Spinal Surgery

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Druid

Druid

Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
605
Location
Washington DC
As some of you know I've been suffering from lower back pain (spinal stenosis) for some time. The stenosis became severe and dehabilitated a few months ago where I started experiencing partial paralysis in the legs. Needless to say I stopped turning all together.

After 4 different spinal surgeon consultations I felt I had enough information to make an informed decision on next steps for my back. Last Thursday I had my surgery (4hrs), he operated on the L5 - L2. I was awake at 8 PM and cat napped on the hour since (Hospitals DON'T let you rest, they wake you up on the hour to take you BP, blood work, poke & prod). At 3 AM after eating something THEY called oatmeal that resembled some kind of glue, I decided that I am better off recouping at home so I worked every hour to stretch so that when the catheter is removed at 6AM I could get up & walk to the bathroom.

By 6:30 I was not only up standing, but had actually walked a lap on the 6th floor. NO pain! I can't begin to tell you what a miracle it is to no longer have sciatic pain, I was struck with a blessing and good fortune! I was discharged at Noon and on my way home. The hard head that I am (I blame my Irish Ancestry for that trait! :tongue:), I returned to work last Wednesday with 50 stitches in my back. My colleagues were shocked and couldn't believe there eyes and it seemed I became a poster child for my surgeon when I returned for the post op consulation. Looking back now (no pun intended), I should have not returned to work since the healing pain is pretty intense. Oh well, too late now since I am well integrated into meeting schedules next week.

I think I'm going to take things easy this weekend, dabble in the shop a bit but nothing over an hour or so. I had not been able to make a pen in the last three months or so, that streak will end this weekend:)!!

Would love to be on my bike cruising some of the mountain back roads but still a bit sore/stiff for that.

Thanks for all the well wishes, thoughts & prayers by all.

Happy turning & hope your enjoying the weekend
 
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Gees mate, you sound like someone I know...!
but the important thing is that the operation does appear to have been a success and you are recovering well.
We humans, are stubborn lot, we never seem to learn, as as soon as we have a bit of energy, we tent to forget why we lost it in the first place, and push it far beyond what we should...!:eek: Not that this should be any consolation for you, but believe me, you are not alone...!:cool::)

Take care, be well...!

Cheers
George
 
Congrats on the successful surgery, if there is any physical therapy involved do everything thy say you will be better off in the long run, I have a friend that worked in physical therapy at one time, and he had a lot of stories of people who didn't listen and how many had problems after the fact, also take it easy even thou you feel great now don't push it, my Dad re injured his back because he felt good and thought every thing was healed.
 
Jim,
very happy for you that the surgery went so well. Follow the doc's rehab and post surgical items! Take care of it so you never have to do it again!!!!
 
Jim,

I'm glad you had such a good result.

Just curious, did you have to have a couple of people observing the surgery to make sure you didn't talk while you were under? :biggrin::rolleyes:
 
Congrats Jim. I know your pain as I am waiting for #2 surgery. Do NOT overso and do what you are told. Take this from experience. I know when the pain is gone you wanna run but wait a while.
 
wdcav1952 said:
Jim,

I'm glad you had such a good result.

Just curious, did you have to have a couple of people observing the surgery to make sure you didn't talk while you were under? :biggrin::rolleyes:
Click to expand...

You know the drill Cav. I promise you they werent dressed in pink!!! :tongue::biggrin::tongue: My wife wasnt allowed in the recovery room either, she was NOT a happy camper.
 
I wish all the luck in the world just don't do what i did, mess up what was already fixed. My first operation, i had been hit by a car that run a yeald sign while i was ridding a ten speed bike; this was in 1987. No one was around so they just kept on going, still to this day i don't know who hit me; i didn't even see them coming. I was left laying on the sidewalk with cuts all over me. I had been thrown over a couple of cars that were parked on the side of the road. This happened in the community i lived in. L-1 -L4 and T-10 -T12 were busted pretty bad. It took me almost 2 years to learn to walk again.

I went back to work after that, "3 years later" and i thought i was doing fine, NOT!!!!! I was doing light construction work and felt a catch in my back. I ended up back in the operating room having a rods ,screws,cage, and all that mess put in me. It turns out that i have cronic degenerative disk disorder, and let me say, it gives me hell every day.

I just wanted to share this with you because i know the pain it causes. I hope you do well and by no means don't give up. No one knows the pain untill they have been there.


Wishing you a speedy recovery,
theartist07
 
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