Marlosmom...did you have bonegraft from your hip too?

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laf761

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You are awesome MM......Again I can't thank you enough, wish I could buy you a cup of coffee to say thanks....

All your info/experience is SO helpful.It's funny I'm not nervous now..I had planned to stay at my sisters for the weekend, but it turns out she has a stomach bug...........the last thing I need, right?

I'm relaxing (breathing) reading my surgery binder (70 pages provided by the hospital) and listening to relaxing music...enjoying the solitude and trying to meditate a bit...I feel confident that relief is in sight....

I hope you enjoy a weekend with less pain and continue on the road to recovery...

Thanks again.


LAF:angel:
 
Hello LAF,

Happy Groundhog's Day!!

I'm happy that something I've said has helped. I am a big believer in knowledge -- when you kind of know what is going to happen to you and what to expect, you can relax a bit. You've done what you can to get ready for this experience. There comes a point where you just have to turn it over to a higher power. Worrying isn't going to do a bit of good, so do what you can to avoid it.

I really am feeling very well. If it weren't for the odd pains in my right thigh, I'd be pretty close to perfect!!

If you think of more questions, you still have time to write. Otherwise we'll all be here for you after the surgery.

Despite my mother's best attempts, I am not real religious. But as I was waiting in the holding area for my "turn," I enjoyed thinking about a group of cyberfrienRAB, people that I'd never met, scattered all over the country, who were saying a prayer or sending a positive thought my way. It made me smile and I was not afraid. I hope you, too, will find that sense of peace. :angel:

my best to you,

xx MM
 
Hello MM.

Just checking in to see how you are doing??? Hope things are going better and your new pain is lessening...

Along with the BMP procedure did they also remove bone from your hip and also use the cadaver bone to replace where the disk was..??

Getting a bit edgy about my surgery next Tuesday...Got a call from the surgeons office asking if I wanted to be part of a stem cell study...instead of using the BMP procedure, they are using stem cells.........NOT.........Don't wish to be an "experiment"...Can you imagine......???

Part of me is relieved that relief is in sight.....Had my "spine class" that the hospital offers, which was quite informative...7 other people having various spine procedures next week by doctor's in my surgeons group...I seemed the most fit of the bunch which gave me a little hope..

Keeping my fingers crossed and hope you are doing better everyday...I ordered my bottom satin sheets, rearranged my shelves and have my graber all set.......Now just picking up my new relaxation books tomorrow.

RegarRAB..

LAF
 
Hi LAF,

SounRAB like you are all ready for your surgery. I wish my hospital/doctor had had a teaching session...but I learned everything I needed just from reading here on the board. :)

I did not have any of the bone grafts you mentioned. They used the bone that came out of the laminectomy, ground it up, mixed it with BMP and inserted it into the cage. It is apparently the consistency of play dough and they pack it around the cage, too.

When I was doing my research trying to select a surgeon, I was suprised at the variety of ways the donor bone is handled. The doctor I ended up with is very casual. He's fairly young and less likely to do things the more traditional, "tried and true" way. He doesn't believe in braces. I didn't have any class or instructions. His post-surgical instructions are equally vague. "Listen to your body -- if it hurts, don't do it."

You will be fine. You will come through the surgery and it won't seem that bad when it is all over. I was expecting it to be much worse than it was!

Try to relax and not let yourself get worked up about it ahead of time. There is no reason to be nervous. You have prepared. Just look forward to the pain relief you will experience when it is all over!!

I'll be saying a prayer for you and sending lots of positive energy your way. :angel:

xx MM
 
I will indeed remeraber your story and I also have a good friend who's Mom is at a prayer group retreat with 100+ people and they too are praying...

Many thanks again..and if I think of one more last question I will send you a note....

I'll be in touch soon..

So happy that overall you are feeling so much better than before the surgery...

Ciao for now..

LAF
 
Hi LAF ~

I'm thinking of you tonight, wondering how your surgery went, how you are feeling, etc. I'm saying a prayer that everything went as planned. I look forward to seeing a post from you in a couple days, after you get home and feel up to it. Just wanted you to know that I'm thinking about you!!

xx M:cool:M
 
Good luck with your surgery, please let us know how did you do when you come home.... I will pray for you!

I had bone graft done from my own hip: first surgery from a left one and for the second from my right one.
I also have a lot of hardware/instrumentations, includes roRAB, screws and cages, pelvic metal plate and metal clips for SIJ.

Be patient and plenty of rest....:angel:
 
Thanks MM for being my coach...you have been a tremendous help....SO you didn't have the roRAB and screws just the cage....I thought they only used the cage when there is a crushed vertebrae...but as you said all doctors have their own reasons for doing the different procedures and we are all diffferent..

You didn't mention...how are YOU feeling....are you improving everyday...Has your new pain lessened any???

Again many thanks for all your very helpful info and support...Will be in touch when the whole thing is over.

warn regarRAB,

LAF
 
hello people,my doctor says he doesn't use hardware at all due to it nver holRAB up long.I wonder what he uses to support the back after surgery
 
No, I had pedicle screws and roRAB and the cage goes in the space where the vertebra was to hold the space height. It was interesting seeing all that stuff on the X-ray they took last week. Then I had a MRI which luckily didn't show any further damage. So the doc isn' really sure what's causing the problem. There is a puddle of fluid and he thinks it is pressing on a nerve. The fluid will eventually be absorbed by my body -- and if it because I was in an awkward position on the operating table, that will clear up, too (or so he says!!)

Regarding the cage, I didn't have a problem with the disc. I had spondylolisthesis (slippage) of one vertebra over the top of the next one. I also had stenosis. The result was that there was almost NO room for the nerves to go through, which resulted in terrible sciatic pain. So he went in and cleaned it all out, performed a laminectomy and inserted the cage to hold the space between the vertebrae. Then the screws and roRAB kind of reinforce this area.

One tip for you for after surgery: Be very careful when you sit up...when you go for lying down to sitting, and from sitting to getting up. This won't be a problem at first, because there will be pain to remind you, but after a couple weeks you will feel better and will need to consciously make a point of reminding yourself. It is so hard to remeraber not to bend or twist, too.

I'm very happy if something I've said has been helpful to you. I know you'll do great. I hope you're not too nervous. If you start feeling nervous, just remind yourself to think about your breathing. Take a breath and follow it all the way in. Then follow it back out. Make a conscious effort to slow down the breathing. If you keep following your breath in and out, ignoring everything around you, this will lead to your own special place that is the center of calm.

Forgot to mention I'm feeling well. If it weren't for the new pain, I would feel perfect!! I don't have any surgical pain. My back feels great. The incision is closed and doesn't hurt at all. I just have this weird situation in my right thigh that changes around.
 
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