Another visit with my surgeon (almost 3 months post-op!)

Hey everyone! 


I just wanted to write in and fill everyone in on how everything is going. I saw my surgeon yesterday (6/13) and he wrote me a script for another month of physical therapy, X-rays in about a month, and to see him back in another month. He was so happy that I am not on any medications anymore, and that I am not getting any pain in my Right leg at all since surgery. I also told him that some days are easier, and I still do have bad days but that I feel so much better than before surgery and I still have a ways to go before I'm back to 100% (hopefully!). He asked how physical therapy was going and I told him my hamstrings were SO bad, but other than that its going great. We have been adding in new stretches and I am continuing to do them at home which is important as well. He asked if any of the stretches cause pain in my back, and I was happy to say "no" to that. =] They cause discomfort and I am sore afterwards just because everything is so tight and hasn't been used or worked in so long, so that is expected. He was ecstatic. He said clinically, he is so impressed with how well I am doing and that some patients are still on pain meds 3 months out and still not able to do much. 


I think a huge part of it all is really taking the time to do YOUR part, the surgeon can only do so much, and its up to you to continue to perform your part. Everything from walking right when you wake up from surgery (which is not easy, but it will only help in the long run) to not sitting for too long, to being cautious yet pushing yourself a little bit with walks and exercises, to committing to doing physical therapy stretches and exercises at home. It takes work, but it is so worth it knowing that you will be better than you were before and you will one day have a quality of life back. I can't wait for that!!! 


My surgeon said he can't wait to see my X-rays and I know I can't either...I think it will be cool to see the 1st set compared to the second set; and hopefully it is nothing but good news/everything is fusing correctly. I will definitely be posting pictures of my x-rays when I get them. =] 


Last time I posted, I was just starting to use a serum on my scar (Scar Away) to help fade the scar, even the skin out, and improve the look of it. I have been using it 2 times a day, and even after the first week of using it, my physical therapist said that my scar looked and felt so much better already!! It definitely feels a lot smoother and more even and it also looks lighter. I think next time I write I will put a before/after picture up but so far I love this stuff!! 


My biggest struggle right now is that ever since I got my brace off, I do things without thinking and sometimes hurt myself. I feel like since I don't have the brace on, I'm "normal" because I "look normal". If that makes any sense. When my surgeon said people always end up missing their back brace, I was thinking..no way will that be me! And it was me, not anymore because I'm doing better now, but in the beginning I did miss it. Its just hard to think I can do things and I attempt to do them and then I cant, or I end up hurting myself in the process. I just need to be more careful. It can get frustrating, especially towards the end of the day where I am very sore and really need to just 'relax' and not over-do it...which for me, is not easy. Those are really my only complaints. I still have pain, and still learn day to day what I can and cannot do, but the pain is bearable, and I can deal with it. The car is finally good again, however, I took a long car ride last weekend, and boy did I pay for it...so just take everything in moderation, if I could go back and re-do that car ride, I would have taken Tylenol before I left, and taken a few breaks to stretch and walk. One other thing I would suggest, make sure you have good posture!! It really is important, and at times, its hard sitting up straight, especially in the beginning, but try your hardest to have good posture.


Considering I am not even 3 months post-op, I am very happy with where I am at and where I am heading. =] Questions or anything, feel free to ask! I would love to somehow be able to help people going through this, you're not alone and you're stronger than you think so keep your head up <3 

2 months 1 week post op!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to post in monthly so I'm a little late, but today I am 2 months 1 week post op of my L5-S1 (PLIF) Spinal Fusion. The last time I posted, I got my back brace off, saw my surgeon, and was waiting to start physical therapy. I am happy to say that I (surprisingly) did not have to fight the insurance to approve my physical therapy and I started with no delays. I love the place I go to, and my physical therapist. We are going at a very slow pace and I am completely fine with that! When he first evaluated me, he said that my range of motion was good except my hamstrings were very limited to movement. My sessions usually are about an hour to an hour and a half long and it usually goes like this:

