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

[Doodles]

Good check up, Susan. Glad the fall didn't cause any problems for spine. Hope the neck area pain decreases for you. Janet

[tae_tap]

Nice follow up report on the back. I pray the neck gets better.

Tamena

[JenniferG]

Great news, Susan, especially that no damage was done by your fall. I hope the conservative measures help your neck and that no further surgery is required. Good though that Dr. Hu says she can do it if necessary. Signs of fusion - that would have made you happy. Now for the hernia!

[susancook]

I am now taking care of my brother who had surgery to reattach the bicep tendon that he pulled lose when he tried to help my friend and I get up on the escalator caper. I brought him back from the surgicenter and went out and bought him some Chinese food. On the way to pick up the takeout, I tripped on the curb and landed knees first on the sidewalk. My back is sore right now as i must have stretched something. i am such a klutz. I think that a good night's sleep will help me.

Susan

[JenniferG]

Oh Susan! Take care! Hope you wake up feeling much better!

[PeggyS]

NO more falling, Susan!! Happy to hear your dr visit went well. Hope your neck straightens out and the pain lessens. Love the the 'full meal deal' expression!

[leahdragonfly]

Hi Susan,

glad you got a good report overall. Now, NO MORE falling!!! Take it slow and easy.

A couple of months ago I slipped in my kitchen and fell--the floor was still a little wet from being mopped. I instantly burst into tears because I was so scared of hurting myself. I ended up ok but it was terrifying. I am coming up on the 2-year mark for my revision in January, and still have fears of suffering another broken rod. It is hard for me to entirely put this possibility out of my head, even now, but I am trying.

Best regards,

[susancook]

Gayle, I hear you loud and clear and understand completely your and my fear of doing harm to our spinal surgery. I have re-read Your post, "the pop heard round the world" many times trying to figure out what you did wrong and thus prevent problems for me. I cannot find it and that is the fearful unknown in our healing that makes healing precarious. There is a component that is just a craps shoot, that is, just random. While we need to be careful, we need to live and mop floors and go over curbs in the dark or be grabbed by someone on an up escalator who falls. I do not think that I am falling any more than I ever have in my life, it just has a different meaning now for possible consequence. I fell about 8 years ago and fractured by fibula. The surgeon said that I had some osteoporosis in my lower fibula which made her repair difficult. Interesting that I do not have osteoporosis on Traditional bone mineral testing, yet had osteoporosis in my upper spine and fibula. Now I worry, how about the rest of me?

So, I will be a little bit more careful and continue to take my calcium and vit D supplements and hope that the stars are aligned just right for me.

Thanks for your concern and reinforcing my belief that I am not alone on this journey in the others have the same fears/worries that I do.

Wishing you and so many others good fusion and continued healing, Susan

[Marianne]

Susan, Just read up on your thread, so sorry to read about your falls that must have been scary for you. I am glad you did not damage anything . Great follow up report. Be careful when you are out!

[susancook]

Second opinion for incisional hernia

I am having a second opinion for my incisional hernia from my ALIF incision. Wish me luck. Wonder how much weight this doctor wants me to lose? I hate the bulge in the front. I feel so self-conscious.

I was reading about hernias after ALIF and apparently they happen only 1 percent of the time. Why me? Anyone else have one?

Susan....and my bummer menopausal pregnancy

[JenniferG]

Good luck Susan. I hope you can get it fixed earlier than expected. It must be no fun at all.

[susancook]

Second opinion went well. Both surgeons specialize in hernia repairs and both seem quite capable. This surgeon just tops a little more on personality and information. While he would prefer that I lose 30#s, he said that 15 would be OK. He does 3to4 hernia repairs a month and has only repaired 5 ALIF incisional hernias and said that they are rare. Why me? Just lucky or unlucky, I guess.

So, onward to weight loss! Susan....and the bulge

[WLB1]

Hi, Susan

I Sam so sorry you are having such a time! I have only had one fall since my June Surg, but it it was at the physical therapy pool. I was drying off and walking, slipped on a puddle. And fell straight backwards. I had enough sense to roll to my side as I fell so I could avoid the fusion. Just wound up with a bump on
the side of my head, but the PT's panicked, made me see a doctor. He said ," You have a bump on your head." I said, "Yes." That was it.. Ever after the PTs treated me with kid gloves. I was cleared by them because I was able to walk a mile. My Surgeon ATM my last check had a fit and referred me to another PT, and has directed that the PT "raise the bar" of expectations from me. I have a bulge in my side where the apex of my curve used to be. Don't know if its a hernia or not. It isn't near the incision. Immediately post surgery it was huge. Looked like I was pregnant. It has gotten smaller, but I can feel and hear the rumblings of my intestines in it. Feels strange. My surgeon wants to wait to see what it is, maybe it will go away. Again Susan, I am so sorry...

[susancook]

As is human, I have tripped and fallen occasionally in my life. Now, it has such a different meaning and I am so afraid of injuring my fusion. I feel like fine china sometimes in that a fall would shatter me. I suppose that I will gain more confidence in the future that my fusion will not be injured with a slight fall. When I was pulled onto my back on the up escalator, I felt like a turtle on my back. Picture a rapidly up moving escalator and falling on your back and trying to scramble onto your feet. I had to try to roll on my side and push up with my hands as my feet were rapidly moving up the escalator. Not a pretty picture! In retrospect, it was very scary, but it happened so fast, that I did not have much time to think. Fortunately, my brother helped me get up. There is a God!

Susan

[Irina]

Second opinion went well. Both surgeons specialize in hernia repairs and both seem quite capable. This surgeon just tops a little more on personality and information. While he would prefer that I lose 30#s, he said that 15 would be OK. He does 3to4 hernia repairs a month and has only repaired 5 ALIF incisional hernias and said that they are rare. Why me? Just lucky or unlucky, I guess.

So, onward to weight loss! Susan....and the bulge

Hi Susan,

Loosing 15 lb sounds like a more realistic goal to me. I was wondering how your surgeon expected you to lose 30 lb - it's a lot!

Have you tried throwing a ball with a partner, just like kids do? Take a light ball and toss it with your husband. My physical therapist had me do that because it's a good exercise to be prepared and react adequately in case of falls. In the beginning she would throw a ball straight at me, then she started doing it a little to the side so that I had to move, while keeping my balance.