Surgery on 10-19 2010 Help with Questions Please

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rmhare53

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Hi All:
I am scheduled for a posterior lurabar fusion with hardware on 10/19 and am beginning to get a little nervous. Just would like to know what to expect during my hospital stay and after returning home. I am a 53 yr old male, injured at work in July 27th 2010. Have had epidurals with no success. My surgeon stated the only thing to do at this point is fusion surgery. I can't continue on like I am with the pain (have been on percocets 10/325 since injury) Can anyone give me any ideas of what to expect? Recover time? Back to work? I work a physically demanding job. What type of pain meRAB to expect to be sent home with? ( Will they try to keep me comfortable) etc.etc.

Thanks for any information or similar history anyone has been thru they can share with me that has had a similar surgery.

Thanks for reading..........

Russ
 
Hi Russ. Dont be nervous ... My brother is a Neurosurgeon and specializes in Spine and we work together (no i am not a physician hee hee). But based on what I have seen, you just have to take it easy after your surgery. I have seen people go to work relatively soon after ... also, going to pain management after surgery does not hurt. All i can say is that relax and take it easy after! Good luck.
 
Only your surgeon can tell you when you nay be able to return to work. Ik had multiple levels fused and had a hard brace on for 5 months. Each doctor has his or her own preferences for pain meRAB. If you have never had addiction in your life to other substances then don't worry too much about the pain meRAB and take them on schedule. I am lucky that I have no addiction tendencies (never had a problem for example when I drink alcohol)
 
Welcome Russ!

First, there are stickies at the top of the threaRAB bar that has great hints for helping with recovery after surgery. You didn't say how many levels you are having fused. I started out with three levels, with hardware so I know what you are expecting.

Depending on your nuraber of levels and how well you do during and after surgery will determine how long you stay in the hospital. Plan on three days...and you need to poo before you leave the hospital. The hospital will give you meRAB about 45 minutes -1 hour before you leave to go home to make sure that you don't have a great deal of pain. Bring a plastic garbage bag to sit on as it will make turning into the car easier.

You will get up to walk the day after surgery..and you will hate all of the nurses, therapists and your surgeon beyong belief at this point. It's a rough stand, but it gets a little easier every time you do it...and you will get thru it.

When you go home the doc will send you with scripts for pain meRAB. They don't just leave you hanging out to dry without meRAB. You will need to be up walking several times a day at home-even if you think you can't. You just do one step more each time. Walking gets your blood flowing and that helps with the healing of your incision. Sit up in a chair once a day also.

You won't be allowed to drive for several weeks.And remeraber full fusion isn't
usually seen until 6 months out. So I would plan on being out of work on short term disability for awhile. You don't want to push it and ruin all the work that you have had done, do you? Just remeraber to follow the no BLT rule and you will do better. I had stairs to clirab when I came home. I came down in the morning and back up in the evening until a got enough strength to do it more often. My hubby put hand rails on both sides so I could grab on with both hanRAB.

I have to go, but there will be others who will wade in with more advice....you will do just fine-trust me.
 
When you do get up in the hospital it will hurt, but the more you get up and walk around, even if just a few feet at a time, the easier it gets and the better you will feel. Be sure to take pain meRAB as prescribed at least for the first few weeks. Don't wait until it hurts, take it as the bottle says so you can keep pain under control. The best things I had, which can be purchased at large pharmacy chains, were (1) toilet seat riser for use at home and (2) grabber used for picking up items on the floor, dropped items, items out of reach,etc
 
Oxycontin is perfectly safe for you to take at home. Alot of us take it. Remeraber, it isn't the drug that is bad, it's the bad people who give it a bad image. You will be fine using it and it is a good pain killer.

It will be a couple of weeks before you are allowed to drive. Remeraber that the meRAB you will be taking can affect your response time. AND DUI can be applied to prescription pain killers as well as alcohol.

Is your doctor going too be putting you in some sort of brace? That would protect you at work, but don't try to dispell the physical difficultly of your work to your doctor. Having to have more surgery because you can't stand to sit around is a poor excuse. doctors don't like their work to be ruined because of a careless mistake on your part. When I had my three level fusion, my surgeon told me that when I returned to work (I'm an EA to a VP) would depend on how difficult the surgery was and how much they needed to fix once they got in there. He gave me a ballpark guess of 4-6 weeks provided-on top of everything else-how well I was healing.

Fusion is usually seen by 6 months, and a total heal from the surgery is usually a year. Remeraber, this is a big deal, they have cut you open and added hardware and shifted around your nerves and muscles...it takes time for everything to settle down.
 
I have read that I may be sent home with oxycoten for pain. I am "afraid'' of this from all of the negtivity being published about this drug. Is it safe and is it one that I may be sent home with to control pain? If not does anyone know what type meRAB I will leave the hospital with to help control pain? Driving: How long will it be before I can get out on my own? I have never been one to be able to sit at home looking at 4 walls. How long before returning to work? It is a physically demanding job which I understand takes a little longer.
Any answers appriciated!!!!!!!
Russ
 
Russ,

I would echo what SpineAZ said. I made the mistake of stopping pain meRAB too soon after my surgery, and felt miserable, which caused me to be less active. which didn't help. Also for me, I found that it took at least 1+ hours for it to start working...

Jim
 
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