question about recovery after lumbar fusion

  • Thread starter Thread starter cherrie65
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cherrie65

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Hi everyone,
For those of you that have had the surgery, how long did you need someone with you after you got home from the hospital? My huband will have to put in for leave and I don't know how much leave he should take if I decide to have the surgery. I have to decide soon because he is in the Army and will probably have to deploy this time next year.

Have a good weekend
Cherrie
 
Hi Cherrie! Welcome to the board!

My mom was with me for three weeks at home to help keep my meRAB straight, help me with showering, going to the bathroom and dressing, and help get my daughter to school. My husband kind of took over after dinner so my Mom could relax. I don't know what I would have done without them! After the third week I was OK home alone. FrienRAB called to check on me and my daughter got home around 3:00PM. She was 13 at the time and a BIG help!
I was already out walking the block (with my husband) by then so I felt ok about taking care of myself.

Make sure you read the sticky post at the top! The hints and directions there saved me! One of the most important things was my husband made me a "timesheet" for my meRAB so I knew what to take when and the last time I took one of them. It great for tracking improvement too! I still have my "journal" from that time.

Stay with us here and let us know how you are doing!

Blessings,
Momz :angel:
 
I would say it is a pretty individualized thing...but I would say most people could get along after two weeks if they had to and depending on whether there are children that require lots of attention. One guy on the board felt so good he went back to work after 2 weeks!! He is the exception.
 
It's helpful to have someone around, but not essential. I had my teens around, but they also had jobs, so they were in and out. They brought me breakfast and lunch in bed, which was a huge help. But if they weren't around, as long as I could reach food for myself, I was fine. I never needed help in the bathroom at all. Not that it was easy, but I was fine. I dressed myself with help from my grabber. I kept a med journal so I'd know when I could/should take my meRAB and could keep track of them. When I was alone in the house, I had two neigrabroadors on my speed dial just in case, but I never needed to use it. They also had keys to my house and knew I might call them, so it was a comfort to know they were there.

If your husband is able to take a few weeks off, that would be great. If not, if he can set you up in the morning before he leaves each day, so you have food and drink nearby, you'll be okay. And you'll be wanting to mostly sleep, so you really won't mind being alone.

Just my two cents worth...

:) Emily
 
mine was 2 weeks here and then i could manage on my own until kiRAB got home at 3.
 
Hey there,

My Mom was so fantastic and I am so grateful that she was able to take the time off work. She booked off 1 month because she really didn't know if I would need her longer then 2 weeks or longer then 3 etc. TO be on the safe side she took 1 month and after 3 weeks she was back at work. We live quite close so she could come and go throughout the day. When I was napping she would go home and do some laundry etc. At the same time she was such a huge help. My fiancee was as well but with me not being able to work, we really needed his income so he was working full days. My Mom would do the laundry here, clean the house, make meals, help me shower, and change my bandages, helo me go to the bathroom, help me get into bed, she did everything.Once my fiancee got home he tried to take over but my MOm had so much done if not everything. Having her around was the best thing ever. If you can have your husband home with you for as long as you can, do it! It will only help you. The longer (to a certain extent) that you don't have to lift a gallon of milk the better, the longer you don't have to bend down to feed the pets or something, the better.

Someone else said this and I couldn't agree more. Make something up on your computer so that you can refer to what meRAB you have taken what you need to take and when, etc, it is very necessary becaue it is really easy to forget what you may have already taken. Also a progress sheet is very good too.

Take care and I wish you all the best. Keep us posted with everything that goes on. Good luck.

Beachgirl ;)
 
Thanks for everyones input. My youngest just left home to go to college so I don't have any kiRAB to take care of.
 
My husband took off a week and after that my 13 year old granRABon who is home schooled came over to be with me and help take our little dog outside when needed. He was a very big help to me. I also did not need any help with bathroom which wasn't easy but manageable.

Linda:angel:
 
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