20 minutes with electro-stim and heat on my back
Scar massaging (which surprisingly feels really good!)
Leg stretching done by my physical therapist
Knee to chest exercises
Hip flexions (he described it as pretending to crush an egg on the table with my back)
Leg squeezing exercises
And a few more that I don't know how to describe

He said that next week we will be adding some more and seeing how I do with them. The hamstring stretches hurt the worst, my hanstrings are really bad apparently from not being able to move them in certain ways for over 2 years. I usually don't feel pain from PT until I'm leaving. I'm very sore from moving in ways I haven't been able to for so long. He says that I am doing very well with everything and that he is very impressed, so that makes me feel good about it. I don't know if I mentioned in my last post or not, but I am going to PT 3 times a week.
My physical therapist mentioned that there is a product that will help with the scarring and it evens out the skin and makes the appearence better, so I went to a few places and finally was able to find it. I went to CVS and there was 2 different kinds: one was a tape/bandage like one that you leave on for 24 hours, and the other was a serum in a tube that you rub on the scar. I asked the pharmacist if there was one that worked better than the other or not, and he suggested the 'Silicone' ones are the best. I was worried about it being so hot if I were to sweat or anything if the bandage would lose its adhesive, so I went with the roll-on serum. This is the box of the one I purchased:

It is supposed to "shrink flatten and fade new and old scars." It says that you can apply it 2-3 times per day and massage the gel on for 1-2 minutes. I just strarted it today and am going to put a picture of my scar today, and then after a few weeks of use, I will post another to see if there is a difference. Here is my scar today:

So heres to hoping that this works! I will keep you guys posted and more pics will follow to see the progress! :-]

My surgeon also said to try and only sit for 15 minutes at a time, which seems a little unrealistic to me, but I try to get up and walk around frequently. The car is getting a little bit easier. Sneezing is still my worst enemy, very very painful. Walking long distances gets hard, but in general, I am able to walk a lot more than I was able to before surgery. I vaccumed and did light cleaning the other day, and was a little sore, but very excited I was able to do it being that I haven't in so long. I am barely taking any medicines anymore, not even tylenol, unless its a bad day. I tried to sit through my brothers graduation and that was very painful, but that is all part of learning your limits and knowing how long you can and can't do certain things. That does not mean I'm pain free, that means that I am able to bare it and deal with the pain, which I am happy with. There is still a long way to go, and I am still feeling a good amount of pain, but overall, I am happy with the surgery so far and only time will tell everything else. I see my surgeon next June 13th I believe, so I will definitely post in after that as well. Any questions or anything feel free to comment, or e-mail me. Post back soon =] Happy Memorials Day everyone!

-Alicia =]

My 'battle wound', upsetting but as my sister says "scars are beautiful, they show how strong you are and what you have been through"

1st set of x-rays; second post-op visit w/ surgeon; & pictures

Ahh! Today was very exciting for me. Its May 9th, 2012 and I had my second post op appointment with my surgeon this morning! I am 1 month and 19days (50 days!) post-op of my L5 S1 Fusion today! I got my first set of X-Rays on Monday (5/7) and was very excited to see what all is in there! Here are some pictures I took of my x-rays, please don't mind my cameras flash, they're still very cool to see =]:


The first two were taken with me laying on my back, it shows the rods and screws and everything, and those little white lines in the middle show the placement of the cages in between:

 It's hard to tell, but there is some bone growing on both sides of the titanium (which my surgeon was very pleased to see!):

 The next two pictures were taken while I was laying on my left side and show the screws from a side view (it's crazy to see that that is inside of me! Ah!):

 And another view from the side:

