1st time having a fusion (L4/L5)...

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musiccitygirl

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Hey Lilly,
I too have virtually no leg pain. Just excruciating low back pain!!!! I do have some radiculopathy into my left hip and butt and have had some heal pain and toe cramps that could be related. It must be hard having such a little one and go through this but, as long as you can be near him and hug him he will know he is loved. He will learn the work boo boo really quickly. ;) And yes, do resist lifting him at all, as hard as it will be to not do that! Good luck to you and please keep us updated. :wave: Heather
 
hi spineys, finally...I have made the decision with my docs to have the L4/L5 lurabar fusion (scheduled for january 5th). I am in my 6th year of chronic pain (with 2 micro-d surgeries under my belt). Can you please give me some feedback, advise tips or what to expect for my recovery....
thank you in advance!!
 
I am still having back pain but I am much more mobile now. This is going to be a long recovery though as I am just realising how unfit I am. I am going to have to do this slowly and just keep persevering. It is difficult not to over do it and just hold back as it would be so good to do normal things but I really don't want to hurt my back again. I really don't know how people go back to work soon after surgery as it has really been one day at a time. I am walking each day for around 3/4 hour but also walk around the house a lot more than I have in years. I am able to drive comfortably for over 1/2 an hour. Also I will start physio on Tuesday. I would have done sooner only for Christmas.
So I will stay in touch occasionally and let you know how I am going.
Allan.
 
Before I had any leg symptoms I suffered with Chronic lower back pain for about 6-7 years. One of the surgeons I saw at about 2 years told me that I could do most things without making the problems worse but I was sceptical about it and was a bit careful because any time I overdid things I was left in a lot of pain for a day to a week afterwarRAB. But I continued to go out in the boat and work on my car even lifting boxes and furniture when moving. I always suffered pain but didn't worry too much about making my injury worse.

Well it id get worse and much worse. The last 2 years I started getting shocking lightning like electric shocks up my spine and down my legs after going out fishing. It dropped me on the spot and I couldn't move or they would hit again. It was the worse pain I have ever felt. It started in my lower back and felt like someone had stabbed me in the back. After this happened about 6 times my bottom started to get sore and I started limping and my left leg started to hurt. It got steadily worse until I couldn't walk without my stick. By the time I got my surgery I couldn't go shopping or walk up stairs without terrible pain including my foot burning and painful to put pressure on.

My point is that your back can get much worse and quickly when it does and you wouldn't want to be on a long waiting list etc or the damage and pain could become more permanent. So please be aware that your problems can escalate at any time if you don't really look after your area of pain and injury as I found out the hard way.

I don't mean to be dramatic or threatening I just want people to know how fast or slow your injury can worsen. I wish I had the surgery much sooner but had to initiate it myself by taking out the health insurance and saving for the outlay. It has cost me a years insurance about $2400 plus $1700 for the anaesthetist and another $5,500 for the surgeon. This was the gap payment to the doctors above what medicare and my insurance on the government schedule. The doctors believe this is not enough so the better the surgeon the more the gap usually. This is in Australia. The free method through the public system may have been a 3 to 6 year wait instead of my 1 year to be covered by insurance.
 
As others have said there are lots of us here who have just been through this or have in the past. Our threaRAB are full of our experiences and advice so you call always search back through some of them or just ask some questions here. I think it has been a bit like AA here for me, first I was asking everyone for information then I found some frienRAB and and started sharing my experiences which also helped me to recover and feel like a useful meraber of the group giving as well as sharing our knowledge. It has helped me so much and given me a distraction from my own pain and discomfort.
Hope your surgery is successful and it gives you back the life that this injury takes from us.
Allan
 
allenbruce, you are so very right. For well over a year I had pain in my left buttock and back of the thigh.....I kept seeing my pm to have the symptoms treated and kept putting off surgery again. I mean, who wants an 8th surgery on their back? Then one day I started to get up from my chair and had excruciating back pain hit me. It took 3 weeks to get in to see my surgeon and I spent that time bent in half when walking and taking morphine to be able to do that much! Seems like once you get on the back surgery merry-go-round it just never enRAB.

So mainly, I just wanted to emphasize what allenbruce said so that maybe someone who is procrastinating, thinking it will get better by itself, will perhaps get help before damage is done.

Best wishes to all.

Carol
 
Do you know if you are having PLIF, ALIF, XLIF, 360 or whatever other initials might be out there? Will it be minimally invasive? Will have have hardware? Will they be using your own bone, or otherwise? All these answers play a part in your recovery, the length of your recovery, etc.

Very generally speaking, you can expect the first ten days to two weeks to be a bit rough. After you recover from the surgical pain, you will still have a great deal of healing to do. The bone does not fuse hard and strong for a year, even though some people show signs of fusion as early as about 3 weeks.

At the beginning you'll be restricted to walking, which is the most important activity you can do. Several short walks each day are better than one longer walk. Walking helps to stretch out the spinal nerves, helps the heart pump to supply freshly oxygenated blood to the surgical area, and it can help to keep developing scar tissue from attaching to a nerve.

