My husband had the surgery in August of this year. He had his l4/l5 /s1 fused. We were very hesitant and put the surgery off for years. DH got to the point where he could barely walk and was living on pain killers. Now that we are 3+ months post op I can tell you I'm mad we didn't do it sooner. The surgery lasted 5 hours and they went in from the front and back. I now joke that DH and I have matching c-section scars. DH was in the hospital 4 days I think? He said he immediately felt better. Even being on all the pain meds right after surgery, he could tell he was free of sciatic pain. He was up and trucking around the hospital on his walker within 8 hours of surgery. When he came home he moved slow, was using a walker and just had to be careful. He could not lift anything over 5 lbs and couldn't twist at the waist. One week out and he didn't need the walker anymore and could drive himself. Now he can walk and stand for hours at a time and is doing great. We just completed a 7 day road trip across Texas that would have been a nightmare for him prior to the surgery. He still has to be careful picking up heavy objects and can't bend down super easily but each day is better. He is not totally pain free but as long as he doesn't over do it he is manageable with an Ibuprofen 600. (he also has a hip issue that we are waiting to see will resolve once he heals more). He was just cleared to resume "normal and accepted" activity last week.
Feel free to PM with any questions. I recommend you find a good spine surgeon that you trust and feel comfortable with. We found our surgeon via word of mouth. Two separate people recommend us to him. He did not have the best bedside manner but he was amazingly talented and that was what we wanted.
Also ask questions about your recovery. Will you have your own room in the hospital? How many days? What is to be expected for PT in the hospital? What meds will you go home with? What will be your mobility restrictions when you get home? When will you be able to drive? How long will you have to do PT after the surgery. When you come to your surgeon for follow ups will you see him or one of his associates? Will X-Rays be required at each follow up appt?
I didn't have that exact surgery but did have a fusion on L4 L5 S1 S2. The risks are great but honestly I wish I would have done it sooner. I waited too long and not to be TMI did start lose control of bowel function.
There's more issues than just bowel control if you wait (I also have nerve damage in my feet from waiting).
If you have specific questions let me know, I'm more than happy to help. I had my surgery 4 years ago.
I am so sorry to hear that you can relate.
Mine would be T11 to L2.
Unfortunately I've been having more and more issues walking. I am very afraid of losing bowel function as I know that can be a tough thing to get back.
I do have some questions... How long was your recovery? I can arrange about 6 weeks from work, possibly work from home for longer, but not much more. I have a desk job, is sitting going to be a problem moving forward? If you had lost any motor function did it come back after the surgery? How is your fusion holding up? Was yours caused by injury or by DDD?
Thank you in advance, I hope you are doing well these days.
Mine was done several years ago. In the beginning I fought the surgery and did what I could to avoid it (cortisone injection shots, steroid packs, therapy) and went for a 2nd a 3rd opinion. My recovery was fine. I stayed overnight in the hospital because it was a multi level surgery (single level I could have gone home). the first night in the hospital SUCKED. I was in so much pain but the pain was in my feet. Because of the severity I did have a morphine pump which was wonderful but got sent home with percocet, and vicodin. Within a few hours of surgery (which was 4-5 hours long) I was up and walking and I could walk without pain. Obviously where the incision is yeah it felt like it "pulled" but it wasn't real pain and I didn't limp. They did have me walking with a walker and then a cane until I was steady enough to just have a nurse walk with me.
I do have a desk job and I really only took the 1st week off but I worked from home for 3 weeks. I found myself taking a lot of naps and anytime I took a pain pill I fell asleep within 20 min so I wasn't that productive. I was only on the Rx paid meds for a week then I went to tylonal. I went back to the office the 3rd week post op and was fine in a chair. Recovery is a long time though. I started rehab 8 weeks after surgery and did that 3 times a week for 3 months. My doc said the best thing to do after surgery is start walking right away. Sitting around will make things much worse.
I lost SO much strength in my core and my back afterwards but am trying to get back into the shape I was before surgery. The fusion is holding up great, no issues. I do have nerve damage in my feet which affects me almost every night (tingling feet) but I do have a perscription if it gets bad enough.
As for the lose of bowel function that scared the crap out of me more than the surgery itself. My doctor warned me about it and said if that happens I need to be in the ER that night and no control over who does the surgery. I picked my doctor for a reason but I did wait too long. Every once in a while I'll have a minor issue and can't always "feel" when I have to pee so I make sure that I always go before leaving the house, not drink too many liquids if i'm out etc.
Overall I saw the surgeon the middle of April, got an MRI 2 days later and I FOUGHT surgery once my doc got the results. I will never forget my surgeon's words that he guaranteed I'd be under the knife by the end of summer. I did the 3 shots with no success, 2 steroid packs back to back and therapy. Finally in July I went for a follow up appointment and was scheduled for surgery the following week.
We don't know what caused mine. I do have degenerative disk but I had 2 full herniated discs laying in the spinal canal and 2 bulging discs. I also couldn't walk more than 50 feet without being in pain but trust me when I say you will feel so much better.
If you're in as much pain as you are and your doctor is telling you it's time than it's time. They don't like to do spine surgery's unless it's needed.
Post by penguintamer on Nov 30, 2015 18:25:33 GMT -5
H had it done two years ago, he had three vertebrae in his lower spine fused. It was about 80% successful, some of the bone didn't fuse, but even so, he's able to be off opiod painkillers. He also can run and exercise again. He would probably be doing a lot better if he did the core exercises and stretching his doctor recommended, but that's another issue. He was scared and resisted doing it, but his doctor told him he would be in a wheelchair by 40 if he didn't.
I saw this post and wanted to share my experience with my back surgery I had in January of this year.
I have spina bifida. I was having issues with my bladder and bowel function. After a lot of testing, it was determined that a position I was left in during a different procedure, had caused my spinal cord to become tethered. This was discovered after my bladder and bowel function were becoming worse and worse. I was hospitalized with colitis too many times to count.
I finally decided to go through with the untethering surgery. Since my surgery, my bowel function has returned to normal (as normal as it can be due to severe nerve damage). If I would have waited longer to have my surgery, I could have lost total control of my bowel function, which would then lead to paralysis.
I know spinal surgery can be scary and dangerous. If you have any questions and want to PM me, please feel free. I'm not sure where you are located, but I had an amazing neurosurgeon, with whom I have been treating since I was 11 years old and I'm almost 30.
I am sorry you are going through this. I wish you the best of luck with whatever decision you make.