I am very excited to say that my surgeon was very, very pleased with my X-Rays, he said that they were so ideal that they could be in a textbook! As I mentioned before, he said that there was some bone growth on the outside of the titanium hardware, which is a very good sign! He said that it is now time to take off the brace (YAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! But very scary at the same time, yikes!!) and to gradually start to do things at home little by little. He was extremely pleased to know that I am only taking Tylenol (still NO anti-inflammatory medicines such as Advil, Motrin, Naproxen, etc) and rarely pain meds or Flexoril, which I take when absolutely needed. He said he is very pleased at my progress so far, and it is still a long journey and we have to take it step by step, but so far so good!! I am now to start Physical Therapy and he did warn me that there will be new pains and increasing pain due to starting to move and learn to bend and do things, but it will slowly get better/easier. He said that people tend to get frustrated, but that the physical therapy will help so much in the long run and to stick with it! This is what my script for PT reads:

Lumbar Physical Therapy

LE's and Back - range of motion,

exercises, strengthening, modalities, and 

design a home exercise program.

Evaluate and treat-

3x a week for 4 weeks

So I am waiting to get this PT approved from the auto insurance and am really hoping they don't screw me over and prolong this process. I can't and don't want any delays regarding me getting better and doing the steps I need to do to get there. So I am scheduled for Monday 5/14 to start and hope it can stay that way. I am looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time, but like I have said before: I've come this far and worked this hard to get the surgery, I am going to do any and every thing in my power to do my part in the healing process and in the process of getting better. 

I will be seeing my surgeon again in a month and not really sure what else after that; but I am very happy with what I heard today, he seemed very confident and happy with the results so far and it makes you happy knowing that. I wanted to cry and give everyone in that office a hug (haha!) because of all the fight and push to get the surgery and all the help they have been and for always making me feel so comfortable and so important there; it really does make things 1000x better having a surgeon and team you truly love.

Where am I at pain wise? It's still definitely here and some days are better than others, but every single day is a different experience. The rain makes me more tense and have more pain, but I'm sure if you've had back pain (or any pain for that matter) you know that weather does affect how you feel. I have been taking Tylenol PM before bed, to help with the pain and to also help me get to sleep faster. I can't complain at all about sleep considering what I was going through/getting before the surgery, but some nights I am tired but can't get comfortable so I just toss and turn until I fall asleep. The PM Tylenol does help though and I do recommend it because once I am asleep, I'm pretty much asleep until the morning which is awesome!! I still have some mornings where I am very slow to getting up and stuff, but I'm sure that is to be expected. I am still trying to walk as much as I can and I want to start doing a walk around the apartment complex every night, on top of what else I do during the day. The pain is bad, yes, but its do-able knowing that it will slowly get you back to yourself again! So keep your head up, I know it gets hard sometimes, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. =] This process is by no means a quick one, and there are a lot of ups and downs, but I think knowing that going into this surgery, helps you with what you may expect. 

They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and there are days where I look at what I have been through from this accident and surgery and every single treatment and thing in between and I just think to myself that if the saying is true, I could probably take on the hulk one day!

Ooh and ps- another tip I'm not sure if I mentioned or not, but I use vitamin E cream usually 3-4 times a day on my incision, which helps moisturize and will hopefully help with the scaring, but so far I love it..you defiantly need to ask your surgeon first before you use anything though, I couldn't put anything on for quite some time after surgery so make sure you check...just thought I'd let you know =]

Any questions or anything I can help with, let me know, I would be more than happy to help if I can. =] Here are a few more pictures:

 I'm brace-less!!! Exciting and scary at the same time! :

 Bye-Bye turtle shell that made me so hot!! =] :

 My incision/scar a few nights ago, looking A LOT better than my original pictures I put up:

 & again:

1 month post op!!

