Susan's surgery at UCSF with Dr. Hu on 19 and 22 March, 2013

[susancook]

The news you didn't need, Susan.

Cut back a *little* on all meals especially dinner. Start to enjoy that slightly "empty" feeling, slight hunger even, that will happen in a few days. Your tummy will be slightly flatter. You'll know you're losing weight. That plus walking and changing snacks from unhealthy to healthy, if applicable, should see a small weight loss between now and November. You can do this, because you want a successful outcome.

Love you, Jennifer!
Susan

[Confusedmom]

I saw a general surgeon about my hernia today and I have a complete separation of the rectus muscle that was cut with my ALIF.....about 8" plus he said. Crap. We talked extensively and he said that with such a large hernia that he cannot repair it with a laparoscope and he will use mesh with the repair.

He wants me to lose some weight before surgery as weight loss increases the chances of a successful surgery. I will probably have it done in November. I look like I am pregnant with my menopausal baby.

Susan

Susan, is that a tear within the muscle itself? The reason I ask is, it's also possible to tear the sheath or fascia material that holds the two sides of the rectus abdominal muscle together. Those are the long muscles that make up the "6 pack" on each side of the belly button. Anyway, I tore that fascia material ALL the way up under my sternum when I was pregnant. I saw a surgeon about having it repaired, and he said he couldn't do it because there was nowhere to anchor the mesh. I looked pregnant for a loooonnng time. However, eventually I think my abdominal muscles got strong enough to sort of hold everything in on their own. It took about 2-3 years, I'd say. I'm just saying this all to give you hope that in addition to any necessary surgery, your abs may do some mending all on their own. But it takes a while. As far as the weight loss, I'm right there with you! I've been doing low carb, high veggie, lean protein, healthy fats. I've lost 8 pounds since the middle of July! But I still have 10 to go to get back to pre-surgery. Persistence!

Cheers,
Evelyn

[loves to skate]

Susan,
I am so sorry to hear about the hernia, but at least, you know that it can be fixed. Sending along some hugs and some prayers.
Sally

[susancook]

As I understand it, the incision from the ALIF through the rectus muscle opened. My belly button is on the right side of my abdomen and the left side bulge. I believe that he said that it would not repair itself through strengthening my abdomen.

I am still gathering information. Thanks everyone for your support! Susan....and her menopausal baby

[Confusedmom]

Got it. That sounds very uncomfortable! Sending good thoughts your way. Keep us posted as the surgery approaches.

[susancook]

Who coordinates postop care?

First of all, Evelyn, I forgot to congratulate you on your weight loss! Awesome!

I am feeling overwhelmed in being my own case manager. Seems that I just try to figure out what to do myself mostly. Remember, my area of expertise is OB Gyn. Orthopedics is not my specialty.

Since surgery, my R leg is weak, my neck is painful, my headaches are out of control, my back is actually doing well except those periodic electrical zingers, my allergies are awful, and my incisional hernia looks like I am 20 weeks pregnant and burns, aches frequently. I need someone to help me coordinate all of this!
I do physical therapy, acupuncture, and one session of trigger point injections. I take headache relief meds almost everyday and am having medication overuse headaches. I need to lose 30# before the surgeon will deliver my menopausal baby....whine, whine, whine....

S.

[PeggyS]

Thanks

Susan - thank you for sharing the details of your recovery. I just read the entire thread. I appreciate having the information that you and others have shared. I'm sorry to hear about your complications with the hernia.
Sending hugs & prayers!
Peg

[mabeckoff]

First of all, Evelyn, I forgot to congratulate you on your weight loss! Awesome!

I am feeling overwhelmed in being my own case manager. Seems that I just try to figure out what to do myself mostly. Remember, my area of expertise is OB Gyn. Orthopedics is not my specialty.

Since surgery, my R leg is weak, my neck is painful, my headaches are out of control, my back is actually doing well except those periodic electrical zingers, my allergies are awful, and my incisional hernia looks like I am 20 weeks pregnant and burns, aches frequently. I need someone to help me coordinate all of this!
I do physical therapy, acupuncture, and one session of trigger point injections. I take headache relief meds almost everyday and am having medication overuse headaches. I need to lose 30# before the surgeon will deliver my menopausal baby....whine, whine, whine....

S.

Susan,

We all whine sometimes .If not here, then where else?

Melissa

[leahdragonfly]

Hi Susan,

It's ok to have a good whine now and then--we all do. I like to tease my kids by threatening to call "whine-one-one" for the waa-mbulance. Makes them so mad but it's very funny!

I think generally we are back in the hands of our primary care provider after the first couple of months post-op. Of course you can check with your surgeon about the directly-related things like leg weakness, etc, although likely they will advise giving things more time to heal and not to push yourself (heard that before?). But your PCP should be willing to address the hernia, the headaches, etc, even if it means referrals.

Good luck, keep plugging along, and things do get better slowly with time, I promise.

Fondly,

[susancook]

Susan - thank you for sharing the details of your recovery. I just read the entire thread. I appreciate having the information that you and others have shared. I'm sorry to hear about your complications with the hernia.
Sending hugs & prayers!
Peg

Thanks, Peg. It seems to me that everyone has some postop problem: most are small, some are moderate, while others really problematic or life threatening/ require another surgery.

The surgery is HUGE and should not be undertaken unless you have no other choice. As you know, my postop problems are: mild pulmonary atelectasis, mild weakness of R leg, and incisional hernia. I do not know if my back has or will finally fuse, and if not, that might require further surgery.