People heal at different rates, so it is difficult to say how long it will take for one individual...but generally, surgeons' websites will say the patient will be off work anywhere from two to six months.

I had a PLIF at L4-5 three years ago this Jan. 8th and I had a 3 level fusion in June. One thing I've found is that you cannot rush the healing process along, and expect good results from your surgery. It is very important that you follow your surgeon's instructions, and avoid the usual activity restrictions (no bending at the waist, twisting, pushing, pulling or lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk.) How long these restrictions are in effect is determined by your doctor's experience and how you are fusing. It is very important to develop patience because the fusing process takes longer than any of us would want....

Many people find it helpful to have someone with them for the first week or two. It is not absolutely necessary, but you will probably be on fairly heavy pain meRAB at the beginning. You will not be released from the hospital until you can take care of your bathrooms neeRAB, dress yourself and make it to your bedroom. If it is on the second floor, you will be clirabing stairs before they will release you.

I used to tell people that the most important items for me after surgery were a raised toilet seat and a satin bottom sheet. After my first fusion, I found it very difficult to reposition myself in bed. At the hospital I felt like I was stuck to the bed with velcro. The satin sheet makes it much easier to turn over, and shift from side to side. However, after my recent surgery, I had no trouble...and still can't figure out why.

There are many merabers who have had a fusion, if not several, so feel free to ask questions. Someone is bound to have an answer for you!!

I hope your anticipation of surgery will not spoil your holidays. In my case, I had heard so many horror stories prior to my first fusion that I was convinced it would be the most horrible event of my life. In reality, it wasn't all that bad. But it does take a long time to recover....If you know that going in, I think it makes the whole process a little easier!

Cheers!
 
Its a slow recovery process, I am now 48 or 50 daysout since my fusion at L45, I sleep a lot, take drugs, walk up and down stairs, use the tread mill when it is icy outside. If the fusion is both anterior and posterior its a slow slow careful recovery. If just it is just posterior as I just had it a matter of no bending, twisting or lifting (8 lb limit) with the spine for 45 - 90 days and then a 9 month period to recovery. Slow, really slow process of recovery. It not bad its just slow and frustrating.
 
I had L4/L5 fused 11/29/10. Pain is minimal except for the CONSTIPATION. The day before your procedure pick up a fleetwood enema pack and make sure you are clean as a whistle. It will make a huge difference in your pain level. On 11/30 the next day after my op when they tried to make me walk my left leg would not work! Multiple tests later and lots of apprehension I told them give me the industrial enema. 20 minutes later and much lighter, my left leg worked no problem and my pain level plummeted. If u get backed up, (I was actually 4 days backed up) the whole process becomes much more painful. Good luck. I feel fantastic now, no sciatica at all anymore and my biggest fear is thinking I can handle more than I should so I am being extra vigilant to make sure I follow protocall.
 
Lilly,
How are you girl? I know you just had your surgery. Please post when you can. I go on Wednesday to have my two level lurabar PLIF. I hope you are doing okay. Thinking of you. Heather.
 
I'm having the XLIF on 1/24/11, for a L4-L5 fusion. My surgeon (in Tampa, FL) says he will do the fusion through my side but then he will have to put me on my stomach and make four cuts in my back for the screws. Has anyone had this done?
 
Hi Lilly. I think tetonteri said it all and said it very well at that! I can only add that you should do out and purchase a "reacher" or "grabber"....a stick that you can use to pick up things that are too low to reach. You've probably heard them mentioned here before. They can be bought at walmart or any similar store inexpensively and they are well worth that money and more.

Also, look into your fridge and cabinets and move most used items into easy reach so that you dont have to stretch to get to them. A couple of pots or pans can sit out on the stove so that you don't have to bend for them.

I had a 2 level fusion at L1-2, 2-3, bones spurs removed at 4 levels and facetectomies at 4 levels. The first week or two was the worst with pain levels that gradually died down. I am now almost pain free as long as I am very careful about what I do......the surgery was done Oct. 21st, so I feel that I am doing well and am happy with my progress.

I wish you a successful surgery and an uneventful recovery.

Blessings,

Carol
 
Hi,

I hope you are doing well. This is my first time posting and I just wanted to let you know that I had fusion to my L4&5 in March 2010. I spent the first 3 months drugged out of my mind (Vicodin was my friend) and then when I started to taper of the drugs I found that I had alot of trouble regaining a normal walking stride. My spine screwed up my hips and legs so when everything was fixed my legs had to relearn how to walk straight. Anyhow 5 months after surgery I was still walking slow and with alot of pain. I walked daily regardless because I'm a firm believer in exercise fixes everything.

