2days left for spinal fusion Positive advice Please

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You will be able to take your walk before you know it!! It will take some time but you will get there. It is really nice to start to get your life back, really really is. I think waiting for the surgery is the hardest part! You are right, people don't understand back pain unless they have gone through it! That's why this place is such a treasure. I look forward to seeing your posts about your recovery and progress.

Rose:)
 
Hi folks,

Going in for spinal fusion to be done on the 31st. Just want to thank you all for your support over the past few weeks (just new to board).

Any if anyone has any late advice for me I would be most grateful. I am dreading this, I feel like I have been kicked in the stomach and wake each morning like this, just dreading it. I feel I can get over the pain of the operation but I am so scared that it will not help my pain, that I will have gone through all of this for nothing, I Know I should be positive but I am just now so anxious.

Am I really going to be house bound for long? Some people are saying they can only sit for 10 min, and that is weeks down the line of their surgery!

Could really do with some positive outcomes here.

Thank you all.

Round 1
DDD L4/L5 L5 S1
 
Good Luck. Think positive and everything will be o.k. Make sure you know how to use the pain pump that they give you to use the first few days. I didn't figure it out, until the day they removed it. No BLT's. You will be a little sore from the surgery, but as the days go by it will get better.
 
Hi Round.

I'm 4 weeks post-op from a level 1 fusion - L5-S1. I've felt great since surgery compared to what I felt like before surgery. I have bad days but not nearly as bad as before my surgery. I think you'll do fine. I was terrified before my surgery but everything went fine. Remeraber that after surgery they give you strong drugs so I think your pain will be minimal. I can sit for hours at a time if I wanted to, I've not had a problem with that. The only thing I have had a problem with is car rides. If I take a car ride, no matter how short, the next few days I'm pretty sore so I only take car rides if I have a doctors appt.

I know you'll do fine. Please keep us updated on your progress.

Good Luck Round. I'll keep you in my prayers!
 
Round
I think you will do fine. Just go into this with a positive attitude. There are a lot of success stories and sometimes people do come back to tell their story but most have moved on and are living their life.

Read Roy47 posts his is a great success story.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Hi Round1,
I know it must be discouraging and scary to read that it's still hard to sit for 10 minutes for so long after surgery. But that's all part of recovery from a big surgery like this. Sitting is the most painful for quite a while. I had no problem lying down or standing up and walking, but sitting was really hard. Don't let that frighten you. I can say that I am much better off now, even though I still have pain. I would do this again in a heartbeat!

If you've read the post surgery tips at the top of the page and have gotten your ducks all in a row, then the best advice I can give you for this last day is to keep yourself very, very busy! Keeping busy helped me to keep my mind from dwelling too much on what was to come. Once you're on the other side of this, it's just a matter of taking your meRAB, resting and walking, and listening to your doctor.

Come back and ask whatever questions you have after your surgery. You're sure to have some, and none are too big or too small. We'll do our best to help you, even if all we can say is to call your doctor.

Take care! I wish you the best tomorrow!
Emily :wave:
 
Well I am eleven weeks post op. And remeraber those pre surgery jitters, so well. Let see, make sure you have grabbers a couple of them, ice packs were my friend. The first few days at the hospital are dooseys but manageable, it seems ok until you try to get up or down, but I kept my finger on the morphine pump. I am a wus. But thanks to everyone here, I was up walking alot on the second or third day, its all kind of a blur. I just tried walking every time I was already up, did a lap around the ward. Walk, walk, walk, remeraber that.

Have stool softeners ready, cause your gonna need them. Dulcolax worked awesome for me five days later, though I was going to die.

Trash bag for the seat of the car on the way home and one for in the bed help you slide around easier. lots of pillows in the bed.

I went out and got my laptop a few days before surgery and it was my life line. The first few days home I mostley slept, but after a few days I was able to get to the bathroom and to the kitchen etc by myself.

Don't get me wrong it was no walk in the park, but it was more manageable than what my mind had let me imagine. My meRAB kept me controlled pain wise, just need a notebook to keep track, the remote and phone next to you. I set up my dresser with everything I could possibly think I would need.

Read the tips at the top of the forum, and ask any question.

Surround yourself with good fusion storys there are lots of them out there. I think I am a sucess but early on, I can walk two miles all at once now. But when I started it was like fifty feet three times a day, then increased it gradually.

Sitting does suck, still does, but you wont feel like sitting much anyway. That's why I would recommend the laptop, I charged mine at best buy.

The night before my surgery I met a guy who had fusion for the same reason as me, we talked for along time, he said, the first year was tough, but my spine has been perfect since, never been a problem and it has been six or seven years.

Sitting does take along time, and that was what I was most worried about to, so i understand, but we are all different some people didn't have near the problem.

Hang in there, only think positive. And keep busy!!!
 
Thank you Emily,

Just logged on here 22.00 hours going in am tomorrow. Wished I read you report sooner, boy what a day I put down........ Anyway it is out of my hanRAB now and I have no other choice but to go ahead. It is the unknown that I find hard to deal with.

But yes I will be back and no doubt will have loaRAB of questions. Once I know the sitting is the hardest I can accept, once the walking and standing are okay!!! don't want much really!!!!!.

So i am signing off now this was my second post but somehow managed to hit wrong button so dont know where is has ended!!!!

A big thank you to all.

And I'll be back !!!!
 
Round, you will be OK, trust me. :)
We went thru this and we are here to talk to you. Don't think about negative things right now, please, think positive. Everybody's case is very different than the other. You read here about our problems since we have prolong recovering and some complications. But a lot of sucessful outocomes you don't read about because people who did well after the surgery go on with their lives, they don't come to this board, they don't have to. We are here to learn from each others experiences, to seek emotional helf from a wonderful and supportive people on this board. This is why you read all our messages and you get scared.