If you have any question, pls do not hesitate to send me a PM. Cannot remember if I gave you my regular email address or phone number, but will gladly give them to you.

Hugs, Susan

[susancook]

Hi Susan,

It's ok to have a good whine now and then--we all do. I like to tease my kids by threatening to call "whine-one-one" for the waa-mbulance. Makes them so mad but it's very funny!

I think generally we are back in the hands of our primary care provider after the first couple of months post-op. Of course you can check with your surgeon about the directly-related things like leg weakness, etc, although likely they will advise giving things more time to heal and not to push yourself (heard that before?). But your PCP should be willing to address the hernia, the headaches, etc, even if it means referrals.

Good luck, keep plugging along, and things do get better slowly with time, I promise.

Fondly,

Thanks, Gayle....patience my ass, I am going to go out and kill something (a cartoon of a vulture on a perch)....

The R leg needs time. It has improved very slightly but I still cannot put on my R sock and some shoes. I do have the sock aid but it is never where I need it. I have a neurologist for headaches, PT for headaches and acupuncturist for HAs. I saw a surgeon about my hernia, so have him in place.

Thanks for your reassurance! I am not a very patient person, and am deluding myself to think that at 4.5 months, I should be back to being very active.

Let me know when you are in Portland and I will treat you to lunch!
Patience my a.....Susan

[susancook]

5 months postop

I am now 5 months postop, and many people on the forum have mentioned that there is an improvement then. Well, I am here to report that it is true and I am so glad! My back pains which have been mild and occasional are much less. The electrical zingers have pretty much stopped.

Remaining problems/concerns:

Incisional hernia at ALIF site: looks like I am pregnant with my menopausal baby! My lower L side bulges and is quite firm. Some pain and burning, but that seems to be decreasing. As mentioned before, I saw a surgeon who is a specialist in hernia repairs and he wants me to lost 30#s. I am 30#s from my ideal weight, granted....but I am challenged to lose the weight right now. Need to get motivated....guess that I need to get naked in front of my mirror and I will get motivated! Not a pretty picture! and no, Ed, I will not post photos!

R leg still weak: Found it difficult to climb bleachers last week as that leg does not raise as high. I have an appt w/ a Rehab MD in 2 weeks for an assessment. That was the side w/ the severe stenosis of L4, so maybe in surgery, there was some damage. My leg works fine when walking, just problem raising it. I have problems putting on my R sock and shoe.

Still need to use the butt wiper reacher: Hope that I am not tied to that implement for the rest of my life! In truth, I have not actually tried to bend and reach as I am worried about fusion issues. Gayle's thread convinced me to be careful! I will ask Dr. Hu at my 6 month checkup if I can try to do that. Bummer that my genetics gave me short arms and long torso!

Neck pain, headaches Unsure how they relate or not to the surgery as I have been struggling w/ HAs for years.

To sum it up, I am pleased w/the surgery but need to figure out the above problems. I do not have much patience and want to get on w/ my life as I knew it 5 years ago. I was hiking, backpacking, traveling to developing nations and providing health care. I will post in the happy-that-I-had-surgery-thread when I figure out how to post pictures.

I still wear my brace most of the time per Dr. Hu's instructions and all of my relative's threats to "call Dr. Hu" if I do not have it on. In some ways, I do like it as it gives me a lot of support and frequently a chair as people realize that I am somewhat disabled. But, it is my personal sauna and in the heat, my t shirt is soaked when I take off the brace.

This forum is awesome as it has given me the info that I need to understand that healing takes time. There is a cartoon of a vulture sitting on a branch with the quote: "Patience, my ass, I want to go out and kill something". That pretty much sums up my impatience.

Thanks, thanks, thanks to everyone for their support on the forum, emails, phone calls, and cards.

Susan.....the turkey vulture http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cMXcgEwZw5...nce-my-ass.jpg

[JenniferG]

Hi Susan. Glad to hear you're getting that 4-6 month boost in improvements. I did as well.

Re the inability to lift your leg higher. I have the same problem - with both legs. It's not really a problem and if someone asks me if there's something I can't do as well, I usually don't mention it because I have forgotten it. But just occasionally, if I have to take a high step, or when I lift my foot onto something to shave my legs/cut my toenails, and I have to lift my leg with my hands. I've always thought it had something to do with the pelvic anchors but have no facts to back that up.

Yes, get naked in front of the mirror, do whatever it takes to find that motivation. Read diet magazines, look at pictures of before and after. You need that hernia repaired to get on with enjoying the benefits of your spinal fusion. Your life is already better. It can be so much more!

[JenniferG]

Hi Susan. Glad to hear you're getting that 4-6 month boost in improvements. I did as well.

Re the inability to lift your leg higher. I have the same problem - with both legs. It's not really a problem and if someone asks me if there's something I can't do as well, I usually don't mention it because I have forgotten it. But just occasionally, if I have to take a high step, or when I lift my foot onto something to shave my legs/cut my toenails, and I have to lift my leg with my hands. I've always thought it had something to do with the pelvic anchors but have no facts to back that up.

Yes, get naked in front of the mirror, do whatever it takes to find that motivation. Read diet magazines, look at pictures of before and after. You need that hernia repaired to get on with enjoying the benefits of your spinal fusion. Your life is already better. It can be so much more!

[Confusedmom]

Susan,

Glad to hear you're feeling a little better. Your sense of humor is back!!! :-)

I think you are doing very well and will look back on this in a year or so and be amazed at how far you've come!

Now, let's join Weight Watchers. :-)

Evelyn