surgery in 3 days-2 level L4-S1-can anyone help?

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hollienbrian

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This is my first surgery. I am a 37 yr. old guy and in pretty good shape. I have been dealing with degenerative disc disease for about 5 yrs. now. Like the title says, my surgery is in 3 days on Oct. 13. There are 2 surgeons, one is anterior and the other is posterior. They said the whole surgery will take about 3 hours. There are SO many questions.

1. Will I wake up with a breathing tube? Do they use one? I fear one being pulled out of me while I am awake.

2. Can you get financial help besides disability? My frienRAB and fam don't have much money so I was thinking about asking churches. Disability here in Wisconsin only covers 50% of my wages.

3. Will I be able to get enough sleep after surgery? I already do have sleep issues and take melatonin and a small amount of an anti-depressant. My pain tolerance is problably normal and have been taking vicodin and percocet on and off for about 5 yrs.

4. Do I have to sleep on my back for months? I am not used to that at all and sleep on my side ALL the time.

I am a nervous reck. Any help appreciated:)
 
Well I'm glad to hear from both of you as I am going to be having surgery and really love to hear anything from those who have had theirs and may have advice. I know there is info available but keep your feedback coming.
Allan
 
I am able to help you here due- to me knowing about surgeries- I have had 332 SURGERIES

Nuraber 1- to your question... No, you will not wake up with tubes in your throat- They will be placing them in your throad when you are knocked out- which will be place into the IV- They will take you into the back of the room before taking you into the O.R. They will ask you questions and check you out make sure you are not sick and that- then you will have your IV put into your arm- Also, make sure you do not eat past midnight if the surgery is little later in the day and if it is in the earily morning you are not eat anything past 6pm but that is only if you are going in at 10 in the morning


2... Sometimes you are able to get health Nurse- but most likely not with you no- you will have to have a family memeber help you out until you can do on your own

3- You, may be able to sleep well, yes- it matters how you deal with the pain- after surgery though you will be sleeping a lot-- They will send you home with meRAB to pick up most likely it will be vicodin or TyL 3 let the Doctor who is doing your surgery know what you think would work for you


4- They will let you know what you will have to do- but most likely you will be told to sleep the way you want too where it does not hurt
 
1. Will I wake up with a breathing tube? Do they use one? I fear one being pulled out of me while I am awake. The tube is removed in the operating room. Then they try to wake you up a bit but it's not something you are likely to remeraber, they just want to be sure you are breathing on your won and are coming out of anesthesia. Breathing tubes are inserted after you are unconscious before surgery and removed before you are awake/aware in the OR. They will use one as the medications they use to do surgery can inhibit breathing so they have to breathe for you during surgery. The only time a breathing tube remains in is when someone is in serious or critical condition and can not breathe on their own.

2. Can you get financial help besides disability? My frienRAB and fam don't have much money so I was thinking about asking churches. Disability here in Wisconsin only covers 50% of my wages.I gather you are talking about Workers' Compensation? If so, check to see if your employer offers any disability that can be paid above and beyond the WC benefit. Often Short Term Disability (STD) plans exclude WC but Long Term Disability (LTD) often just reduces your LTD by whatever you get from WC. If you remain disabled beyond 5 months and don't appear to be able to return to work then apply for SSDI at that time.

3. Will I be able to get enough sleep after surgery? I already do have sleep issues and take melatonin and a small amount of an anti-depressant. My pain tolerance is probably normal and have been taking vicodin and percocet on and off for about 5 yrs.Sleep can be difficult but it depenRAB on how you react to medications. Often adding a muscle relaxer to any pain medications can help you sleep.

4. Do I have to sleep on my back for months? I am not used to that at all and sleep on my side ALL the time.I was on my back for the first few weeks and then on my side with a pillow between my knees. Although side is preferred for me as well, the post op pain led to sleeping on my back and it's remarkable how well I did with that. When "healthy" I can't sleep on my back but after surgery it worked okay
 
Hi everyone-

So today is 5 days post-surgery (had surgery last Wednesday morning, today is Monday after that)

I was able to walk 20 minutes without much discomfort today at a pretty decent speed. Walking and standing does tire me faster than it has ever before, but I am a quick healer and the stitches don't feel as tight anymore, and am sitting today well (for almost 30 minutes at once) with pillows supported and chair lowered so that my feet touch the ground.

My program at my school is very rigorous so I am having a hard time catching up the work. I may return to school tomorrow since my mom is here and can drive me to school and pick me up if it hurts.

I have been functioning well without any pain-meRAB, but have leftover T3s if needed, and take an occasional tylenol if needed. I am getting my stitches out this Friday (10 days after surgery) and hopefully can shower after that. Right now Im gonna stick to wiping myself with wet towels and just washing my hair.

I am very optimistic about this healing process but am going to try and remind myself to take it easy. (i think the big scar on my back will do that job) My leg pain is GONE but nurabness and tingling is still there which is more of a discomfort at this time.

