I am scheduled for surgery on December 13 with fusion from T4 to at least L4 but maybe to the Sacrum. I am supposed to be home by the18th and right now the plan is to have my two daughters help take care of me. The oldest is almost 20 and the youngest is 15.
I know I will need a lot of help and should be having about 2 hours of in home care a day from a nurse, but will my girls be able to handle taking care of me the rest of the time? Will I be taking meds in the middle of the night, necessitating one of them sleeping by me? Will they have to wake up all night long to help me or should I be sleeping through the night? How long until I will be able to climb stairs with out assistance (I have 2 sets of 9, one to get in the house and one to get to the bedrooms)? Will the 20 year old be able to care for me for a week by herself if the younger goes to her dad's for Christmas (10 days post op, right now he really wants to take her for a week but has agreed that if I need her she can stay and help me)?
Thanks for any help you can give me. I don't a have a single worry about the surgery itself, but I am a bit stressed about the after care and recovery period. I only have full time help for 5 weeks and then my oldest daughter goes back to school and my younger daughter will be back in high school after 3 weeks of helping me.
Geish
46 years old. Diagnosed at 13
+30* to right thoracic
+60* to left thoracic/lumbar
+30* to right lumbar
Surgery scheduled for Dec 13, 2007
I know I will need a lot of help and should be having about 2 hours of in home care a day from a nurse, but will my girls be able to handle taking care of me the rest of the time? Will I be taking meds in the middle of the night, necessitating one of them sleeping by me? Will they have to wake up all night long to help me or should I be sleeping through the night? How long until I will be able to climb stairs with out assistance (I have 2 sets of 9, one to get in the house and one to get to the bedrooms)? Will the 20 year old be able to care for me for a week by herself if the younger goes to her dad's for Christmas (10 days post op, right now he really wants to take her for a week but has agreed that if I need her she can stay and help me)?
Thanks for any help you can give me. I don't a have a single worry about the surgery itself, but I am a bit stressed about the after care and recovery period. I only have full time help for 5 weeks and then my oldest daughter goes back to school and my younger daughter will be back in high school after 3 weeks of helping me.
Geish
46 years old. Diagnosed at 13
+30* to right thoracic
+60* to left thoracic/lumbar
+30* to right lumbar
Surgery scheduled for Dec 13, 2007
Comment