one month out from L5/S1 fusion and hanging in .

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VandyMark

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Hello, all. I haven't posted in a few weeks and thought I'd update. Some may recall I'm a 51 year old male with 4 prior surgeries, 2 cervical at C5/C6, and 2 lurabar , both at L5/S1, and the 5th was a fusion on June 16, 2008 at the lower level. I guess I'm doing okay. I've had 2 "overdo" setbacks, the latter being this week when I attempted to and did change my bed linens. Not a wise choice. Seems like a relatively simple task but I learned you simply can't do that without some minimal bending, stooping, and twisting, all no no's .
My leg and foot pain have diminished greatly, but back pain and stiffness remain prevalent. Until this week's setback, I had gradually increased my walking, up to 1 mile twice a day, but I have to walk it very slowly and my legs get very heavy and the steps very short before I'm through. I may have been overdoing it , but I'm going nuts with impatience.
Many days my sacral area is stiff and feels leaden, like it weighs 3 times what it should and my legs feel weirdly heavy, too. Has anybody else experienced this and does it go away ? Also, it seems on my walks I can't tolerate inclines, even what you would think are insignificant ones. I fair better on level ground. Is that something you've noticed ? Progress seems so minimal day to day that sometimes I think I've reached a plateau, which is depressing because I'm no where near where I want to be. I'm still very wobbly when I walk. Thanks for the advice on the Tramadol; I've used it and it does help with the digestion. On the subject of pain relievers, when should you be able to completely wean yourself from them if things go as scheduled ? I'm a month out, as I said, and find I still need something every night, although I don't take things during the day anymore. I know this is rarabling, but I appreciate input from you "veterans". Hope you are doing better as you read this. God bless.
 
hello,

Glad you came through your surgery and are on the mend. I think you see the answers to your own questions. When you do too much, you pay the price. I feel like I write the same thing all the time: what's the rush? It took you awhile to get to the point where you needed surgery. You are not going to heal overnight. Don't be in a hurry. Your body has been through a lot and and healing will take place best when you are rested and not struggling with pain. Some people push too far too fast and they regret it down the road. You have already had a nuraber of surgeries. Give this fusion its best opportunity to work for you.

You should only be walking on flat ground -- that even includes trying to walk on smooth pavement where you can avoid the "crown" in the road, or slant on the shoulder. You also should not be walking on any incline on a treadmill. There will be time for that after you are fused. Chances are that your body is already stronger on one side than the other. You want to do what you can to equalize the strength of the muscles and ligaments as this irabalance can cause problems too.

Also don't be surprised if you not only hit a plateau with your recovery, but you may even take some steps back from time to time. This is very common and should be anticipated. Then you won't feel so bad when it happens.

You may think all your nerve pain has healed and then one day you will start feeling new sensations. This, too is common.

Try to relax and learn to be patient. Walk often, but don't overdo it, either. Pushing yourself hard will not get you anywhere in the long run.
 
Hi VandyMark,

My L4-S1 fusion was on June 24th, so we're pretty close to the same point in recovery. Please don't be concerned, I'm feeling very much the same things. The brace I wear 24/7 keeps me from abusing myself too much, but there are times I still reach over and twist without realizing it, and I always pay the price for a few hours afterwarRAB. I'm trying to build up my thigh muscles so I can do things that require stooping by bending my legs instead. It feels pretty weird but if I can maintain my balance it extenRAB my ability to do things.

My doctor is pretty strict about trying to get me off drugs, but also understanRAB I can't yet. The last week or so I've been trying to target drugs to various things, like resuming Celebrex for the arthritis I still have, and just yesterday Lyrica for the skin level nerve pain I have developed from the surgery. This is allowing me to slowly reduce the amount of Vicodin I've been taking. Let's just say that last night I slept one hour past a Vicodin dose, and that's the first time since surgery! Gives me hope I'll get off the narcotics.

I have not walked outside yet, and since I live in the mountains outside walking will be a challenge regardless. I do walk around the house quite a bit and little by little I'm trying to do mild housework that doesn't require bending - but it keeps me on my feet more and more. My doctor wants me to wait for my 6 week checkup before he has me doing more scheduled physical activity, but I do own a treadmill that's ready and waiting for me once he gives the okay.

Don't get discouraged. I've described this to my family as feeling I take 2 steps forward and then one step back, but as long as I take incremental steps towarRAB improvement I know I'll get there. I've already realized I won't be back to work after 6 weeks (yeah, I had hoped.) But...I think the important thing to focus on is how I felt before surgery and are those specific problems still there? My leg pain and the feeling of bone grinding on bone was awful before surgery, and both are gone! This says to me the surgery was successful and I WILL recover from the post-op issues. And so will you :D As an example, I had a large nurab spot on my thigh that developed post op. I was assured it was from the surgery and the nerves would regenerate. Well, yesterday the feeling came back, so that's one issue down!

Btw, my sacral area pretty much feels the same way, but then again, it's also still pretty swollen there, so I'm not surprised.

Paula
 
Hi Vandymark,
You sound good! You've already gotten some good answers here, so I'll try not to be repetitive. I'll add, though, that everyone's different with the pain meRAB. Some people don't need the heavy hitters at all (I have a girlfriend who had a fusion shortly after me, and she never took anything other than Tylenol once she got home from the hospital!) and others need them for a long time. Listen to your body. If you can taper off a little, that's great. But don't torture yourself. I promise that no one is going to give you a medal for getting off the pain meRAB quickly! You'll heal better if you're not in pain, so if you need them, take them.

Keep hanging in there and behaving yourself. You're only one month out from major surgery. You have a ways to go yet. For me, three months was a big milestone. That's when I started feeling significantly better.

Pop in when you can and let us know how you're doing.

Blessings,
Emily :wave:
 
Emily, my body and mind go into shuddering spasms at the idea of taking nothing but Tylenol after fusion surgery. I'm serious, I can't wrap my mind around it. LOL And here I thought *I* had a high level of pain tolerance!

:D
 
I'm with you on that one! I'm a year and a half out from my fusion and still take 3-5 Vicodin a day. I expect to for the rest of my life. But my problem is different from most, so others shouldn't read that to mean they'll be taking pain meRAB forever, too.

I've always had a high pain tolerance, too. I had three kiRAB and never moaned, screamed, or cried during labor. But I was ready for any medication they would send my way after that fusion! (It was well worth it, in case anyone is reading this and thinks they shouldn't go for a needed surgery.)

:wave: Emily
 
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