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

[Irina]

I was taking tramadol for several weeks when I was weaning off oxycodone. I alternated the drugs, then switched to tramadol only and it worked well for me. Tramadol didn't give me any side-effects, and like Gayle said, it's like super-tylenol - not a narcotic, but stronger than tylenol.

[golfnut]

Susan,
I am so sorry you were pulled down for a fall. We try to be so careful, but it's when you least expect something to happen. I hope your x-rays are perfect.

[jrnyc]

tramadol didn't do much for me, but made me sleepy...
i know what leahdragonfly means when she says it made her feel
"...slow and stupid"
i didn't like it and didn't stick with it long...

NOTE...."drowsiness" is listed as one of the side effects...
also...it is dangerous if taken with an antidepressant like Prozac
(just a cautionary note)

really sorry your friend dragged you into a fall...
hope you feel better soon...

jess

[Dora]

I can't weigh in with much experience but I know Tramadol was the only pain reliever I used for an abdominal surgery years ago because I usually have a hard time tolerating narcotics of any kind.

No other help but "OUCH" and I hope that you feel better soon. Do you think that perhaps having the Tramadol might be a good thing to do so that you can continue to walk etc during your healing?

[susancook]

Thanks everyone for your support and suggestions on Tramadol. It was a bummer that my friend pulled me down on the up escalator. Do you know how difficult it is to stand up when you fall backwards on a moving up escalator? My brother helped me to get up as I could not sit up well and was rolling to my side to try to get up. He then tried to help my friend Tracy and my brother tore the distal attachment of his bicep muscle trying to pick her up. He will have re-attachment this week.

This episode has demonstrated to me how fragile recovery is. I was feeling pretty well before this, although my back was hurt slightly about 2 months ago when I was putting on a sock. I am very afraid to people kicking me in the swimming pool or people running into me with grocery carts. Now, I have difficulty walking as I feel a lot of tightening of my upper and lower back. Swimming is also difficult.

I was hoping to be more active by now and am somewhat down that I am not doing as much as I had hoped.

On a brighter note, Mark and I had dinner with Irina and Dave. Irina looks totally awesome in her fitted short dress and heels. She is a foot taller than I am, or at least it feels that way! She looked and moved so well! She walks miles every day and I hope to be there some day. Hopefully, the 4 of us will be able to get together again at the one year time. I want to hear more about her life in the Ukraine and her emigration to the US. She is so poised and confident.

Wednesday is my appointment with Dr. Hu and I look forward to her reassurance that all looks OK on X-rays. I am seeing a Rehabilitation MD at OHSU who will help me organize my future and therapy. I have too many opinions in the pot: primary MD, neurologist, physical therapist, acupuncturist, pain management MD managing my headaches, neck pain, and back pain. OHSU has a program with exercise trainers that work with people with medical problems. I want to get on the right track on what to do exercise wise and know the best way to do it. I am afraid of injuring myself since falling and putting on my sock has set me back.

Susan.....still with my menopausal pregnancy, bummer I hate how that looks

[Doodles]

Susan--Just caught up on this thread and hadn't realized you had fallen. The whole scenario would make me cringe without just having surgery. Crazy, but escalators still give me pause after a bad experience as a kid! I just hope the soreness is all that's going on and you continue to heal. Janet

[Irina]

Susan - you're so nice, thank you for the compliments. We had a great time with you and Mark and enjoyed his stories. I hope we'll get together again when you visit the area next time. Btw, I googled Rickover when we came home and yes, he looks like such a nice and mellow man in pictures :-) ha-ha.

I hope you get a good report from Dr. Hu and let us know what she said, please!

[PeggyS]

Susan,
Your escalator experience sounds awful - so sorry.
Looking forward to learning about the results of your check-up.

[susancook]

Susan,
Your escalator experience sounds awful - so sorry.
Looking forward to learning about the results of your check-up.

If you have surgery, you will probably find a sort of fear or paranoia surrounding being in crowds. I am always afraid of being bumped or having someone run into me and falling down. The first time that I went to a supermarket after surgery was a nightmare! Some kid did run into me with his cart.

Susan

[jackieg412]

I am glad that I am not the only one that actually freaks out in crowds. If too many people are walking fast towards me--I will stay still and let them pass. If someone is behind me--I step aside and let them go. I thought that I would get over it--but not yet. Twice a week I am at the local hospital and I do a lot of walking--but I am always on high alert for any quick movement around me.
Good to know that I am not alone. Thought I was just over reacting!

