Three Level Fusion Scheduled

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gettuit
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Gettuit

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After being out of work since 2/24 , I am finally getting some relief I hope . I had a consult with my neurosurgeon yesterday and he feels that the best for me is to fuse the L-3 L-4 and to fuse the L-5 S-1 disc, I already have the L-4L-5 fused.I would like input on what to expect from three level fusion. Will I need to have blood transfusions for such an extensive procedure. How long will I be in the hospital. Will I be able to have sex after this procedure. I know that the recovery is three to six months. I live by myself and would like some pointers on how to deal with this alone. All responses are g:)reatfully appreciated
 
Getuit-

You have already had a fusion done, so you know what you are headed for. I had three levels done 4 years ago. Let me try to go down your list and see if I can answer your questions.

I gave two pints of my own blood before I had the surgery. My doctor told me that it would be 3-5 hours to do the work. I ended up being on the table for 8 hours and needed one or two more pints of blood in addition to my own two. My surgery took longer than he had planned as my MRI didn't show the full extent of my problems.

Averal stay in the hospital is 3-5 days. It all depenRAB on how quickly you recover from the surgery and how well you handle the pain etc etc. You know what the recovery is like-it's just more to work around.

Normal recovery is more like 6-9 months and being realistic I would say that total recovery is more like 1 year. You should see fusion around 6 months. Some people take longer, some fuse quicker.

You will need to be really aware of your back and remeraber that there is no BLT for atleast three months. You need to make susre that the work your doc did isn't put to waste. I was told that with a three level fusion I would have a weight limit as to how much I could carry-30 lbs. for life. No rollercoasters either (DARN). You will quickly learn what sets your back off. Oh, no bowling, no running.....

I don't see why you can't have sex. You will just need to be careful what positions you use. Your best bet is to ask your doctor.

You will need to have some help in for the first couple of weeks. Is there someone that can come and stay with you to help out? Buy a grabber to help pick up things from the floor so you don't have to reach.

read the posts at the top of the board, you will find alot of helpful advice.
Hope this has helped!
 
[Thank You so much. ) My surgery is scheduled Aug 17th.



QUOTE=ibake&pray;4281779]Getuit-

You have already had a fusion done, so you know what you are headed for. I had three levels done 4 years ago. Let me try to go down your list and see if I can answer your questions.

I gave two pints of my own blood before I had the surgery. My doctor told me that it would be 3-5 hours to do the work. I ended up being on the table for 8 hours and needed one or two more pints of blood in addition to my own two. My surgery took longer than he had planned as my MRI didn't show the full extent of my problems.

Averal stay in the hospital is 3-5 days. It all depenRAB on how quickly you recover from the surgery and how well you handle the pain etc etc. You know what the recovery is like-it's just more to work around.

Normal recovery is more like 6-9 months and being realistic I would say that total recovery is more like 1 year. You should see fusion around 6 months. Some people take longer, some fuse quicker.

You will need to be really aware of your back and remeraber that there is no BLT for atleast three months. You need to make susre that the work your doc did isn't put to waste. I was told that with a three level fusion I would have a weight limit as to how much I could carry-30 lbs. for life. No rollercoasters either (DARN). You will quickly learn what sets your back off. Oh, no bowling, no running.....

I don't see why you can't have sex. You will just need to be careful what positions you use. Your best bet is to ask your doctor.

You will need to have some help in for the first couple of weeks. Is there someone that can come and stay with you to help out? Buy a grabber to help pick up things from the floor so you don't have to reach.

read the posts at the top of the board, you will find alot of helpful advice.
Hope this has helped![/QUOTE]
 
I was in the hospital 5 days i didn't have a transfusion but remeraber signing a paper saying they could give me one if i needed it, my best advice if you live alone is to try get a homecare at least for the first few weeks you are going to need help also wished i'd got a shower stool and toilet riser and theres other equipment that will help out enourmously. Make sure to tell PT before you leave the hospital that you live alone and need help they will arrange it and that goes for equipment too. My insurance told me they would have paid 100% on the homecare and 80% on equipment but i didnt know to ask for these things and struggled those first few weeks, really should have been PT asking me in any case.
Hope your surgery goes well!
 
I had a L3-S1 fusion in February of this year. I was already fused at the L4-S1 levels. My surgeon doesn't do pre-blood donations as the cell saver used in surgery is often enough, in his opinion, to replenish what is needed (cell saver cleans what is suctioned and can be reinfused into the patient). He took out my old hardware from L4-S1 and put in all new hardware from L3-S1.

I was prescribed a bone growth stimulator at around 3 weeks post op and wore it 24/7 for the first 4-5 months. There are a few different versions and mine was one where I could wear it 24/7

I was in the hospital for 7 days. I had a back incision and a side incision, and I ended up eating too soon (side incision also means they move the insides around) and I bloated a bit. So I could not get up for 2 days. Otherwise I would have probably been out by day 5.

I had a hard LSO brace made for me about 3 weeks prior to surgery and then went back to them one week after hospital discharge for any adjustments. I wore that for 4 months. Not fun but it kept me in the right position when I was upright.

I was most comfortable in my bed with pillows under my legs. Hubby slept in the guest room for about 4 months (he's just happier if I can watch TV at 2am if I am up and he can still be on his own schedule).

The best things I had at home were a toilet seat riser and a grabber. The grabber helped me get anything I dropped or was out of reach. The toilet seat riser helped me not have to lower myself to standard toilet height. Both are available at your local large nationwide pharmacy.

Doing it alone can be tough. If you have enough frienRAB and family have them "on call" for anything you may need. They can pick up prescriptions, bring you food, do grocery shopping, etc as well as be on call for emergency neeRAB. If I was single and lived near family I'd have considered staying with them for 2-3 weeks post op.
 
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