Surgery scheduled for Sept

[JenniferG]

Great post Ed, as always. Hope life is treating you well.

I was nearly 58 when I had my surgery and also didn't go to rehab. However, from years of reading this forum, many who did go to rehab, said it was beneficial.

[titaniumed]

Green

From reading the scoli forums through the years, most in their 30’s don’t go to a rehab facility. I think its best to just see how it goes.....I didn’t go, so they sent nurses and re-hab people out to my house everyday. The main thing is that you wont be able to drive to get groceries, and having a gopher is necessary. There are things you will forget, and will suddenly need. I have all my neighbors and worked hard at training all of my inner circle as to what I was having done, showed them x-rays and filled them in since they had no clue about scoliosis surgery.

Medtronics claims 2-4 weeks for returning to work....That’s a nice thought, I guess marketing people are allowed to dream. I have admit that I do like some of their stuff, like the phrase “reimagine relief” which is something we do forget about ageing with scoliosis. I took 18 months off work but I had a very invasive open anterior, broken arm and shoulder, and eventually after all the gall attacks had my gall bladder removed. I would say that most really don’t return to work for 3 months, and even that has to be done on a part time basis. There are a few posts about the agony of returning to work at 3 months full time....You want to do this part time for awhile. Working online from your home is a good thing.

I recovered alone and wasn’t weaned to orals till I went home which is a painful thing. Make sure you are weaned to oral meds before you leave the hospital. Once you leave, you don’t have the option for a needed shot. I have a deep wide tub and took many hot soaks for pain in hot 106F water. Hot water works well for bone and nerve pain. A standard bathtub wont work as they are not deep enough to float.

My surgeon asked me multiple times how many steps lead into my house, which is 3. If you have stairs, its best to avoid them if you can, a staircase fall would be a disaster. If you live in a 2 story home, setup a bed on the ground floor near a bathroom if possible and I would recommend that you buy a latex foam topper 2-4 inches think. It will be the best $125 you ever spent.

I had 2 units of blood from the blood bank a few days after my surgeries. That was a breath of fresh air, must have been those young stem cells. I wonder if they know the age of the blood? I think if you can request “young blood” that might not be a bad idea. (smiley face)

I think that recovering alone takes an understanding of what’s happening, what happened in surgery, determination, positive attitude, and patience. I really struggled with my bed. I would set my hips down, then lay down and my head would hit the headboard and would have to log roll out on an angle which is trying. You learn as you go, some of the things are a royal pain, but you adapt as you go. I thought I would never be able to reach my feet ever again and I was wrong. Many of my thoughts were compounded with depression and heavy medication usage and I had to stay focused. I guess we don’t have a choice really. After I terminated all meds, I improved quickly.

In the end it all worked out and wouldn’t change a thing.

They will straighten you right up....My layman’s guess would be a fusion down to L2 which is good for bending.

Congratulations on setting your date, believe me, we never forget that moment.

Ed

[springchicken]

Hi Green

That's great that you have a date set. To answer your questions...
It's true, rehab wasn't even brought up to me. I did PT in the hospital to get up and walking (which is normal). And I was told four days as well, but ended up staying an extra day for a blood transfusion, but it wasn't a big deal. I was glad to have the extra day!

It might be hard being alone at first... If you can't have anyone come check on you I'd try to have a nurse come in. The first couple weeks are challenging; I needed help often. I know other members, like Ed I think, offered good posts on how to prepare your house beforehand if you'll be by yourself. And please feel free to ask anything else that might come up.

-spring

[mabeckoff]

Welcome to the forum You will find much good information here

Melissa

[green m&m]

I did it.

Finally put it in writing and scheduled the surgery for mid-September. If I had my choice, I'd have set the date months earlier (still for fall) but because my case is considered 'complex', it took getting the ok from all my docs and surgeons for my ortho to agree to schedule. And even with my main doc wrangling everyone it still took a while for everyone to talk and share their piece of the puzzle.

I'm gonna be scouring the forum for tips.

One thing that I wanted to know from other thirty-somethings. I know many of you in the 50+ age group often goto in-patient rehab after being released from the hospital. Are people in 30s sent to rehab as often? Impression I get from my surgeon is that most people my age are sent straight home - but there's a part of me mildly concerned with being alone during the day.

Also, is 4 days in-hospital realistic? It seemed short when my surgeon said that but I realize everyone is different. At least this one was realistic regarding time-back-to work -- three months compared to the ex-ortho who told me I could go back to work in 6 weeks (HA!).

Attached is my soon to be 'before' xray.