By Septeraber I still had a bit of limp and short stride but I enrolled into a bootcamp class at my gym. After a month of agony there I started running (fast), so much so that I'm up to 6.2 miles and I can bend, lift, twist with heavy weights and even roll around with my 2 year old on the floor. (she's 35 pounRAB)

If someone had told me that I'd be running and moving so much less than a year after surgery I would have never believed them, the pain was too great and my body was just not cooperating. So it seemed. So hang in there, heal well. When you're ready, start slow and move up to whatever level of exercise makes you feel better. It's all very possible :)

One thing is for sure for me is that pain is always going to be part of my life. I'm okay with that because it's no where near what I felt before the fusion. Muscle strength helps alot because my muscles are bearing my weight not my bones. When I get sciatica in my hips or legs (because some nerve damage is forever) I use a foam roller and a hot shower to ease the pain.

Good luck and I hope you are doing well :)
 
My surgery has helped so much but I know it is going to be a long recovery. I am walking each day but it still leaves me with some pain. I am on a much reduced medication now and I see my doctor tomorrow and he may be reducing it again. So I will see what he says but I suppose it is also my choice weather I am ready for that. I am sore tonight and have a little tingling in my leg and my stomach is still sore from the 6to7 inch surgical cut. It seems like they must have done a lot of pulling to the left side as it is still bruised and sore. The hole thing is slowly settling down but I think I will be still in some pain for a while. All my hardware is quite large and inside me so I hope it stays there and I never have to see it come out. That would be upsetting but I do have a slightly damaged L4-5 disc that has no soft centre so I will always have to conceder it when I am doing anything that could damage it.
Allan
 
Hey Lilly,
I too am having a 2 level fusion on Jan 12th. Lets share our experiences and support one another. I am reasonably nervous but, have a positive attitude. What is your diagnosis. I have severe DDD, and a collapsed disc at l5-s1. Also disc herniations at both levels, 9mm at l5-s1. My first opinion was to have the discectomy, and my 2nd opinion was fusion because he said if we did a discectomy, I would surely be back for more :dizzy: I hate that you had to go through that just to end up back for a fusion. I have purchased a treadmill to put in my bedroom as it will be cold and I know I will not want to get bundled up to go outdoors. Carol and Tetoroni, thanks for the tips, I love the one about the satin sheets. I will be going shopping for those right away. Lilly, good luck to you and lets keep in touch!!! Heather
 
I am so happy to hear a positive outlook to life altering issues.

I had first fusion 6/30/2010 and second 6 months later on 1/7/2011 due to continued pain. I had a deep wound infection, with lots of scar tissue and great bone edema. Both cages were removed and replaced at L5.

Had I pushed as you did, not knowing the issue was hardware and an infection, which showed little to no symptoms, I don't want to think how bad things could have gotten. I to push, it is just my nature; I can't sit still and waste time at 54. BUT I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG - others were healing I was not so I backed down and pushed the doc for an answer. I walked daily until I felt a snap and odd pain about two weeks before doc found infection on MRI w/contrast!. I pushed the issue with doc for four months something was not right. I am happy I kept at my doctor. The very first time I got myself up out of bed after the second surgery and stood, I could not believe it. My spine felt so very strong and stable, totally different and little to no pain other than surgery site pain! I am so happy the hardware was replaced and believe it was just off enough to hit something and cause horrible nonstop pain for six months with edems and resulting infection.

I have paid the price though. 3/4 of my right foot and calf are now pins and needles often encompassed by fire! Doc said due to removal of scar tissue around so many of my nerves he doubts it will get better. I feel I have given up one pain for another, but at least I can walk and lay down and sit without pain in my back. I am only two weeks post surgery and still have a lot of swelling to go away yet. With that I am in hopes my leg will improve. But there can be good results and any relief from pain after years of pain and limitations is truly wonderful for a sufferer. It is so great.

Patience, knowing your own body, having support and working with a positive attitude (this can be difficult when pain defeats you) and doing that walking will pay off. Be good to you and it will work out. So happy for you and your child and the wonderful years you have ahead of you to share filled with triumph, giggles, lots of smiles, confidence and hugs :)
 
hi all, thanks do much for taking the time to respond to me! a bit more about my situation...I have had barely any to no leg pain, the biggest problem for me has always been severe back pain. the only reason I had the micro-d surgeries was because they thought that it might help with the back pain, even though the surgery is predominantly for leg pain. my disc reherniated 6 weeks after the first surgery..I have no choice but to get a fusion at this point (there are no more micro-d surgeries to be had again at this level). they are going through the back. 2 roRAB, a cage that they will fill in with protein and cadaver and 4 screws.
 
....oops, forgot to mention that I also have fibromyalgia. so, my doc has warned me that recovery will be even more challenging. I also have an 18 month old baby boy. it kills me that I cannot be the mother that I want to be to him..but I have an amazing support circle around me and I will have my baby around me all the time.
 
You will have to resist the urge to pick up your son for awhile after your surgery. Most surgeons have a restriction on lifting anything heavier than about a gallon of milk. You can figure out ways around this, but it will be very important to train yourself right from the start.

The surgeon will begin to lift restrictions as you go along, depending on how you are fusing.
 
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