L4 and L5 fusion questions

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dawnie71

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I had an l4 and l5 fusion on april 19th. Two weeks afterwarRAB I was doing great. The past couple of weeks have been horrible! My back looks like a camels hump! I went last week and the doc gave me a steroid pack. Worked for a couple of days now its back inflamed. He said its the muscles around the spine tryin to heal and they are "bulking" up. I am in so much pain. Hubbie thinks I should be alot better and has been fussing about me not doing housework. HELP PLEASE!
 
I had the same a week after you. Tell your hubby that noway, total recovery is 6 months! I try to do something small eachday. Fold laundry, clean the bathroom, etc., but I still need alot of help.
As fas as my back incision, I think its been ok, but I have another literally at the top of my butt crack, its all bruised and hurts to sit.
You still have, or I should say, we still have aways to go toward recovery. When did your dr. say you should start PT?
Have a better day. Keep in touch. Stay
 
I had anterior/posterior surgery 6 weeks ago and i felt like you I thought it was the hardware that i could feel it wasnt till about 4 weeks that it finally let up. It hurt to lay on it but now its not even an issue. Everyone is different but i got back to cooking most of the way some laundry and i of course have the grabber at about 3 weeks. it may not take that long to get back to things but it could take a year to 18 months to heal all the way but like i said it should not take that long getting back to housework but like i said everyone is different. And i was selfconscious about a dirty house but i knew i could not do it and i have the kiRAB to do it( 14 year old boy twin girls are 9) and if someone comes to visit and they offer i was ashamed to ask for help also but i accepted. You learn you have to.
 
I had L4/L5 fusion on March 31 in addition to some clean-up in the L5/S1 area. My first couple of weeks were pretty bad pain-wise and then when I was starting to feel better I caught a stomach bug which lasted close to 10 days. I'm finally doing better, but nerve pain is what is bothering me now. When I went to the dr. last week and he prescribed lyrica for the nerve pain and reminded me that this surgery is no quick fix and that I needed to be patient because the recovery is very slow and also everyone is different and recovers at a different pace.

I count each day as a blessing and each day that I can do a little more than the day before I'm thankful. I left the hospital having to use a walker and beside toliet, now I'm using a cane and have been given the go ahead to take short drives.

I hope that you start feeling better soon, because I understand exactly where you are.
 
Yes, justoneofus is right on the money. Some of us recover at a quicker rate and then their are others that take a very long road. We see improvements a little slower than others. Some of us have more complex cases than others. Each case is uniquie.

As far as the housework, try and let it go. If it is really bothering hubby or you, don't order that meal out next week and bring in a cleaning company and let them at it. It is not worth messing up that back or you won't be housecleaning for alot longer due to an injury that puts you back in your recovery period.

Are you having spasms? Do they have you on a muscle relaxer?

I pray that you feel better soon.
 
Yep, I agree completely with Justoneofus and Pepper. Take it easy! You can't rush your recovery!

Our church brought us three dinners a week for three full months. With the leftovers from the dinners they brought us, we had enough for just about the whole week. I didn't cook at all for those three months, then just very simple things for another few months (hot dogs, frozen fish, pizza, etc.). I wasn't being lazy, I simply had no strength or energy to do it. I did have a lot of levels done, but even after reading here on the board and feeling like I was ready for the surgery, in retrospect, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It took me a long time to recognize that, as I was trying hard to stay positive, which was definitely the best way to be. When I looked in the mirror, I felt like I had aged. I looked so worn and tired, and felt that way, too. I'm a little over a year and a half post op, and I'm finally feeling like myself again. I look in the mirror and I see my old self. I still need to be careful not to overdo it, but I think I can say I've traveled the road.

I don't say any of this to discourage you, but rather in hopes that you'll not be so hard on yourself or expect too much too quickly. Maybe you can print out this thread and show it to your husband, or maybe he can go with you to one of your appointments, where you can make sure you talk to your doctor about how much you should or shouldn't be doing, or at least, that it's normal to still be tired and needing some pain meRAB.

You're still very early on in your recovery. It's great to try to do something each day. It's good for you mentally, and it's good for your family. But don't beat yourself up if you have days when you just can't muster it up. It's okay to let the house slide a bit. There's always tomorrow. You'll catch it back up. You'll recover faster if you let yourself get the rest your body neeRAB. It's had a trauma, and it neeRAB time and rest to heal.

One day at a time, okay?

Take care,
Emily
 
Hi Dawnie. I am just over 2 years post op l4/l5 posterior fusion with roRAB/screws, and I am now about 90%+ improved since the surgery. But it was a long road to getting here in my healing process. I normally heal very fast, but not with this surgery. It took along time for my body to recover from this surgery.

No disrespect to another poster, but it takes alot longer than 6 months to heal for most people. It can take up to two years for a fusion to fully take in some people.

I hope your hubby comes down to earth some and let's you rest and heal without him stressing you out about the house. Those dust bunnies can wait! Tell your hubby to read this website and get a touch of reality and that you are not able to do many things at all and should NOT be. Overdoing could literally hamper the fusion at this early stage. You need to be doing little to nothing other than resting and doing what exercises that you have been given, such as walking.

It's very normal for you to be hurting more several weeks post op. The first couple of weeks the nurabing agent they place inside the surgery (lidocaine) at and around the spine there.. wears off. That is when the real surgery pain really kicks in, plus the healing pains that go along with that.

It will get better. I can't say anything about the muscles bulging like that as my back was not cut through, but they made incisions in the skin and then dilated through the muscle wall instead of cutting through them. I have 6 small incisions verses one long one.

HOpe this help you some. Hang in there.. it gets easier with time.
 
Emily you are always right on point........You have travelled the road and are an inspiration to us all..and a reminder of what many of us have been through.
Unfortunately people that haven't had fusion surgery simply don't understand.

I stayed with my parentsfor 5 weeks after surgery and now have been back in my place where I live alone (very nice neigrabroadors and frienRAB) for the past 8 weeks....would you believe my sister hasn't stopped by once to help w/ anything even to bring a meal over...Whenwe get together as a family ever 2 weeks all I get is..."How are you???" Family expects you to always be the survivor I guess.

Hang in there..:)Be strong..............
 
Hi dawnie,
I too was doing better at week 2, then around week 4 the pain became real intense.I think it is the nerves waking up up post surgery.I think it is normal you just need to take it easy and ride it out.be sure to let your surgeon know how you are feeling. i wish you luck on your recovery.
spud
 
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