up to 2 years to fully complete. I'll give myself a couple months.

I have 2 titanium rods and 26 screws, including the iliac screws in my pelvis. My bottom curve went from 68 degrees to 26 (looks straighter than that to me). My thoracic curve which was not included in the fusion went from 55 degrees to 30. My ribcage up top is closer to my right arm than my left, he says because he corrected what Susan calls "the gangsta lean" to the left I had from the bad lumbar curve. I lost almost 10 lbs, I don't know how. My appetite has been good except for the first week. I went from 10 mg Percoset every 3 1/2 hrs after surgery to 5 mg every 6-8 hours.

I feel pretty good and want everyone to know it gets better! I'm especially pleased that the intense stabbing pain I had at the worst part of the lumbar curve where the vertabrae was shifting off center (spondylosis), and the sciatic pain was instantly gone after surgery. That alone was worth it!

[debbei]

Congratulations on feeling so much better! It will keep getting better and better in baby steps!

[asccbodypro]

Sandy,

Sounds like your doing awesome! I can't believe you feel ready to drive at 4 weeks. I'm at 4 months and still on my meds as you probably know, so no driving. The frustration is building more and more each day. I know we all heal differently but your surgery was more involved than mine and I am still struggling. I am doing house work and somethings with the baby. Everyone says don't over do it and I really don't think I do enough. I just don't now how I should be judging myself anymore. As far as meds, you sound like you are already doing way better than me. Maybe it's a mind over matter issue. I know that It will take time for me to wean off because of the length of time and I really don't want to feel sick. I already fight with bad headaches this time of year here in VA Beach so to add to the discomfort of that is just a pain in the butt. I usually have energy and happy and I feel like I am loosing that part of myself. Hormones? Meds? I no longer know!!!! UGH! I think it must be hormones this week. I just can't shake it.

[JenniferG]

Sandy, that's wonderful news. So glad to hear your recovery is going so well.

Susan, I don't really think you can compare recoveries. I think you just need to be guided by your own body and try not to overdo things. I fully understand your frustration, but one day this will be behind you and the slowness/speed of recovery will be forgotten as you just get on with your life. Just look forward to that day. It will happen! *hugs*