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Really severe pain normal on days 1 and 2?

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  • Really severe pain normal on days 1 and 2?

    I'm the one with the scoliosis but not the patient at this time. My husband is 25 hours post-op after a routine three level lumbar A/P fusion, not related to scoliosis. Top Scoli surgeon on the job here in Dallas. His pain has been much more severe than I, or he, expected, despite the dilaudid drip and PCA, plus muscle relaxers and Valium. This afternoon they discontinued the dilaudid drip but left the PCA and added back in his regular oxycodone that he was on before surgery.

    They got him up this morning and he was yelling from the pain in getting to standing, plus putting weight on the left leg where it hurts up near the hip from the disruption of his psoas muscle during the anterior surgery. He sat in the chair for an hour but was all tensed up from pain.

    He's used to chronic pain but has described the pain since surgery as 10 out of 10.

    He's definitely more comfortable this afternoon, down to a 7, but my goodness, this has been ugly!

    Pretty typical? Reading some "been there, done that" posts, seems like some of you have had less pain with much bigger surgeries.
    Stephanie, age 56
    Diagnosed age 8
    Milwaukee brace 9 years, no further treatment, symptom free and clueless until my 40s that curves could progress.
    Thoracolumbar curve 39 degrees at age 17
    Now somewhere around 58 degrees thoracic, 70 degrees thoracolumbar
    Surgeon Dr. Michael S. O'Brien, Baylor's Southwest Scoliosis Center, Dallas TX
    Bilateral laminectomies at L3 to L4, L4 to L5 and L5 to S1 on April 4, 2012
    Foramenotomies L3 through S1 in August 2014

  • #2
    I think the pain is part of this surgery. Since he was on strong meds before it may be hard to control his pain. After the morphine block wore off, I was in extreme hard to control pain even though I was not taking narcotics before surgery.
    I also think sitting an hour this early is like punishment. Make sure it isn't for that long at a time. It is hard to move but better for you.
    It will get better.
    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

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    • #3
      I am surprised that they did not stop his strong pain killers before the surgery
      Melissa

      Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

      April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

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      • #4
        Unfortunately, people who are accustomed to narcotics seem to have a much harder time in the early postop period. At UCSF, these people often end up in the ICU on a ketamine drip.

        I hope they can get your husband's pain under control soon.

        --Linda
        Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
        ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
        Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

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