December Surgeries: Recovery Thread!

[rosie1108]

One week post op!

My surgery was about 10 hours, they had to give me 4 units of blood during the surgery, then two more the following day because my hematocrit levels were dangerously low. I also ran a fever for two days, not too much, around 101. Fortunately, they let me go home on the 5th day, PT and OT discharged me that morning because I was doing so well .

I have to take pain meds religiously every three hours, or I am in too much pain to even move at all. I still have some areas of my body that do not have full sensation yet, but each day they seem to get smaller.

They did not take bone from my hip as they were planning to do, he used cadaver bone, so thankfully I have three choices of how to lay (back and either side). I am not wearing a brace, and I am able to lift my arms above my head and put on tanktops and zip up sweatshirts without too too much pain. I can use the restroom un-aided now, I can get up from sitting in most any chair, and get out of bed generally without too much difficulty.

I'm not sure, but I think I am swollen on my front and sides, as well as my back, it might just be me getting used to my new shape. My rib hump was quite noticeable before, and now it is essentially gone.

My husband takes such good care of me, it is unbelievable!

I'm so happy I had the surgery , but when the pain meds start wearing off, I start to wonder....

[txmarinemom]

Yay, Rosie! I'm encouraged by every one of you brave ladies ;-).

Regards,
Pam

[vndy]

Yay, Rosie - so happy you're home!

Big news (I'm sort of kidding) - I went to the Mall tonight! We walked around and I even tried on clothes. Afterwards we sat down to eat (yes, in hard, wooden chairs), and I was fine. For the first time since surgery, I felt "normal" again. There were periods of time when I completely forgot I'd had surgery.

I know this is kind of silly, but it felt like a really big step

[LorDon]

Welcome home!

Hi Rosie,
Welcome to the other side!! I am so glad to hear that you are finally home and resting comfortably in your own bed. I'm happy that everything went well for you. Continued thoughts and well wishes for a speedy recovery!

vndy,
So glad to hear that things are beginning to feel "normal" again. There's nothing better than a trip to the mall to boost a woman's spirits!

Take care ladies!

[nzgirl]

Woohoo! Those are big achievments Vndy! I feel like I could go to the mall, but don't want to get bumped into (paranoid!)
I went to the local pub the other day, and sat for about half an hour and had a glass of wine with my partner, before walking home. I think I'll choose a nicer pub next time! That one was a bit scungey. It was nice to know that I can do it!

Today I went for a walk on my own, after nearly throttling people who wanted to come with me even though I had done the same walk lots since surgery, and not fallen or needed a break etc...

I'm getting really frustrated with these nice people who are trying to help me, mostly because they're reluctant to let me do stuff that I can do, without fussing. I am not doing a good job at not being grumpy today.

[crepehanger]

You all are doing so well !!!

It does my heart good to read about your successes. They seem small and painful to you all, but to those of us ahead of you in recovery, we know you're headed in the right direction. I promise you, it will get much better, and there are milestones where the lightbulb will come on and you have those "aha" moments we've read about. Keep up the good work in your recoveries, I am proud of all of you !!!!

[JanL]

becember surgeries

I am a little over 2 weeks post op - was in St Louis 2 weeks and now home 2 days. I think I am doing remahkably well except for 2 related things. 1) I still have a hard time getting myself up and 2) since I wake up every two hrs during the night to go to the bathroom, not being able to get myself up is a pain. I can get on my side with a log roll but then have a hard time pushing myself up with my arms. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips? When can I expect to get through at least 4 hrs without a trip to the bathroom???

Otherwise, walking great. Pain not bad. Going to wean to 1 Oxycotin/day as of tomorrow with Norco for breakthrough pain.

[vndy]

Jan - Sounds like, all in all, you're doing well! Getting up from my bed I often push up from the nightstand. I think it's easier because it's hard (instead of the mattress, which squishes down when you push up on it) and a couple inches higher than the bed too. Best of luck with sleeping, I am just not getting to the point where I wake up 2-3 times a night...

[rosie1108]

Same here

I was going to tell you the exact same thing... Use the night table or a nearby sturdy chair to push yourself up with your arm that is on top, then support yourself on your lower elbow half way up, then press up on your outstretched arm as you go for the rest of the way up.

Also, be sure you are putting your legs off the edge of bed as you push yourself up, it seems to work pretty well like a counterbalance as long as you can keep your abs and glutes tight, trying to pivot on your hip works pretty great.

hope this helps!
Rosie

P.S. Be sure that when someone is helping you, have them just support under your shoulder, so that you are getting up the same way as you would on your own, but they are just assisting. I'm sure you will get strong enough to do it yourself soon.

[Geish]

My home care nurse came by yesterday. She is really pleased with my progress so far. She did have one complaint though...she said it wasn't fair that I had this massive surgery and yet it looks like I won't even have a scar to show for it! I started laughing. Things have been pretty good so far. I have started walking outdoors, it is very slow going and I tire quickly, but it sure feels good to be out of the house. I have almost no pain, just a bit achy. I am off the narcotic for breakthrough pain completely. I am taking a pain killer every 4-6 hours now and a half dose of muscle relaxers every 8 hours.
I can shower pretty much by myself now, but still cant reach below my waist very well, so still use a bit of help there. My physical therapist comes tomorrow and I am sure she will put me on the treadmill at that point. I finally got an appetite back and have been dying for food. I still need to eat small portions as I get full very fast but it sure is nice to want food again. I have dropped 10 pounds since I came home from the hospital. I guess my jeans will be fitting better now! I still need to wear my brace for the next 3-4 months until the fusion looks like it is taking on the xrays. I think that is a small price to pay to look and feel so good about myself. I hope everyone is doing well and making progress every day.
Have a blessed New Year! I know 2008 will be so much better for us all and our new backs. Mine is already so much better. I will be posting before and after pics once all of the steri strips are gone, but it sure looks good.
Alicia

[suzyjay]

Jan

I brought a bed rail, the rail has a base (flat board) and it goes between the mattress and box spring. For the first few months I couldn't get up unless I used the rail. I also helped me from log rolling myself righ off the bed.

