l5 s1 fusion help

  • Thread starter Thread starter spooked
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Hey Nancy and Spooked you both are dealing with the same thing I have and I am now going through a 360 procedure. I had the first surgery on 1/29/08 which was the ALIF and they go through the abdomen and put in the cage. I was suppose to go back 2 weeks later for the PLIF which they go through the back and put in roRAB and screws. I ended up with a wound incision and was put on antibiotics and they had to delay the last surgery until the infection is cleared. I am not telling you this to scare you because most people do not end up with infections but I always have a lot of trouble with recovery time. I have had problems for many years with the L5/S1 and it finally got so bad that I couldn't take the pain any more.

I want to wish both of you good luck and will keep you in my prayers. This forum is great and I read for over a year before chiming in but everyone has been so helpful.

Linda
 
Brett,
I am so happy that it sounRAB like everything turned out well for you. You are still in my prayers and I hope the pain will lessen soon. Are they keeping your pain under control? Well take care and hopefully you will be home soon.

Linda
 
hello everybody wondering if anybody can give me some insight. i have an herniated disc l5 s1 and also spondylolysis. i was injured at work over a year ago and after gong from doctor to doctor saying all i have is a pulled muscle and just sending me to physical therapy which made more pain and aggravation i finally found one that i guess stayed awake in school and found the problem and said a fusion is the only fix. its taken me awhile to decide to have the surgery now im going in 2 weeks and scared as hell. he wants to take bone graft from my pevis and use instrumantaion. well really im looking for someone ho can tell me what to expect with the pain, hospital stay, recovery time, basically anything you can tell me i will greatly appreciate it. i'm hoping that i made the right decision and not going to regret it.
 
Regarding the catheter, I woke up with it and had it taken out after they determined I could stand and make it to the bathroom with the walker. It freaks me out when I looked at it, but the truth is I was happy it was there because it was one less thing to worry about. I could drink lots of fluiRAB and not worry. When it was pulled out the day after surgery, it hurt during the pulling for a few micro seconRAB :mad: and the first time I urinated, but then I was fine.
I am waiting on all my discharge paper work to be completed and then I am going home. Cant wait to see my kiRAB.

Peace and Prayers,
Brett
 
omg, just woke up 15 mins ago and felt like I was in a coffin. First real long sleep and my whole body stiffened. I have arthritis that they wont let me have nsaid for dt they say inhibits bone graft growth. plus last dose of oxy I asked to try only 10 mgs not 15. Thought i was doing good thing, but I made mistake, They gave me 0.4 dilaudid and instantly brought me from 9 to 6-7. Need to keep pain under control. this keeps my mind off my pain.
peace and prAyers,
Brett
 
Hello spooked and dogwalker,

Welcome to the board.

BlueAtlas gave you some good information pertaining to back surgery. If you are interested in more detailed conversation, another poster, deviphish76, joined the board about a month ago with similar questions. He is having his surgery tomorrow. You might want to search for his posts and you will read a very thorough discussion of what to expect before, during and after surgery. He had tons of questions and received tons of good information.

What I would like to say to both of you is to be sure you have explored all other options before deciding to have surgery. I would urge you to get more than one opinion and be sure you are going to a fellowship-trained spinal specialist. This could be an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon. The important thing is that he or she has additional, fellowship training in the spine.
 
Hi,
I can't share on what its like after surgery but I can share your emotions about fear and if you are making the right decision. You see, my surgery (L5S1 fusion and laminectomy) is today! I can tell you that over the last few days, I came to the acceptance that this was the right decision and my only hope to have a chance at less pain. My older son ( he is 24 months old) woke me up early and we have been hanging out together watching Thomas the Train. I am at peace with my decision. I did finally do a living will just in case. I will be sure to sign on as soon as I can to share my experience. This board has helped me over the past few days to understand what my life has become and that I am a spiney :) Acceptance is the key!

Signing off for now,
Brett
 
Hi

It is a very scary thought having surgery isnt it?

