Before and after pics!

[titaniumed]

I didn't remember anything at all about ICU. I lost a week. When they brought me back from the twilight zone, it was a big surprise. They used rubber hoses on my wrists as I was a hose puller. (NG tube)

They pretty much had to keep me knocked out for about 10 days. I had no pca button and had to beg for a fix or a shot. They came every 4 hours. I watched the clock intently. They rotated Morphine,Dilaudid, and this heavy duty version of Lortab as you build up immunities VERY quickly.

Right now I have the flu. Its been fun coughing 2000 times per day. I don't really want to spread this around and that's why I'm posting today from home. I have the occasional fatigue days, maybe once every 10 days where I will nap in the afternoon. My PT on my arm now includes weight training. That has really helped my back. I never did PT on my back as it was a long slow recovery. I noticed quite a bit of improvement with my back after starting PT 8 months post scoli surgery. The exercising of the arms really had a positive effect on the paraspinal muscles up high in my back. I also worked both arms with all the exercises.

Chris
Dr B really straightened you up down low. I still have probably about a 25 degree cobb down low.

The look on Frankenstein's face says " Igor, when you remove the strap, I will kill you" LOL
I know that look and I know that feeling.
Ed

[debbei]

Ed,

You never told us you were such a cutie!! LOL

I hope you feel better soon. Didn't you recently start that new job? Now that you're out in contact with the public every day you get exposed to more germs....ick. Feel better soon. I hate to cough or sneeze, it's uncomfortable. Knock on wood I haven't been sick since my surgery. (maybe because I'm not out in the working world yet? )

[titaniumed]

Debbe

I forgot about the sneezing. One sneeze would floor me there for a while.

I think that the older you are, its more reason to be conservative with your progress. I took it real easy with my back and shoulder recoveries and it worked well. Its something that really isn't worth pushing. There is a big difference between age 40 and 50. and so on.

If you can, I wouldn't go back to work for a while. Like a year. Picking up a cold at 4 mos post is just one example.

Its so much easier not to spend money that it is to make it sometimes.

Its funny, absolutely no responses from my Fabio pics, but when I put up Frankenstein, I get a complement. It it the bolts? or the haircut?
Ed

[txmarinemom]

Sneezing ...

I forgot about the sneezing. One sneeze would floor me there for a while.

I think I remember Singer saying she didn't sneeze for months after surgery, and neither did I.

A year out, however, if I sneeze in the early morning before I'm loose, my neighbors can probably hear the "UGH!!!" (followed by a brief, explicit string of expletives, likely illegal in a few states). I know my dog runs and hides.

It's not really *painful*, per se, just having your head thrown forward is an unexpected shock to everything that's still tight. No residual soreness afterwards.

Regards,
Pam

[titaniumed]

Oops, I sneezed again

[Qikdraw]

Chris,

VERY nice correction! Very nice indeed!

Its odd, but while I slept a lot in ICU I remember a lot of it too. I remember when they removed my catheter, even though I was on morphine, it hurt like hell. It felt like it came from my throat all the way down. (After my second surgery I took that one out on my own) I remember being fed chopped ice, visitors, doctors, watching scoobee doo and writing things for the nurses on a pad of paper. (resperator kept me from being able to speak) I don't remember nurses rushing into the room because the resperator alarm went off a few times. That is burned in my mothers memory though.

The sneezing.... Yeah, it was over a year after where I could sneeze without pain. Like you said Pam, its not really 'painful' it just hurts. heh Laughing hurt too. After my first operation we had friends come and visit and one guy just kept me laughing so hard. The more it hurt, the more I laughed.

Brad