Fusion and going back to work

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Moldova

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First of all - good luck on your recovery.
Now, I can tell you that ex-rays usualy can't show the full picture. MRI and CT can't give 100% accuracy if you fused or not. Many-many good Drs honestly told me that practicaly only if they open you up they know for sure if you fused or not.
Also a lot to do with your symptoms. My CT, MRI shows full salat fusion, but since i am 24/7 in pain about 8 (1-10). Than other problems and complications occured. Nerve damage in feet/legs. My Dr at 3 month told me I should look to file SSD and no returning to work even though I worked on Wall Street office and did not have to carry heavy stuff, but he knew that traveling, seating, walking I will not be able to do due to my condition.
All depenRAB on a case, on your symptoms and on your Doctor.
Also, I am having soon another 4 levels fusion done and Dr at HSS told me that thogh my all MRI's and CT's show full fusion, he will be convinced it's true when he goes in.
FYI
BESt of luck to you! You tell your Dr how you feel. My Dr told me if i force myself to go back to work (and it's a year after my surgery) I will be back in no time screaming from pain. He said that a lot of his patients go through this.
 
I had 2-level spine fusion on 9/24. I have a follow-up appt. on 12/12 and have to get an xray prior to that appt. If there is no sign yet of fusion (I religiously use my bone stimulator and no BLTs), will he sign for me to return to work?

Do you have to show at least fusion starting before you can go back to work? I am a teacher, and frankly can't imagine going back to work yet.
 
Moldova you really have been through the mill. My god, one op has left me devastated, how do you cope? You guys all seem so well informed about the fusion, my doc didn't mention that it would take months to heal, I just assumed that if they let me out, i'm fixed. Do they use metal pins when they fuse the bones? I didn't ask questions before my op as it was carried out as an emergency.
 
I would say at least 6 months. The nurse at the clinic I am going to had a fusion and was going to try and come back within 4 months. She didn't return. My sister-in-law had a micro fusion one level and went back in 8 weeks. She was in a lot of pain though. I was just starting to fuse at 3 months.
 
Believe or not i did more research after surgery than before since my Dr told me I will be out and about in 6-8 weeks. I told my HR at work i will be back soon. Only after surgery I find out that recovery after fusions (more level, harder recovery and it takes longer) can take 1-2 years! Not month, I wish it would, but no miracles here in most cases.
I found out a lot of info after I started to get worse 8 month after my surgery. I was shocked about "sucsess rate" after fusions and only than I asked questions. I went for couple opinions and finaly got the answers. They are not a happy once, but life goes on, nothing much I can do, have to have hope and without another surgery - no realy hope. Even though my big Dr from HSS does not make any promisses, he hopes he can do some improvement but said that my life will never be pain free.
YOu asked me how do I deal with it? It was frastruating in the beginning: why do I get worse instead of better? Where my heart condition came from? Why did I get fluid in a lungs (during my 9 hours surgery lungs collapsed)? Why can't I walk now or stand or seat?
Honestly, I am tired from not sleeping, from pain, from all the questions I have - but like I said life goes on.
The hardest thing for me is not to be able to work - I used to have a dream job. Not to be independent anymore, to see my husband and family worry about me...
So as as it gets, I still feel I am lucky that I have my family and frienRAB, that I have all people on this board and that I am still above the ground...:):)
 
You are very brave, i wish i had your attitude. I am so caught up in pain I find it hard to see the bright side to all this. You reckon my fusion may take years to heal? I have CES and i've been told that the sheath on my nerve was so badly damaged it will not repair. What happens when they fuse it? I've heard they put pins in by some folk, others say they dont. I never asked the doc, i didn't want to know a month ago, but i am curious what they were doing for five hours during my op. I lost three pints of blood, and it took two blood transfusions to get me able to lift my head up. I guess you have it worse than me, as you have more surgeries to go. I do hope that your pain will be relieved, and i'm grateful to have your imput. I dont have a husband or children, although i still hope to one day. Thank you for telling me about your story. :)
 
Beazy,
I had blood transfusions: one during surgery and another one 3 days later after. I had so many questions too. I called my surgeon's secretary asked her to send me my surgery report.
After that if i had any questions regarding this report - i went on Internet and found all descriptions and a lot of info about what I wanted to know. Very helpful to know exactly what this means.
I was happy to learn all this ... well, until they show the table where they perform spinal surgeries - so scary! I thought it's a regular surgical table, no! So now I am going for another major surgery and i picture myself laying on that table - not a pretty picture :)