Okay, so there are a lot of ups and downs with this. Every day is different from the last, and I could be doing great, and then have a setback. So with that said, I have started to try and take myself off of the pain meds, but I think I may have done it too quickly. I am really feeling everything now and am in a lot of pain, but again, this is still all of the surgical pain I am feeling. I'm sure that once I start physical therapy I will be feeling a new pain as well. This is all the process though, I knew going into this that it was going to get worse before it got better, but the part that made it okay, its the thought of feeling what its like to live without pain again; it has been so long (over 2yrs and 4months) since and I almost forget what it is like to not be in pain. So yes, there is a lot of pain, but the fact that it is going to get better and help me, makes it worth it. Everyday I try to do a little bit more than the last day. I don't really measure how far I walk, although I should start, but I know my limits and when my back doesn't want me to do something, trust me- it wont let me do it. Even if I'm slow to walk, I still am walking and am able to say that I am doing everything on my part to help with this healing process. The exercises that the physical therapist gave to me in the hospital, I am just now able to do. I couldn't sit with my legs straight out for a while because my muscles in the back of my legs were SO tense. If I have a rough night, I have a very slow start to the morning; but overall, I have been very pleased with how I am sleeping (its definitely a lot more than what I was getting before surgery). I got off topic before, but my meds are down to extra strength tylenol and flexoril as needed. I rarely take the vicodin anymore, however, if the pain is really bad, I take one. It feels good to say that I had a major spine surgery a month ago and I'm fighting through with just Tylenol. I started to get this weird pain in my right foot, out of nowhere, but it was very random and out of the blue so I don't know if it is related or not. Also, my mid back was getting a lot of pain if I moved a certain way, I hope its just me being tense and so restricted that my muscles are tight or something simple like that. The rain doesn't help either, I always feel extra pain and a lot more difficulty getting around. I am also very excited to say that I no longer use my walker or the commode (I forget when I stopped) but its awesome not using that, they were both very embarrassing to me. The car is still very uncomfortable and steps are also still painful. My left hip (where they took bone from) still has sharp bad pains, but its not all the time anymore so I can't complain. This is a long recovery, and there are days where I want to just give up because it frustrates me, but bring it on, there's nothing I can't handle at this point with all the pain and treatments I have been through. Little by little, there is no instant gratification or instant pain free life; this is a process, but hopefully one that will be worth it! 

First post op appointment with my surgeon (15 days post op)

Saw my surgeon for the first time after my surgery! He said my incision looked very good and had no signs of infection, yay! He was very pleased with how much I have been doing, but he did remind me to do everything in moderation and to not over-do it. They way he put it is, don't do too much that you have to use the next day to recover because then you're losing a whole day. I had no tingling or numbness/weakness in my legs or feet. He said that as the little bandage strips start to fall off of the incision, I can take them off, so that's exciting. HE said to try and see if I can do less medication, but if I need it, definitely take it; the sooner you can stop the meds the better off you are. I was cleared to drive at my comfort and with caution when on the pain killers. I drove home from the appointment (about a 45minute drive) but had some anxiety, but it was nice to drive. The pain that I was feeling at that point was a lot of pressure/pulling/sharp pain, I don't know how much that helps but that's the best way I can describe it. I feel tired often, and everything seems like such an effort. Things are getting easier, but at a VERY slow pace. I know this is still early to say, because all of the pain is still surgical pain, but I haven't had any of the shooting pain in my right leg since surgery (I had it frequently prior to surgery) so I am happy with that. The next time I see my surgeon (May 9th) I will have my first set of X-rays after surgery to see how everything is doing, and my brace will be discontinued (I can't wait!! Although, my surgeon said that everyone says that but once its gone they miss it and wish they still had it); and I believe I will be starting physical therapy shortly after that. So hopefully more good things are to come. Its emotional, and hard at times not having anyone who really understands your pain and having to rely on others for a lot and not being able to do much, but you have to try to keep an optimistic view and just know that if you could deal with the pain before, you can deal with this pain and it will get better. Oh, and ps- I really don't recommend wearing jeans, I tried and it irritated the incision a lot as well as being uncomfortable with the rubbing..just a warning. Here are some pictures of how the incision is doing: 


The middle of the incision looks open, but my surgeon said it was looking good (on a side note, my tattoo looks pretty well lined up!) :

1 week post-op!