I need a 3 level fusion but have decided not to have it done and am living with the pain.
But that is my personal choice.

I really hope everything goes well for you.

Best wishes
 
What happened with me was I awoke early from the surgery - after they were done - but as they were putting the catheter in :dizzy:! The next thing I remeraber was I was in bed... so I think they put me back under! It did hurt when they took it out a few days later, but it wasn't really bad while it was in place. The other thing that really hurt was when they took the drainage tube out of the incision, but those two events were the only two really painful things that I experienced - and they only lasted a few seconRAB.

As for the smoking, I switched from the cigarettes to the gum about 2 weeks before the surgery, and chewed up till the day before. Actually I had no urge to smoke for at least a week after the surgery. So it's a good time to quit. The crucial thing is to remain nicotine free for the first 3 months. This is the most critical time. Sadly, nicotine replacement therapy isn't much better than smoking itself, because, as I've said before, it's the nicotine that is the culprit. Now, obviously, if you were to relapse, it would be way better to chew a piece of nicotine gum than to start smoking. You get only about half the nicotine that way, plus you don't get the bad stuff from the cigarette smoke like carbon monoxide.

I know it's really hard. I've quit several times before, and, truth be known, despite all the research I've done on the subject, I relapsed at about 10 weeks. I know... it's nuts :rolleyes:. I've quit both cocaine and alcohol addictions so I can say with absolutely certainty that cigarettes are WAY harder! Bupropion helps some people, but I wig out on the stuff.

The thing I did when I started getting bad cravings about a month after the surgery was to go online and try to find a website that says it's OK to smoke. You won't. I looked. Most HMO's have free quitting classes and will often reduce bupropion and patches/gum to your co-pay.

Hope this helps,
David
 
YES BRETT - NO NSAIRAB!!!!

This is because right now your surgery is inflamed, but it neeRAB to be inflamed (for the blood supply).

TakeCare,
David
 
hey nancy, im having PLIF. i wish both you and linda have good luck and if possible let me know what to expect after waking up in recovery and hospital stay d-day for me is 3/07.
 
Hey Spooked,
This is certainly a scary time for you, but a lot of us have been through this surgery and can give you some input. I suggest you read the thread on the sticky at the top of the page called "post surgery tips." It's chock full of great suggestions that will make your recovery easier.

This is a big surgery with a long recovery. If it's what you need, though, it will be well worth it. It will take months for a full recovery, not weeks. It can take up to a full year or more to completely recover, but you'll see progress all along the way. You'll probably be in the hospital for 4-5 days, then go home and mostly stay in bed for a few weeks, with trips to the bathroom and times of walking. Walking is very important, as it gets the blood circulating around your spine. It's essential for getting bone growth going. I recommend that every time you get up to use the bathroom, you walk for as long as you can tolerate, maybe only 10 minutes at first, then lay back down and watch movies until next time you need to get up. They'll give you some pretty strong pain meRAB, which you should keep in your system all the time for a while. Even if you feel like you can taper off, you're going to have ups and downs and are better off taking your meRAB on schedule. If you don't, the pain will eventually get ahead of you and it will take longer to get it back under control. You'll heal better if you aren't using your energy to just get through your pain. Get yourself a little notebook to keep track of your meRAB, what you took, how much, and what time. You'll be groggy and it will be easy to lose track, so do keep a record of every med you take.

My best tips for you are to get a satin type bottom sheet for your bed and slippery pj's. That will make turning in bed much, much easier and less painful. You won't be fighting friction to turn. Put a plastic garbage bag on the passenger seat of your car for the ride home from the hospital for the same reason, so you can slide in and out more easily. Also put a large zip lock bag in there in case you get nauseous on the ride home. You can zip in the mess and no one will have to clean anything up.

The very most important piece of equipment to have is a grabber tool. You won't be able to bend, lift, or twist for quite some time, so a grabber tool will quickly become your best friend. You never realize how often you drop things or have to really reach for something until you can't. Even just lying in bed, the remote is going to slide just a little bit out of reach and you won't be able to get it. With your grabber tool, you won't have to be calling someone else constantly to fetch things for you.