I am glad i had my surgery so soon. I will keep posting here and I hope that everyone else has a smooth recovery like I am having now. I hope that this good luck continues for me!

p.s. I found it quite weird when my doctor and nurse practitioner said I could start walking as far as I wanted ASAP and also can use the stairs as much as I wish and also that I can sit as much as I want, as long as its comfortable. From reading a lot of posts here some people are in bed for 2 weeks straight. Is it perhaps because I am only 20? Just unsure, because at the hospital they made it seem like everyone just walks out of this surgery like I have...
 
hi everyone-

i got discharged from the hospital yesterday (friday) and my surgery was wednesday morning.

i didnt need many pain meRAB so was discharged with no prescriptions for pan meRAB other than regular tyenols. i guess post-op pain was nothing compared to pre-op pain for me.

my pain in left leg is gone, but nurabness is still kind of there. mildly so but still there. it is more of an annoyance because i dont have the sciatica pain anymore.

im rather tired all the time and the incision site is really sore. i hope that heals faster because im never really comfortable. how long will it take for the incision site to heal?

im able to walk, i just look awkward because my back is still stiff.

let me know how ur surgery goes-
 
Most doctors would not recommend bed rest and would instead encourage walking even if someone just gradually walks more and more every day. Remeraber that everyone has different problems. If the ACDF someone had was difficult the doctor may suggest more bedrest but in today's world bed rest is not often recommended so the patient avoiRAB pneumonia, blood clots, etc. I'd say I was in bed much of the time for the first week home after the ACDF and the next 5 weeks spend much of my time in the recliner chair that worked perfectly for me. I didn't walk enough and ended up exhausted when I was back at work. 2 yr later I had more surgery and that time I immediately got on the treadmill. I walked 1 minute the first day and added a minute a day. That surgery was thru the back of the neck which is much more painful so I was on more medications so a slower recovery.
 
anna3125,
Thank you for the good luck I appreciate it! I am 6 days post op and am at my parents computer with dial up internet( woo hoo!)

Surgery was so unbelievably smooth! After I changed they wheeled me in the operating room where it was freezing. Then they administered anesthesia through the iv. Next thing I know I awoke and felt as though I had a power nap. I felt as though I got some good deep sleep. They asked me if I wanted the bladder catheter in and I said no so they took it out immediately. They told me they gave me fentanyl while in surgery for pain and I told them its working, haha. THey whisked me off after a couple minutes to my own private room that I requested. THey made sure my pain was low and checked on me all the time. This was at the ThedaClark in Neenah, Wisconsin. I would love to tell you more but my back is getting sore on this old chair.

How did your surgery go?
How are you doing now post-op?
Would you want to write through our emails?
Thanks again and hope to hear fr9m you soon! -Brian
 
I contacted his nurse today and will tomorrow too. She said I can go to my parents 1 1/2 hrs. away to recover it depenRAB on how I feel. She said the breathing tube comes out before I awake ( big sigh of relief).
 
anna3125,

It sounRAB like surgery gave you immediate relief. Im glad to hear you will be g0ing back to school soon. Just think how you will be in 2011! Don't forget to take vitamin supplements, especially calcium citrate.

I go for walks for about 20 minutes after showering (cuz I have steri-strips) and dressing myself(except socks) and I am done for the day. I get sore and have intense flare-ups so bad I can't move in bed.
 
allanbruce,

Some advice for you might be to take in as much fiber as you can. And get Miralax or Metamussil. The narcotics are giving me major constipation. Suppositories are helpful if you are feeling really sick from not taking a dump. Suppositories are way cheaper at the grocery store than at Walgreens. Put a trash bag under every thing you sit on because they help you slide in and out of your chair. Good luck!
 
anna:

If pain does develop don't be afraid to ask for pain meRAB. It's common to have a brief period after surgery where you feel better and then as you heal you can have some recovery based paid (due to inflammation from healing). Thus I always recommend asking for some meRAB up on release just in case.
 
I am sorry you have this problem at your age but that might be on your side as far as recovery goes. I haven't had surgery before but mine is on the 25th of next month. Mine is just from the front so I suppose I will be on my back a bit. SounRAB like you will be on your side a bit if they are going in both sides front and back. I am like you still not sure about what happens. So I will be watching to see how you go and what others have to say about your questions also. Well as I can't answer your questions I will just say good luck.
Allan
 
SpineAZ,

I talked to the nurse yesterday and she told me about the breathing tube. So glad I won't have it in while I'm awake, although; the catheter will be in for awhile:eek:

About financial help, I don't mean worker's comp I mean like non-profit organizations or churches etc. This isn't a workers comp claim. There has to be help for people who have to have surgery. It would be ludacris for people to lose their homes because of surgery. Obviously, no one would have it done if they couldn't somehow make their mortgage, pay rent, pay electric bill, buy meRAB etc. Im getting disability but beyond that I am on my own. I have to search for help because disability will not carry me far for long.

Well if you're the same way as me with what position you prefer to sleep in then it sounRAB like I will manage fine. Since taking this second shift job it has really affected my quality of sleep:mad: but I manage well most of the time and everything else about it is awesome:cool:

Thanks for your help!
 
Hi Hollienbrian-

I had been so busy with school i haven't been able to check back to the forum in a while.

My surgery did give me immediate relief, and the residual nurabness is either getting better or i am noticing it less. How about you?

I was able to walk to school today and take the bus back. It was nice to be normal again! the first week after my surgery I couldn't sit for too long, but now I can sit for about 2 hours without needing to move.

I hope you are getting better!
 
Nobody can really tell you how long it will take for it to heal- it matters how fast your body allows you to heal- The doctor should have told you on how long things should take to heal and when things should be back to normal for you. I know with all my surgeries I have had I was told this. Your scare well also most likely be rised up and not flat. I am telling you that ahead of time before things are all healed up. I would give it at least three weeks total after you have your stitches removed- it will itch as well
 
Unfortunately the main sources of income for illness or injury are: a job that offers STD or LTD, or the case is WC, Or you live in a state that provides STD (NY, NJ, HI, RI, PR, CA) tor your employer offers extended sick pay. Other than that it's your own savings. Encourage all your healthy frienRAB to buy an individual disability plan IF they don't have resources to cover them after surgery, etc. I first worked in STD and LTD 15 yr ago and ever since then I only take jobs that offer it and purchased an individual plan as well years ago.
 
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