ALIF scheduled Tuesday, Jan.29th

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My surgery was done at a Level 1 hospital, they are kept on their toes thats for sure!
I was wheeled back right on time as well, gotta love the early surgeries.

I remeraber when I was waiting the week prior to surgery, I had to take an antibiotic to clear up an infection, then had to re-do the lab work to make sure it was gone. It was nerve wracking trying to get ahold of the surgeon's secretary to get results, I was down to the wire for time and could not get through on her pager. Lucky for me the results were negative! Ortho surgeons (probably many other docs too) have so many patients, they are just incredibly busy, too busy I think.

Lori
 
Thanks everyone for the reasurrance. I have been keeping my BP this weekend and it really is not bad. It is around 130/88 most of the time. I just hope I hear something early tomorrow but if I don't I think I will ask my regular doctor to call down there and see what she can find out. Actually she is a nurse practioner and she is really good.

Lori I have also been battling a urinary tract infection since Wednesday but I had some medicine here so I have been treating it myself. I will have that checked out tomorrow also and hopefully she will give me some more medicine that will kick it in the butt because I sure don't want to have one of those, too. I have a neurogenic bladder and it doesn't take much to get me messed up and when I made that trip to Nashville the other day I didn't take my Lasix because it would have caused me to have to stop numerous times before getting there. I will definitely have her check my urine because I was in the hospital in July for a severe kidney infection with sepsis due to some medicine I was taking for my arthritis which compromised my immune system. I just want to get this over and on the road to recovery.

Thanks again to everyone and I will let you all know when I find out something. This is such a great group and you don't know how much you all mean to me because most people do not understand what you go through with back problems.

Linda
 
Well it is getting closer and the nerves are starting to get bad plus everything has been up in the air this week. I had to go to the neurosurgeon's office and hospital on Tuesday for my pre-op appts. When I was at the surgeon's office my blood pressure was extremely high (198/129) but finally went down to 160/100 before I left and the PA said if the hospital took my BP they probably would not do the surgery. I told her that I normally did not have to drive myself to Nashville but my husband couldn't get off that day so that always causes me stress because I can't take any of my pain medication and it is a 2 hour drive plus just the stress of the impending surgery. The PA stated she was so glad I was getting this surgery done because my left leg has really gotten bad and she was concerned about permanent damage. I guess time will tell.

Made it over to the hospital but didn't get out until 5:00 p.m. which was terrible traffic. I finally got home at 7:00 p.m. after leaving the house at 10:00 a.m. that morning. Well, then got a call the next morning from the surgeon's office and they said nurse at hospital called and said not happy with the EKG results. I never have a normal EKG and haven't for 18 years but that was always put off that women don't test well and I have had heart catherizations and stress tests and echos and nothing shows up but because of a slight difference I had to get all previous EKG's faxed to them so they could make a decision. They have yet to call me back but I have left another message for them. I guess I will still have the surgery. This is just adding to everything. Now I guess I am also concerned about the EKG but the doctor's nurse said it could have been caused putting a lead on incorrectly.

Right now I am scheduled for the anterior procedure on Jan.29th and then going back in on Feb.12th for the posterior procedure.

I hope everyone has a good pain free day and we all get past this terrible cold weather we are experiencing. Yes every bone in my body is hurting also and plus I got on the Gazelle (excercising equipment) last week and fell and hit my back and neck and knee so I can hardly get around at all now. I know it was a stupid stunt but thought I could build up some strength with the impending surgery but just lost my balance and down I went. Will let you know if I hear something from the doctor.

Linda
 
((((((((HUGS))))))))

I'll be praying for you!

Hopefully, since you've had irregular EKG's for so long, it's just a matter of everyone knowing about it and you'll be cleared and ready to go. I sure hope so! And I hope they were able to let you know today, so you don't have to wonder all weekend...

Pop on here and post if you get anxious. My surgery was at 1:00 pm, and I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight, so it was a loooong morning! I sat and read posts for the last hour or two before leaving for the hospital. It really calmed me, as there were a few people on right then who had helped me through the month or so leading up to the day. They were very comforting and encouraging.

You'll be so glad to get on the other side of this and just be able to rest and recover. Let us know when you hear about the EKG.

You take care!
Emily :wave:
 
Thanks Pepper I don't know why I didn't think of that because I already have a BP monitor. I will start keeping track of that starting tomorrow morning.

Linda
 
Sorry to hear about the fall i hope everything is ok. And i know your nervous so am i but it is going to be ok and like she said it is a good thing you are having this done and hope to prevent permanent damage.

The weather is getting me over here also so i feel you on that one.

I go do pre-op on the first of february. i want you to know your in my prayers now and especially then.
 
Both my surgeon and the anesthesiologist that was scheduled for my surgery had surgeries before mine that lasted longer than anticipated. At 5:30 I asked the nurse to let my husband and son know that my surgery hadn't even started yet. Then I apparently had some blood pressure issues on the table that further delayed the proceedings. :( Truthfully it was OK for me but I felt sorry for my family -- it was much harder on them, not knowing what was going on.

I agree with you about the man's BP. It didn't sound that high to me.

The funny thing is that I had signed up for the first surgery of the day so that I wouldn't have to wait in case there were emergencies!! Oh well.
 
Hey Linda ~

You will be in my prayers. :angel: Hope things go exactly as planned. I will miss reading your posts while you are away...so hurry back. :cool:

xxox MM
 
Thanks everyone for the prayers and well wishes. I never heard anything back from the doctor's office today so it will be a long weekend. I do have a lot to get done before Tuesday anyway.

AllieB- I asked the surgeon's PA that question and she said he just doesn't do it in one surgery. She said that he thinks it is too hard on the patient and likes to give the spine a little healing time before putting the pressure of putting in the roRAB and screws. I asked another PA the same question when I went in for my pre-op and she said "It is too hard on the patient". I guess some doctors look at things differently.