You're sure to have lots of questions as you prepare and as you get closer to your date. Please ask away! We're not doctors, but we've been where you are now and are happy to tell you what our experiences were. No question is too big or too little. We'll be honest and not sugarcoat things, but this group is great for encouragement and support.

You'll be okay! Prepare as well as you can ahead of time and take a deep breath. You'll be so glad to get on the other side of surgery and just be able to rest and recover.

Wishing you the best,
Emily
 
Hey Spooked,

Last October 19th I had the exact same surgery for the exact same problem in the exact same place. Four months later I am walking 3-5 miles a day, doing push-ups, and riding an exercise bike. Before the surgery I could not stand or sit for more than 20 seconRAB without falling to the floor in agony.

The worst part about it is the part you're going through now - the waiting.

So what happens is you go in, they prep you, put you under, and then you wake up and it's done. In my case the searing leg pain was gone! But the nurabness and tingling were worse. After a few days the tingling went away. The nurabness is still a problem and may be permanent, but nerves take a LONG time to heal.

the hospital stay is usually 3-5 days. They try to get you up and walking, or, at least, standing, on the first day. You'll be using a walker.

As for the pain... it's more uncomfortable than anything else. For me the most painful thing was the catheter :dizzy: But you'll be hooked up to an IV with a little button that you push when you need more pain relief. Press it often!

The main thing to remeraber about the hospital stay is that the hospital is no place to be stoic... if you hurt, say so!

As for what you can do in the meantime to get ready, just make sure you have your rides in order to the hospital and home afterwarRAB. Emily gave you some really good advice, and all of us will be here when you have more questions.

One last thing... if you smoke, you will have to quit. There's no way around it. Smoking - particularly in the first few weeks after surgery - is the main reason why fusions fail. It's because the nicotine constricts your blood vessels and keeps the nutrients from getting to your healing bones. Also, cigarette smoke is a bone toxin. If this doesn't apply to you, then don't worry about it. If it does, and you have more questions, ask. I was a smoker and have found it very hard.

Any more questions?

Take care,
David
 
thanks for the comment david did you quit before the surgery or after how did u quit i was also wondering about the catheter i think thats my most concern right now i got a problem with a tube were it don't belong, when did they take it out? i think i would rather piss on my self than have that when i wake up
 
Hello spooked and welcome. I had L5/S1 fusion w/ decompression PLIF in Jan. It took care of my tailbone pain. Sitting was just miserable. Between that fibro and arthiritis I am disabled at 35. I got 3 opinions and wish i had gotten just one more. My tailbone pain is gone but everything I was told before surgery about hospital stay and procedure wasnt true. I woke up when rolled into recovery. They were great in there and were right on me controlling pain and such. I was told a 2-7 day hospital stay. I was put in overnight unit and sent home the next day. I will admit I wasnt a nice patient with all of this. I was told stitches and woke up with over 20 staples. Didnt even know it til the next morning when bandage was changed. They told me with a private room my friend couldnt stay until i threw a fit because before hand that was ok'd with admissions. My meRAB were not brought to me on time, regular ones. Luckily I had brought them from home. I was finally told I could sit on the side of the bed in the morning. I walked to the bathroom holding the rail and my frienRAB arm. My pain was really bad at first and a nurse finally brought me an extra shot of morphine in the middle of the night. That told me it had been in the orders but they put it off til i was in terrible pain. I know it was from laying on the staples, not knowing they were there. I hadnt prepared to come home so fast but it all worked out. I had someone stay with me for a few days. That was good due to being so dopey and help with showers, food and keeping house straight with people visiting.
I still have the nurabness, weakness, tingling and spasms. They have gotten worse lately and I had an epidural on Thursday, another in 2 weeks. I am some sore now from it but praying it gets better.
The laying a certain way for so long after surgery made my fibro terrible as heck. You may not have that problem.
I had all sorts of shots and other treatments before surgery with no relief. This problem had been there untreated for who knows how long. I was ready to do anything to get rid of the pain.
I still have pain but not from the tailbone thank God.
I had about 8 weeks of physical therapy. I think it would help now but cant afford the copays. I have become very depressed so please look out for that and seek help if necessary. I had it before but being so limited in what I can do made it worse. Remeraber though that I have other physical problems too. I pray that isnt the case for you. Seeking support is very important.
Best wishes and I am still glad I had the surgery at this point. There is fusion taking place. The dr saw it on the flouroscopy machine Thursday.
You have received some great suggestions.
I did have a reaction to bandages a few days after surgery. Once they were changed to a diff kind that went away.
Three weeks later I developed a bad headache and vomiting. I called and was told it probably wasnt from surgery. Went to reg dr and got meRAB for nausea but a few days later I couldnt raise my head without a terrible headache and vomitting. Went to dr again and was sent straigth to hospital that did my surgery. The phenergan shot and sleeping on the 1.5 hour ride made me feel better and was almost sent back home. They decided to send me for an MRI which showed I had 33 cc's of fluid around my incision and surgery. I had a spinal headache but the removal of the fluid helped alot. I was sent home and told if the headache didnt stop within a few days to call and they would schedule another immediate surgery for find the leak. Thankfully it went away on its own. Personally I think the build up was from them sending me home when one of my drains never drained hardly anything.
again best wishes to you and everyone!
Shannon
This all seems kind of choppy but thats just where my memory is today! Sorry!
 
