Getting Fusion: Questions About Hospital & Others

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lemonflavor

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I had a microdiscectomy a year and a half ago. It pretty much did what it was supposed to but for some reason everything else wrong with my back got way worse and my recent MRI showed a lot of degeneration in that short of a time. On the 30th I'm having a double fusion L4-S1 and laminectomy.

This surgery is looming much larger for me.

Some questions.

During the hospital stay I'd really like my personal media player even though I'll be pretty out of it. What do you think of having a waist pack and putting it in there every time I go to the bathroom or in the hallway for physical therapy?

When I'm home, will I need to be monitored a lot or can my wife be gone a fair amount? I don't want her stuck at home.

Does pain ever migrate to the front of the thighs? I've been getting that lately along with more and more hip pain.

I'm having surgery at Froedert in Milwaukee.

Thanks for any comments.
 
Your spinal surgical dx is quite similar to mine. (microdiscectomy L4 & L5, microdisc. to L4 with partial laminectomy to L5.,fusion L4,5, & S1 with instrumen. screws, pedicles,cage (titanium). Post-op you'll be encouraged to move, sit in a chair, PT etc. I wasn't "Out of it "1st day post-op ; considering my 2 hour fusion became a 9 hr. fusion(my neuro doc said scar tissue was profuse. Which probably caused my thigh & flank pain pre-op. Once home, I was alone 9 hours of the day. What I lifted was key (nothing over 5 lbs), and my P.T. helped my flexibility . I experienced new pain,some days almost none at all, One year post-op spinal fusion was a long, strange trip. Much luck !!
 
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