Time after surgery is not a piece of cake: you cut finger and it hurts. But pain comes with the territory: you take day at the time and leave it the best you can. Thanks to pain medication - it helps a lot. You sleep more than usual, you rest and before you realize you will be back on your feet trying to walk more, do more, etc. Just be careful and listen to your body - the best indicator for you. And with support of your family, frienRAB and us here - you will be doing just fine. Come here to talk to us, you can vent and don't be afraid to cry on our shoulder if you have to - everybody here so understanding and kind, it helps a lot.

Meanwile make sure you are ready and prepared to come back home. I mean things like grabbers, rubber mats in a shower, etc. I cooked and froze a lot of soups and other fooRAB in a freezer. Prepared my closet shelves to be able to reach clothes i will be wearing durung recovery : like lounge pans, shirts, etc. I rearranged my kitchen cabinets to be able to reach stuff.
Back support stores offer a lot of helpful tools you could use to help yourself to put your socks and underwear on, etc.

Good luck to you, sweet heart. Just come down and think positive... let us know how you do after you come back home.
Best wishes:wave:
 
Be Brave,

As others have said it is not the most fun a person can have. The kind worRAB of Clover, " my old homie " are so true as well as yvette and the rest of the gang.

I think a persons attitude has had a lot to do with our success to some extent. Have confidence in your surgeon and the recovery time as well. Winners never quit and quitters never win... When I woke up from the surgery and there was no pain in my legs or back. It was a gift that I had been waiting for...


Best of luck and please post as soon as you get home...

Roy
:wave:
 
Wanting to wish you the best of luck!! Thinking of you on your eve of surgery. Will be saying a prayer for you. Also, I will be saying one for Denise also. Best of luck to the both of you! See you guys on the post op side. Talk to you both soon. Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.:angel:

Rose:wave:
 
Hi Round,

I feel the same as you, I'm fine for ages and today I had to discuss it with my occupational health nurse (who has had two fusions) and suddenly the unknown terrifies me. My operation (fusion at L4/5 & stabilisations L3/4 & L2/3) is on June 20th and I have hardly prepared at all.

I am thinking of you today and hope that everything goes well.

Please let us know how you get on, I'd love to hear from a fellow DDD sufferer!

Hodgey
X
 
Hi Roundone

I know how you are feeling, I felt the same way before my fusion of L4 - S1 in Dec 06. I am almost 6 months out and I am feeling so much better than I did pre-surgery. I can walk 3 - 4 miles everday. I can am starting to be more active with my kiRAB. I am glad I had this surgery, my back is feeling stronger and better everyday. This surgery is not a walk in the park. You do need alot of rest and TLC. Pain meRAB help with the surgery pain. But, this all lessens in time. Before my surgery I had back pain 24/7 and my life was being ruined by my back pain. I am slowly getting my life back, and it is really nice to be able to say that. I believe you will be fine! There is alot of support here. I hope you have alot of support at home too. Like Moldova said, have your grabbers ect.. ready of yourself when you come home from the hospital and when you can let us all know how you are doing!!! I will be thinking of you on the 31 of May!! Post as many times as you need before your big day. Sending you a big cyber hug (( )).

Rose:wave:
 
Thank you all so much. It just like little panic attacks for a short while, and then your fine, Very anxious this morning, this afternoon was like okay, get it over and done with. Then logged in and got all your lovely messages it really does help. Have the grabbers and decided to bring one for the hospital aswell, used to get fed up when people would kick the slippers under the bed and I couldnt get them!!!!!!. I fully understand when you said you had pain 24/7. it really takes over and no-one understanRAB unless they have experienced back pain. Delighted to see that you are doing so well, walking, to be able to walk that is my dream!! and to be able to stay up longer than 2 hours at a time.

I promise, I will check in and let you know how I am doing, even if i have to call it out for someone to type it !!!!! I am gratefull for all your help and tips and hopefully I might be able to add my sucess too.


Thank you all.


Denise if you are logging in Best of luck to for the 31st.

Round 1
 
Like everyone else has already said - go into it with a positive outlook. One of the most important things is to prepare for going home. Prepare your family and those who will help take care of you so that they will have realistic expectations. It's good to have the grabber (they actually gave me one in the hospital). I was also advised to bring things down and up from kitchen shelves to countertop level so I wouldn't have to reach up or down. Slip on shoes that don't require tying or velcro were also a must. My insurance also provided a shower seat (it was also a toilet seat, but I never used it for that). That was VERY helpful as sitting in the shower allowed me to relax and enjoy getting clean without worrying about falling down. Understand that you are going to move VERY slowly for a while (I compared it to having nitroglycerine strapped to your waist). Don't hurry your movements and listen, listen, listen to your body. Don't think you have to gut through the pain - take advantage of whatever they give you for pain, if you need it. Remeraber that pain = inflammation, and inflammation is a no-no during the healing process.

We all here are wishing you well, and hope to hear from you when you get home from the hospital.

Mary
:wave:
 
Trust me when you guy's /gal's wake up from surgery ,your going to feel better than you did before surgery. Roy and the gang said it well , it's all about attitude . You'll do great..

Happy recovery
 
It was the best decision I ever made. After years of increasing pain, I had 6 pins and two roRAB out in. I walked out of the hospital 6 days later on extra strength tylenol and by comparison no pain.

I was a very patient through my recovery. It took nine months for the fusion to complete. I walked, and walked and walked. No lifting, twisting. The patience has paid off and I will every be greatful that I finally had the courage to do this.

It is a serious surgery and requires you to allow your body to do its work. Sleep alot, walk alot. (P.S. I realized after surgery that I hadn't slept well for 20 years because of pain and spasms. Another post op gift.)
 
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