[susancook]

I went to the pool at the Y this week and was so afraid of someone kicking me or running into me. A kid did kick me once, but only on my leg. Since I fell on the escalator when my friend fell and pulled me down with her as we were arm in arm, I will never let anyone hold on to me on an escalator again. Being in a very crowded place terrifies me. I hope that it gets better with time.
Susan

[babyboomer16]

Susan, I am sure you'll get a good report about your back. I know that my surgeon said you have to fall really hard to break a rod. And although I did fracture a rod very low down on my back, it was because I fell very hard flat on my butt. And I fell twice hitting the same spot again. So he did go in and fixed it. But all the Surgeons and nurses said it's almost impossible to break a rod. But I fell real hard! Is your pain tolerable? Mine wasn't. It was in excruciating pain because of the rod fracture. I guess what I'm hoping is because you seem to be tolerating the pain,(I'm not trying to minimizing your pain,) but I'm hoping it's bad bruising that your feeling, and it will heal. Mine got so bad I ended up in the hospital to control the pain. I feel so bad that you fell and that you also are dealing with the hernia too. Just hang in there Susan. Everything is going to get better. That's my prayer for you. You're such a strong lady! I had my revised surgery, then right away they said my gall bladder was poisoning me, and it had to be taken out in a two part surgery as a specialist had to go in and remove gall stones out of my bile ducts that had been rerouted (and misplaced)during a surgery to remove an ulcer years before. I now have been told that I need a hysterectomy as soon as my spine has healed a little more. Then after that I have a bad foot that needs surgery. It has been let go because of the ongoing surgeries on my spine. I have a huge bunion and arthritis in three toes.on top of that the other foot is getting bad~~ I'm telling you all this to try to cheer you up! Ha!Ha! Truly, I know how hard this is to keep up the possitive attitude at times. Again, I believe you will be fine in the spine department. Please let us know. Stay strong ~~I hope you know I know how hard it is to have these set backs. You were such good support when I was so down, I just want you to pull through all of this with flying colors. Warm thought coming your way, Linda

[susancook]

Linda, thanks for your supportive note! Susan

[loves to skate]

Susan,
I just caught up on your thread and am so sorry about your fall. I hope your pain goes away soon. I am on Tramadol and I don't think it does much for me. I get more relief from Tylenol than I do with Tramadol. I guess we are all different in how we react to meds. Give it a try though, it might work for you.
Take care and no more falls. Been there done that,
Sally

[susancook]

6 month post-op visit

I just returned from my 6 month visit w/ Dr. Hu at Stanford. I noticed that they now pronounce Dr. Hu's name correctly. when i called for the appointment 2 months ago, she had not arrived and they said, "So, you're seeing Dr. Huie?". I knew that she would set them straight! i noticed that she is Chief of spinal surgery. I had to restart all of the paper word as Dr. Hu moved to Stanford University Hospital. Everyone was great!

After a pile of paperwork, I went back for X-rays. The tech was really exacting to make sure that everything was perfect. He started put, "Will you be having surgery?" I told him that I already had surgery with Dr. Hu. When he saw all my titanium from T3 to sacrum, he said, "Wow, you had a lot done!" I I formed him that I had the full meal deal. He laughed.

Dr. Hu said that everything looked great on the X-ray and that she saw signs of fusion. Other comments from Dr. Hu: "That's a really large hernia. I wonder how that happened?" I also asked her about the new kyphosis in my cervical area and she said, "Usually when we line up the thoracic area for fusion, the neck just falls into place. I don't know why yours did not." Then, she said that she could surgically correct it if I wanted and I told her that I was not interested now for aesthetic reasons, but if the pain continues, that I might consider it. I am having an injection done at OHSU this month and will go to physical therapy. Let's do some more conservative treatments!

So, I will return in a year and will hopefully have the hernia fixed by the time that I see her. I did not do any damage to the hardware when I fell on the escalator. I will try not to do any damage before the next appointment. Now, I just need to lose 30#s to have my hernia surgery! I have a second opinion next week and see what that surgeon thinks about weight loss.

Susan and her menopausal pregnancy.....

I will work on trying to post my pictures of my X-rays and feel confident that I belong in the, "I am glad that I had surgery" thread.