Emily-Now I am beginning to worry about what WAS on the EKG??? I sure don't want to go into surgery if there is a possibility there is something wrong with my heart so I think I will talk to my GP about it on Monday. I surely will hear something on Monday morning or I would think I would. I call the surgeon's office at 3:30 p.m.on Monday and get the surgery time but the other surgeries (Neck) that he has done they have everyone come in at 5:30 a.m.. We will have to leave here at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday so I sure don't want to get down there and then get turned away because of the EKG. I think I would hate to know what my blood pressure is now.

Thanks again everyone for your prayers. This board has been such a big help to me and I have been reading for over a year so I have really picked up some good ideas.

Linda
 
Hey MM I sure hope I get the first surgery because I will be nuts waiting as long as you did. I know how hard it is on families because my husband had to have a kidney taken out last January so I was the one waiting.

Linda
 
Thanks Vincent for your prayers and of course I also will have prayers for you, too. I still haven't heard anything back from my surgeon's office on the message I left earlier but I am sure she will before the day is over. I made an appt. with my GP on Monday to have my regular checkup for all my other medications for BP so hopefully that will go okay. That should be the last of my running around for awhile. I picked up my "grabber" yesterday at Walgreen's. They did tell me no BLT, no sitting more then 15 minutes 3 times a day. I can get in my recliner if I can get in and out with no problems.

Well, the doctor's office just called and she stated they still have not heard anything back from the hospital. She said I hope to hear by the end of the day but then it could be Monday. Now I am getting nervous.

Linda
 
It would be nice to know before you get to the holding area for your surgery and end up waiting there. I was scheduled to go into surgery at 3:30. We got there at 1:30 and it took about 5 minutes to do what they needed to do to prep me. I was removed from family and taken to the holding area right on time, at 3:30. And then I waited...and waited...and waited. There was a man across the way from me who was also waiting for surgery. He'd had an accident and needed to have surgery on his left ankle and right leg. He'd been waiting most of the day because they were trying to get his blood pressure to go down. It didn't sound that high to me -- it was like 155/88 and the hospital would not operate on him until it came down. Finally around 4:30 a cardiologist was called in to look at him and it was decided to postpone surgery to the following day.

So that left me as the last patient in the holding area. Employees were saying good bye to one another, etc. I, like Emily, was told no food or drink after midnight...and here it was, 5:30 at night. There was nothing to do in the holding area, no TV, no magazines, nothing. Finally at 5:45 the anesthesiologist stopped by to say hello...he'd just finished one surgery; my doc came out; he had just finished with a different surgery...so I was given the first bit of medicine and in I went...it was 11 p.m. when I was being wheeled to my room and was reunited with my family. I wasn't hungry but I was VERY thirsty.
 
You never know what emergency might come in and be taken before you. It's a lot more common with cardiac stuff. If your hospital is a level 1 trauma center, they would get more of the spine emergencies.

I was wheeled into the OR right on the dot I was scheduled for both of my recent back surgeries. I much prefer the early time!

That man's BP was a little on the high side, but did they really think that laying in the pre-op area wondering if he was going to be having major surgery was going to make it come down?! NOT!

Linda, sometimes the doctor's offices just get so busy that they don't end up getting back to you. If they only understood the tension that causes us! It's probably nothing, they just didn't get a chance for the doctor to look at the faxes and tell his nurse what to tell you. It seems like such a simple thing, but watch and listen to the behind-the-scenes in a surgeon's office. It can get pretty crazy! Definitely call them on Monday so you know for sure before you go on Tuesday, but try not to worry about it over the weekend. (I know, easier said than done.)

You'll have to post during your recovery and let us know how it is to have the two procedures with some healing time in between. I think there are pros and cons both ways. Your doctor has had success doing it this way, so I'm sure he knows what he's doing.

Pepper, great idea about the blood pressure cuff with memory!

Take care,
:wave: Emily
 
Linda,
Good luck tomorrow and I hope you get the clearance you need to move ahead with the surgery. I will keep you in my prayers. Please keep us posted. Take care.

Deb
 
MM that was a terrible day for you and your family. I have heard people talk about horror stories like that and they sure have my symphathy. Did your doctor get caught with an emergency surgery before you? What caused the delay? That guy's blood pressure sure didn't sound that high to me but I guess they have to be careful.

Linda
 
First I want to wish you good luck on your upcomming surgeries!!I am curious as to why the 2 surgeries, when I had mine done the dr did it in one 13 hour operation! I am just curious.again good luck
 
Linda you might consider purchasing a blood pressure cuff that stores the nurabers of your blood pressure and take it numerous times over the weekend. You could bring this into your GP/surgeons office and they can tell if it is related to pain or not. When you take your bp, write down the time and the reading and if you take meRAB write down the time, amount, etc.

I did this when they thought I had high blood pressure and it showed them that my bp was going up because of the pain levels and anxiety of being in the doctors office discussing surgery. All turned out fine for me and I pray that it does for you as well.
 
I will be lifting you and your surgeon up in prayer. Good luck and I pray everything goes smoothly for you.
 
Good Luck!

At least the waiting will be over!

Let us know how it went when you can!

-David
 
I think you're right, Emily. The hospital I went to is a large level I hospital. They do a lot of heart transplants and also a lot of spine surgeries, which I think are done in a different set of operating rooms. I know the rooms were just down the hall from the ortho. operating rooms and I only saw back patients in my area.

The holding area isn't a sterile area so I don't see why my family couldn't be back there with me. I didn't mind waiting; it just was really boring!!

Hopefully no one else will have to deal with this!!
 
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