Where to begin? The pain was still bad and I was still trying to figure out a good schedule for my medicines. I was taking two 5/500mg vicodin/acetamenophen every 4 hours and one 10mg flexoril every morning, mid day, and night. They definitely helped and eased the pain and made things easier, but when they wore off and while my next dose didn't kick in yet, I was not a happy camper! I used ice a lot to help with the pain too. The brace, you have to wear all the time except sleeping, is very annoying to say the least. It makes me SO hot and uncomfortable, but it does help to let me know what I can and can't do. Still depending on my walker to walk, unless its very very short distances- in that case I can do without it. The toilet commode helps a lot and I didn't realize how much until I had to use a bathroom without one! The car was still very very painful, even getting in and out is a big task.. Everyone was so impressed with how well I am getting up and how much I am walking/moving around. They don't realize how much pain and effort is involved so it gets frustrating at times but oh well.I still needed help with a lot, including getting dressed (I hated that, it was so degrading to me),getting in and out of cars, getting anything on the floor or low to the ground, etc. Still no appetite, I had to force myself to eat something though because taking the pain medicines without food really made me sick/feel horrible. Sleeping is okay, I was so scared that I was going to hurt my back that I would only sleep on my side with a body pillow to support me/to lean on (which I highly recommend); I was also waking up a few times during the night because my medicines wore off and I would be in pain. At night, I found it easier to bring the commode into the bedroom, it made things a little easier on me and at that point, anything to make things easier was necessary! No bandage on my incision, so I try to wear baggy/comfy clothes so nothing rubs on it or irritates it, and for comfort- anything to help me be more comfortable, I'm doing! The incision itself was sooo itchy!! As hard as it was, I just tried to ignore it. Oh, another recommendation I have that I didn't mention before: since you have to wear your brace in the shower (not fun, I know), I highly recommend taking a shower at night before bed, because you have to let the brace dry and letting it dry overnight is the easiest way. Hope this helps. 

Day 2&3 in hospital; going home; pics

Didn't sleep much at all night one, so I was very tired, but I was doing a lot better!! Day 2: still no appetite, the medicines were making me so itchy and groggy, still with a low fever and a very high heart rate, but all in all, still definitely better than day 1. I was getting the hang of how to get up, and how to put my brace on..I still definitely needed a lot of help, but it was getting a little bit easier. I went on a walk today, all the way around the nurses station and back to my room, by choice and by myself! Very exciting, and the nurses were very impressed; don't get me wrong, it was very painful, but I did it!! I felt so weak, and everything seemed like such a huge task. A huge struggle for me was not being able to do things myself, like using the bathroom, or getting up, or moving. They say that moving around/walking is one of the best things you can do to help healing, so I was really trying to push myself to go for walks every now and then. I was extremely uncomfortable and in pain, but I was making myself push through it. I still needed the morphine pump along with the pain meds and muscle relaxors, as much as I hate medicines and how they make me feel (groggy, dizzy, itchy) I needed them. I had visitors throughout the day which was really nice, however, we tried to play uno and I kept dozing on and off, it didn't work out too well. I was glad to see everyone though! I tried eating every meal, and I just had no appetite, and my mouth was still so dry that when I did eat anything it was horrible. It felt like I had a film in my mouth, I couldn't taste anything no matter how many times I brushed my teeth. I had to use a spirometer (sp? - its to help get air in your lungs to prevent pneumonia and other infections) every hour, which doesn't look/seem hard but it was very tiring. I would go from having sweats to chills throughout the day, not fun  at all. Still very depended on others, but trying to do things by myself little by little. I still had a great deal of pain, but with the medicines and compared to the first day, they were better and bearable to an extent. 