Trust me, I have my moments too. But I talk to myself all the time and try to concentrate on a good, happy things in my life. Once one Dr gave me an advice to read a book called : "Leaving with back pain". I learned how important meditation, relaxation is for the back pain since a lot of pain comes from muscles too.
I bought myself meditation tapes - this is the best thing I done in a while. Relaxes me and I can even fall asleep during the session. I can't sleep with sleeping pills even and here it's relaxes me so much. I am not saying it works like Percocet :) but I take any help I can. Plus it realy relaxes your mind too.

We have no choice but to leave our lives the best we can and try to be happy. Tonight my husband's uncle takes us to a very nice restourant. He and his wife love us, they leave to Florida for all winter and want to spend time with us. I like to socialize, love people but today I don't want to go anywhere...
Just yesterday I found out that my next surgery will be in 19 days (Deceraber 20th , on a Holiday time:mad:), I have to go now through a tough time with my cardiologist who does not want to clear me without knowing what anesthesia they will use, how many hours surgery will be...

Surgeon's office saying they know approximately it will be 8-10 hours, but who knows?? And they have no clue what anesthesia will be used since Anesthesiologist can decide this only when he sees all the reports...

i got so upset yesterday with all this - don't want to go out.
But... I will try the best I can to be happy tonight. Who knows when will I be able to go again? And why not to enjoy when I can, right?
Pain?
Percocet will help. Dry mouth? Funny speach? Sleepy? That is OK, but dinner will be nice, I am sure LOL

Take care, sweet heart, and try your best! Feel better, please!
 
Hi Yasmina. All docs have different thoughts about their patients and their ability to return to work. It also has a great deal to do with the type of work a person does as well. This is really not something any of us on here can answer for you, but just let you know our history.

I had a one level posterior fusion at l4/l5. I was allowed to return to work at 7weeks post op, but there was no evidence of fusion at that time and is not uncommon. I work behind a desk & had a very supportive work group that helped me ease back into my job responsibilities and they still won't let me do things that require alot of bending and NO lifting. I am very fortunate!

But as a matter of fact even at 7 months post op, my "xray" still showed little going on. BUT, I WAS SOLIDLY FUSED! It took at CT scan to show anything going on and that I was 100% fused.

I think you need to express to your doctor very clearly how you are feeling both physically and mentally and if YOU feel you are ready to return to work in any capacity or if you feel you need more time.
 
Some people dont fuse, but they have the screws holding them together, it depenRAB on your job, alot of things come into play including when you want to go back to work.
 
I had S1-L4-L5 surgery with cages and roRAB and 6 screws. I was showing signs of fusion; the Spine Surgeon asked me how I felt and I told him that I was doing great; very little pain. I was off most of he meRAB and able to drive; he told me it was time for some tough love and go find a new job.
I was working on a military base and the funding ran out.



He had limits on lifting and bending and standing for certin perioRAB and so on. I did find a job sitting at a desk, wearing my back brace for 2 more months. But I was able to find work - and it was what I needed I think.


At the 6 month check up - I was totally fused; he said he was amazed at the results. I told him that was a good thing; I did exactly what he told me to do - no more no less. I think the fact that I walked miles and miles and that I do not use tobacco products helped me a great deal in the recovery process.

I have some pain in the front area where he made the incision and some pain still in my left leg that comes and goes. But I am 100% better than I was prior to the surgery...


I wish you the best

roy47
:wave::wave:
 
I am having my second revision on L4 L5 this time removing all hardware, re-scraping, removing cages, New hardware new graft from tailbone. My return to work date is 1/3/2008. Surgery is 12/5, This guy is out of his mind. I have been through this twice with another surgeon who used 90 days as a starting point. 3 1/2 weeks for complete revovery?? You are barely functioning in that amount of time. Also 5MG percocets for pain after coming home, I have been on narcotic pain relievers for a year I cannot imagine the pain without something stonger. I am going to ask for another appointment on Monday and possibly cancel and find a reasonable doc.:mad:
 
Yasmina,

I know how incredibly physically difficult teaching is. What did the dr do w/ you? Did he make you go back? When? How are you?
 
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