Hi Spooked, I am in the same boat as you are only my upcoming surgery for fusion on L5-S1 in next Monday (2/25) and I too, am scared. Are you having the PLIF procedure done or the Abdominal? My Neuro surgeon says the recovery period isn't bad but that didn't give me much to go by. Thanks to your question I have read the other replies and gotten some additional info that will help. To be honest, I'm still thinking of cancelling as the recovery period/pain of healing is not my idea of fun :( but neither is the idea of not being able to lie down and sleep w/o pain. Guess either way involves pain.

Good luck with your surgery,
Nancy
 
Hey Spooked,
I guess after thinking about the surgery, recovery time and all of that stuff I have decided to postpone my surgery until I can be certain it is the best solution for me. Best of luck to you and my thoughts will be with you on d-day ;-).

Take care,
Nancy
 
Yesterday was my surgery. I am glad I did it, at least so far. I felt I had exhausted all my other options. L5S1 fusion, posterior with laminectomy left and right sides, 4 titanium screws, 2 roRAB. Surgeon used trapezoidol shaped cage 9 mm. He planned to use BMP but said there was so much marrow/bone available from laminectomy that he used that to pack in the cage and aroumd the cage. I was on a pump with 0.4 hydromorphone (dilaudud) every 15 minutes from 6 pm last night until 10 am this morning. Since then I have been on 15mg oxycodone every 4 hours with 0.4 dilaudid one time for btp. I have been in a lot of pain primarily in my lower back. But I have been up with a walker for 2 short 3 minute walks, sat up in a chair for dinner, and feeling good enough to type. Very tired but wanted to check in
Peace and Prayers!
Brett
 
hi all,i had l5 s1 fusion in febuary 2008 and i can say i havent felt this good and painfree in years,i know it doesnt always work for people but at the moment i am glad i had it done,i do feel like i have got my life back,the first few weeks are bound to be rough but it does get easier,i had a x ray at 4 months and all is well,before the op i smoked for 25 years and when they told me i needed the op i stopped straight away and i havent had one since,(i am so proud of that)the only issue is the weight you put on but i try to do some walking everyday.when i was in hospital they got me out of bed too soon and i fainted and also the worst pain i had was when they pulled out my 3 drainage tubes but at least it only lasted like seconRAB,i was glad to go home though but then i suppose everyone is.i was only on pain meRAB for 2 weeks then i felt i didnt need them,after 4 months i had like a burning feeling in my right thigh but it has gone now.
take care all
kezzo
 
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