Sue

[vndy]

Update

Hey Everyone.

I'm doing better - I'm almost off the painkiller (Dilaudid. I'm only taking one pill 3-4 times a day). My stomach is still a bit unhappy, it sort of feels like muscle cramps, which isn't helping my appetite, but I think that's a result of reducing the dosage. Once I'm "off" it, is it okay to take a pill occasionally if the pain is bad? Or should I stick with tylenol (which I don't think does much but irritate my stomach)?

I've started to drive, sort distances and avoiding rush hour. My biggest concerns are backing up and parking. I'm going to go into the office tomorrow for a few hours and see how that goes - my biggest worry is parking (it's downtown). Any advice on parallel parking/reversing without twisting would be greatly appreciated... I'm not sure how much I trust my mirrors!!!

[Geish]

Vndy,
So glad to hear you are doing better! I don't think it's a problem to take the occasional dilaudid, I am keeping mine around just in case. However, I really don't have pain per say, just a lot of achiness. I have found that my pain killer, Ultram, seems to do the trick. And I am taking those every 6-8 hours now.

I have had small round mirrors added to my side mirrors. They expand my vision and I was able to back out of my driveway without twisting around and I didn't hit anything! You can pick them up at any auto parts store or maybe even wal-mart, k-mart or Target. I think they run about $2 a piece and they just stick on. Then they can be rotated to give you the best sight line. I haven't hit the open road yet, just up and down my quiet street, but I feel better knowing that I have really reduced my blind spots.
Keep us informed and good luck at the office!
Alicia

[Geish]

I slept in my own bed last night for the first time since before surgery. Up until now I have been sleeping in the livingroom in a hospital bed. I purchased a 4 inch memory foam mattress topper for my bed a few weeks before my surgery but discovered that I couldn't get out of my bed on my own when I got home from the hospital. I decided to try again last night and am I ever glad I did. I was so comfortable when I got into bed I started crying. It felt soooo GOOD! Once I fell asleep I slept straight through the night. I was even able to reach over, grab my brace and put it on by my self! Then I tried to log roll out of bed...I quickly discovered that my step was in the wrong position and my feet never touched it! My daughter rushed over and helped me stand up then we promptly moved the step to a better position!

My other big achievement lately is I was able to go coach my wrestlers on Saturday! I hadn't seen my team since the first week of December and was it ever great to be back. This is my 7th year as a coach at our local high school and I really missed my boys...all 35 of them. As they saw me walk into the gym the recognition was a bit slow at first, then they started coming over to me one at a time. Next thing you know they were all out of the bleachers, surrounding me and giving me hugs! What an amazing feeling to feel so loved and appreciated. I had kids win on Saturday that have never had a win before and then they would come over to me and say" that was for you coach! ". Of course I stayed too long and wore my self out but I don't regret one minute of it.

I hope everyone else is doing great. Don't forget to post and let us know how you are doing.
Alicia

[nzgirl]

Six Weeks Post-op

I went back to my surgeon today to have my first post-op check-up. This was a fun exercise involving more x-rays, - my stack is already too big to lug easily. I was feeling a bit sad on the way in, because it is very nerve-wracking to have to go to the surgeon and find out what he has to say, and to have to go through this on a regular basis isn't great. But today it was all good news. I told him how I came off all my drugs at 3 weeks post-op, that I have been driving, and what I have been up to, and he was amazed. I also told him that the most persistant pain site I had seems to be gone since the surgery, and he was pleased. He wasn't convinced that the surgery would do anything other than stop the curve from getting worse. So the reduction in pain, straighter spine, and smooth surgery was as much a surprise for me as it was for him. Having said that, my surgeon is known for having a very conservative outlook, and rare smiles. So I was pleased that when I said I was thrilled with the results, he actually looked like he was happy! I also haven't had any pain from my bone graft site, which has been really good. I had been told by many people how painful it is long-term, and I was afraid of having more pain than I already had. I think it is amazing how good I feel six-weeks out, and my surgeon was really surprised at how well I have recovered. For me, most of the time I feel better than I did pre-op. I am really tired though at the moment, and I do have some pain. But I am managing, and it is only sometimes where it is bad enough to make me drop everything and lie down.

I am finding it frustrating still not being able to do everything that I would normally, especially since Bryan still has to do all the housework plus try and catch up on his work. Because we went on our summer holiday for 2 weeks before my surgery, and him having to look after me full time since december, he is really behind. Also one of his staff has taken an extended holiday, so it's been really difficult. I really wish I could help more, and if I need stuff done it is adding to his workload. So all this time I have to think up ideas and scheme, is quite stressful for him! I need to bite my tounge when I think, 'hey, why don't we just do x y z to the house?'

Our kitten arrives in two days, and we've narrowed names down to 1) Orion 2) Darwin 3) Leo, I think it's going to be Orion, but we are still undecided.

I'm hoping to be starting up thesis work soon, but I'm still feeling wiped out. There are lots of things that are small jobs that I could be doing, but don't have the energy. The days are going really fast, but I'm not sleeping well at the moment.

All up, I am so happy with how I've progressed to this point. The surgery was so major, but from all accounts I have done really well. It's been difficult at times, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been. I'm pleased that I have surprised my surgeon in a good way!