Day 3: Early in the morning, my surgeon came in to change my dressing on my incision. It was very swollen, bruising, some blood, and little discharge, but he said that it looked good. I have a few pictures I will post at the end of this. He put on a new dressing and I had to keep it on for 2 days until I could shower. He said that surgery went very well and he was pleased with everything; he also said that he wanted me to get discharged from the hospital that afternoon. I had to wait for the physical therapist to come and then I could go. My morphine pump was stopped and I was just down to flexoril  and vicodin. I was still in extreme pain but I was fighting through it. The physical therapist came and she was very pleased with seeing how well I get up out of bed by myself and how well I was walking. It still hurt to walk and my left hip still hurt a lot too, but I guess that is to be expected. She took me on a walk, taught me how to use stairs, and taught me a few leg exercises to do at home. The only thing I was waiting for now was for my walker to be delivered to the hospital (the toilet commode was being sent to my house so I didn't have to wait for that). Once it got there, I was free to go. Excited but nervous, because I wouldn't have the nurses to help me all the time, and because I had an hour car ride ahead of me. The car ride was very hard, very painful and very uncomfortable!! I was glad to be home though at the end of the day. 

Here are some pictures of the 2nd and 3rd days in the hospital and my incision:

Up and about:

 Don't look too happy here, but hey, I'm walking!:

 Spirometer:

 Before the bandage was taken off, owwies!:

 TaDa! Very bruised and swollen here:

 And again:

 After I took off my bandage at home:

 And again:

 L to R: Walker, brace, commode:

3/20/12- The day of my surgery!!

Well, this was it, no turning back! I did not sleep the night before surgery, I had so much running through my mind. Everyone will tell you, oh its okay, don't think about it, etc etc, but that's not realistic at all! Its normal to be terrified, nervous, feel sick to your stomach, etc...it is a major surgery and it is scary. But I will say that if you have been dealing with horrible enough back pain for some time that you need surgery, the pain of the surgery to get better seems a lot more do-able than the horrible back pain without it. 

The hospital I had my surgery at was about an hour away from where I live. Its Atlanticare Regional Medical Center-Mainland Division in Pomona, NJ (right near the Atlantic City Airport). My surgery was scheduled for 9:30am, and they told me to be there at 8:30am to prep, so my mom and I left at 7:30am. The emotions of saying "goodbye" to my dad when he went to work, and my sister and brother, were a lot. The whole car ride there, I felt sick, I was shaking, and I was beyond scared. I was glad I had my mom by my side through it all, and I knew that when I woke up, my boyfriend, sister, and aunt would be there, and my brother and father shortly after that. When I got there, the staff was so nice and really made me feel comfortable, it made things a lot easier! 

Next thing I knew I was being taken back to the OR. I met with SO many different people, my surgeon, the nurses, the anesthesiologist, the x-ray techs, the blood saver person, this person, that person- I was overwhelmed. My mom was still there by my side, and wasn't letting go until they wheeled me away. Once the IV was in, they gave me medicine to relax, and I don't remember much after that. I remember being wheeled back and it slowly getting more and more cold, and that was it. Next thing I knew I was awake in recovery. I was in and out of sleep and still feeling the effects of the anesthesia. I had to wait in recovery for about an hour before I could see any of my family. As the anesthesia started to ware off, I started to feel everything, and boy was I hurting!! Once I got to see everyone, I was a little more happy. I was hooked up to so many machines I didn't even know what was what. I had a morphine pump (I promise you, USE it- I tried to be superwoman and not use it but that was a bad idea, you WILL need it and it WILL help a lot!!), oxygen through my nose, antibiotics through my IV, blood pressure cuff, heart monitor machine, and two things on my lower legs that helped circulate the blood on. I couldn't move much at all. My mouth was SO dry and my throat hurt really bad (I'm guessing from the tube), I was so pale and my face was so swollen, and to top it off I was running a fever and my heart rate was through the roof! I had to use the bathroom and so I called the nurses in and said I wanted to get up. They were impressed and helped me up. It was very, very hard getting up the first time, and was a very slow process. Once I was sitting on the bed, I had to put my back brace on, and then used a walker to pull myself up with. The first step I took, I knew EXACTLY where my surgeon took the bone from, my left hip hurt so bad! I was determined to walk and use the bathroom though. I couldn't go, no matter how much I tried and they told me that if I didn't go by a certain time they would have to use a catheter to empty my bladder. I was SO upset and kept trying, I did not want a catheter! I eventually went, yay, and everything was fine! Nurses periodically came in to give me medicine/check on me, and they were phenomenal (I only had an issue with one nurse, and trust me, he knew it!). I was pretty much just drinking water and chewing on ice, it felt really good with my mouth being so dry. I couldn't eat, I didn't have an appetite at all (surprisingly)! Night time came around, visitors left and my mom stayed with me. I was in pretty bad shape the first day, sick, in so much pain, so uncomfortable, and so helpless. I couldn't get comfortable in the bed so I switched with my mom and tried the chair, the nurses had ice packs on me and were closely watching my heart rate and fever. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep the first night at all. Here are some pictures of my experience:

My back before surgery:

 About to be taken back, yikes!:

  Right when I got into my room after recovery:

 My first time getting up, needed all the help I could get:

 Putting my turtle shell (brace) on, hurting:

 My first time standing after surgery!!:

 On my way, very slow, but on my way!:

 Me after surgery, you can kind of see how swollen my face was:

 My first night, rough night, you can see the ice and everything im hooked up to =[:

Everyone's experience is different, my first day was horrible I am not going to lie, but it gets easier!! Day 2&3 in my next post with some more pics too. 

Surgery info, questions, & tips

Hey,
I just wanted to talk about the type of surgery I got and give some info that I found on other websites too. The type of surgery was called a PLIF, here is a description I found: 

PLIF
PLIF stands for Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion. In this fusion technique, the vertebrae are reached through an incision in the patient’s back (posterior). The PLIF procedure involves three basic steps:

• Pre-operative planning and templating. Before the surgery, the surgeon uses MRI and CAT scans to determine what size implant(s) the patient needs.
• Preparing the disc space. Depending on the number of levels to be fused, a 3-6 inch incision is made in the patient’s back and the spinal muscles are retracted (or separated) to allow access to the vertebral disc. The surgeon then carefully removes the lamina (laminectomy) to be able to see and access the nerve roots. The facet joints, which lie directly over the nerve roots, may be trimmed to allow more room for the nerve roots. The surgeon then removes the affected disc and surrounding tissue and prepares bone surfaces of adjacent vertebrae for fusion.
• Implants inserted. Once the disc space is prepared, bone graft, allograft or BMP with a cage, is inserted into the disc space to promote fusion between the vertebrae. Additional instrumentation (such as rods or screws) may also be used at this time to further stabilize the spine.

When I originally met with my surgeon, he said that he recommended a minimally invasive fusion, there they would go in on each side of the spine, so there would be two about 2 inch incisions; and it is done through tubes and is less damaging to the muscles and faster recovery. HOWEVER, when I met with him again, he said that there are new studies that the minimally invasive procedures are being linked to some sort of cancer somehow...the FDA did not put any warnings out yet on it, but he said that he will no longer preform that type of surgery due to its possible risks of cancer. So if you are getting this surgery, be sure to talk to your surgeon, I personally would not get the minimally invasive surgery knowing this information. 

So the type was changed, same idea but instead of 2 smaller incisions, its one bigger incision in the middle. (I was personally upset about this, because I have a tattoo there, but oh well I guess :-/ ) I also found out that they will also be taking some bone from my left hip bone in the back to use for my fusion. My first thought, ouch, but I have bigger things to worry about! A few questions I asked my surgeon at my visit prior to surgery were:

Q: How long is the hospital stay?

A: Usually 3-5 days, we try to get you out sooner than later. 

Q: Will I need a catheter? (I soooo didn't want one of these haha)

A: No (YAY!, but every surgeon is different)

Q:When can I drive again?

A: After your first post-op visit, usually 2 weeks post-op

Q: How long does the surgery itself take?

A: About 2-3 hours (mine was only a one level fusion, times may vary)

Q: How long do I wear the back brace?

A: About 6 weeks

Q: How big will the incision be?

