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  • #1

    7 days post-op

    Good afternoon all,

    I am back home and on the other side of straight. My surgery was last Monday, August 1st. The surgery itself lasted much longer than anticipated because once I was opened up, the doc saw that I also had a fractured vertebrae that needed to be repaired along with the fusion with hardware. Because the surgery lasted so long, I looked, and felt, like a monster. My face was so swollen that I couldn't open my eyes or talk coherently. That night and the next few days were a blur to me filled with meds, pain and trying to get comfortable. The pain was a huge issue for me and is still not managed well. Onto more of that later...

    Thursday was just plain awful. My nausea was out of control and the day was literally spent either crying or throwing up in a bag. Friday was better and I was ready to go home, but they kept me another night to see if I could have a BM. It still didn't happen by Saturday afternoon so off to home I went. Saturday was consumed with drinking Mag Cit and being miserable. I finally went all night long Saturday going into Sunday and thought I was going to surely be on the upswing now! Last night (Monday) was probably the worst night of my life. I'm only on 2 hydrocodone every 4 hours and it is clear now that that is not enough. I have a messages into my doc and jousting waiting to see what the new plan of action is. I cannot go through another night like last night if I can help it.

    Activity wise, days are much better for me. Yesterday I got in 4 15-minute walks and seem to handle the pain ok during the day. What has been other people's experience with this? Can I ask what others were prescribed during this time to give me a good baseline of what may be typical?

    Now that I am home again, I will try to post more regularly. Thank you all for the support!
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Glad to hear you are home!

    I'm so confused why hospitals continue to sent patients home without a BM after a major surgery! Mine wouldn't let me go until I went. I had another surgery this past Feb, non-scoli related and was told from the get go one of the main events that'd delay discharge was lack of poop.

    I also had a Monday surgery for fusion and didn't go home until the following Monday.

    For pain meds, I was on a dilaudid PCA while in the hospital for first few days, than 10 mg Oxcontin (extended oxycodone) every 12 hrs, with 2 - 4 mg dilaudid for break through.

    At home I ended up converting to 5mg oxycodone immediate release every 4 hours with 2 - 4 mg dilaudid as needed for break (no more than 6x of 2mg pills in 24 hrs) through with 2 mg zanaflex every 3 hours. For all medications, as far as I understand, I was on low end for dosage.

    With that said, everyone is different and hopefully others answer but we are all on very different amounts and types of medications.

    Your activity level is more than what I was at that point. I couldn't stand up straight for 3 weeks post-op so walking was difficult.
    30 something y.o.

    2003 - T45, L???
    2005 - T50, L31
    bunch of measurements between...

    2011 - T60, L32
    2013 - T68, L?

    Posterior Fusion Sept 2014 -- T3 - L3
    Post - op curve ~35


    Comment

    • #3
      Short walks help. Pain at this point is extreme. I was on a pain patch at this point. Ice pack helps. I hope this get's better for you.
      Last edited by jackieg412; 08-08-2016, 04:03 PM.
      T10-pelvis fusion 12/08
      C5,6,7 fusion 9/10
      T2--T10 fusion 2/11
      C 4-5 fusion 11/14
      Right scapulectomy 6/15
      Right pectoralis major muscle transfer to scapula
      To replace the action of Serratus Anterior muscle 3/16
      Broken neck 9/28/2018
      Emergency surgery posterior fusion C4- T3
      Repeated 11/2018 because rods pulled apart added T2 fusion
      Removal of partial right thoracic hardware 1/2020
      Removal and replacement of C4-T10 hardware with C7 and T 1
      Osteotomy

      Comment

      • #4
        Hi Misty,

        Welcome home, you did it! It sounds like you are doing quite well, I surely was not walking remotely that much at that stage. Pain is very very dominant at this stage in the game. I was on a lot of medication and it still hurt. Until day 14 I was on long-acting OxyContin twice a day and 6mg of Dilaudid every 3 hours. I cut the Oxy after day 14. I lay on gel ice packs all day long. You can also make them with 1 cup rubbing alcohol and 2 cups Water, put it in a ziplock then put that bag in another ziplock. Just take care of yourself! Maybe the walking is flaring the night pain.

        Where was fracture? How long did the surgery take? As for the nausea, did any medication help? It is so rough in the beginning! Hopefully you will feel better at home. Keep us posted!

        Jana
        Diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis at age 11
        Dr. Edgar Dawson of UCLA
        Braced and "stopped" below 50 degrees
        Age 25: 47 degrees, 48 degrees
        Age 38 (3 babies later): 60 degrees, 63 degrees and 2.5 inches shorter
        Age 41: 64 degrees, 70 degrees
        Dr. Gregory Mundis Jr. of Scripps Hospital, La Jolla CA
        June 2015-ALIF on L5-S1 for a slipped and degenerated disk
        June 14, 2016-T4-L4 spinal fusion with instrumentation
        Post-surgery: 16 degrees, 12 degrees and 2 inches taller

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by mistybowe View Post


          I'm only on 2 hydrocodone every 4 hours and it is clear now that that is not enough. I have a messages into my doc and jousting waiting to see what the new plan of action is. I cannot go through another night like last night if I can help it!
          Update on this, I finally connected with my dr yesterday and added Adivan 1mg to my arsenal to take at bedtime as needed. Last night was a million times better than Sunday night so I am so relieved!

          My bandages came off last night, with the exception of the steri strips. My lumbar area is VERY swollen... I assume this is normal?

          Comment

          • #6
            Originally posted by mistybowe View Post
            Update on this, I finally connected with my dr yesterday and added Adivan 1mg to my arsenal to take at bedtime as needed. Last night was a million times better than Sunday night so I am so relieved!

            My bandages came off last night, with the exception of the steri strips. My lumbar area is VERY swollen... I assume this is normal?
            Yeah! Ativan can be a wonder drug. :-)

            Swelling is probably normal. You might want to take some acetaminophen (Tylenol) to see if that helps.

            --Linda
            Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
            Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

            Comment

            • #7
              Your walking routine seems like a lot to me - but if your body can handle it then that is probably OK. But, if it starts hurting, I'd cut back on the walking.

              At one week post op - I was still on so many drugs I actually don't have a memory of 4 days. My husband keeps telling me things that were said or done, and I have no memory. But, I am a little older than you and I had anterior / posterior, so I was dealing with a lot.

              Congratulations of making it to "the other side!" It's a good place to be!

              Kathy
              Decompression surgery L4/L5
              April 3, 2015
              Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
              Fused from T11 - Sacrum anterior/posterior
              June 24, 2016 - 55 years old at surgery
              Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
              Before Surgery: 42 degrees lumbar, 28 degrees thoracic
              After Surgery: 10 degrees lumbar, ?? Thoracic
              2 inches taller

              Comment

              • #8
                Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
                Yeah! Ativan can be a wonder drug. :-)

                Swelling is probably normal. You might want to take some acetaminophen (Tylenol) to see if that helps.

                --Linda
                Linda, do you think it's okay to take additional Tylenol if I'm already taking the Hydrocodone with Acetaminophen?

                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by mistybowe View Post
                  Linda, do you think it's okay to take additional Tylenol if I'm already taking the Hydrocodone with Acetaminophen?
                  You might want to check with your primary care doctor, but we typically prescribe acetaminophen as needed, even with hydrocodone, as long as the patient doesn't exceed 4000mg a day, and as long as they don't have a known liver issue.

                  --Linda
                  Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                  Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                  Comment

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