A: About 4-5 inches

Q: Are there any sleep/diet restrictions post-op?

A: No

 

Those were just a few questions I had, and my surgeon gave me a sheet of 'frequently asked questions' which helped as well. Also, a few tips that I have for someone who will be having this surgery, stuff that I found through looking at other peoples blogs and from my experience:

- Get a body pillow! It helped me so much which I sleep, and makes it a little easier to get comfortable. 

- Make sure you have a shower mat, showers are difficult at first and you don't want to risk slipping. 

- Have a few ice packs at home and ready, you will need them! 

- Don't bring too much to the hospital, you just need toiletries basically, you'll be in a gown the whole time. 

- If your surgeon asks, and even if he doesn't, before you leave the hospital- request a walker and a toilet commode to be at your house. It will help you out A LOT. 

- Don't be afraid to ask any questions, its better to know than to not. 

I hope some of this helps. My next post will be about the day of my surgery, before and after.

Background Info

Hey all, I'm 22years old and just had a spinal fusion at L5-S1 on March 20th, 2012. I wanted to give a little bit of background information first. I have never done a blog before, but when I was searching online for peoples blogs/stories before surgery, I had such a hard time finding someone to relate to, let alone something other than horror stories. So I hope I can help some of you guys out by sharing my story...here it goes!


On December 17th, 2009, I was in a pretty bad car accident. I was stopped at a red light and was hit from behind by someone who "wasn't looking at the road" who was going about 35-40mph. From that day on, was hell. I was working 2 jobs at the time, about to start school, and eventually planned on becoming a pediatric nurse. My life has been and still is on hold, with nothing in my control. After x-rays and MRI's, I was diagnosed with a herniated disk at L5-S1, a bulging disk at L4-L5, and a bulging disk with at L3-L4. My injuries were not limited to my back though, but I am only going to talk about my back on here. The pain was horrible and I went through SO many different treatments for over 2years including but not limited to: chiropractic treatments, epidural injections, trigger point injections, heat/cold therapy, physical therapy, facet nerve block injections, osteopathic manipulation treatments, and many different medicines. None of which helped, or lasted. I lost hope and my worst fear of having a spine surgery was one of my only options left...I literally tried everything, and had no relief at all. The pain continued to worsen and was unbearable. I'm trying to keep this "background" short...the pain got to the point where I was desperate and finally met with a surgeon for an opinion. He recommended surgery, but was too willing to say yes to surgery, I didn't feel comfortable with him. So I did some research and saw a different surgeon. His name is Dr. Lowe and he said surgery may be my only option BUT he wanted to make sure by giving me a discogram (very painful but worth it to find out exactly where the pain is coming from/finding out what the problem is exactly). It was definitely my L5-S1 disk that was causing the pain. He recommended a spinal fusion, where I would have bolts and rods and my spine would eventually fuse together at that spot. He was confident that it would let me live a pain free life once again. As terrified as I was, I knew it needed to happen. 


Since all of this was going through motor vehicle insurance, it was hell to get the surgery approved. Constant fighting and back and fourth, it was exhausting and they weren't budging. Almost a year later, I took matters into my own hands and got insurance through the state (medicaid, for 65or older or disabled- which was me). They covered the hospitals part, but not my surgeons part because he was not in their network. I was not willing to change my surgeon, I think that its extremely important to have a good surgeon that you're comfortable with and that you trust. I was lucky to have my aunt pay for my surgeons part, if not, I probably would not have gotten this surgery at all. I found all of this out, that the surgery was actually going to happen FIVE days before the date we tried to schedule it for. I didn't think I would be able to get everything done that I needed to do. I had to do pre-admissions testings at the hospital, get fitted for my back brace, and a few other things. We pulled it off though, I went from thinking I was never going to be able to get this surgery, to finding out that it was going to be happening in 5 days. I didn't have time to mentally prepare, and  looking online, the only stories I could find were horror stories. I was terrified to say the least.


In my next post, I will give some info that I found on the type of surgery that I got.