I just had spinal fusion surgery on Wednesday, Dec 15th. I had a metal cage & a plate with 4 screws between C5 & C6. I woke up in the hospital with all my numbness & pain gone.(pain was in my arm & shoulder) I am so glad that i had the surgery so far.... I had such little pain that i did not need to push my morphine drip button while in the hospital. They gave me Vicodin, but i have barely taken any. I have had a hard time staying still since i have been home... i feel like a new person. Now my challenge is to sit around the house for 6 weeks doing "nothing". To anyone out there suffering in pain everyday, i highly recommend the surgery. Although i hear that lower back is another story... and every case is different from another.
I had a friend warn me the other day to take it wasy, she said her husband had the surgery & didn't listen to the Dr's orders...he did too much & broke out the screws, now he has to do it all over again! So i am going to try to be good... I don't want to mess it up.
does anyone know how bad it would be if i had just one cigarette a day while healing? I quit a week before surgery, but i had 2 last night, i just couldn't stand it anymore... i thought if maybe i had one a day to look forward to it would give me something!?
I had a friend warn me the other day to take it wasy, she said her husband had the surgery & didn't listen to the Dr's orders...he did too much & broke out the screws, now he has to do it all over again! So i am going to try to be good... I don't want to mess it up.
does anyone know how bad it would be if i had just one cigarette a day while healing? I quit a week before surgery, but i had 2 last night, i just couldn't stand it anymore... i thought if maybe i had one a day to look forward to it would give me something!?
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Anna,
I am glad you are doing well so far. However, I am very concerned about your FUTURE prognosis. Haven't you read all of the medical literature that clearly proves how smoking interferes with proper bone fusion and healing??? You need to take this opportunity to stop smoking NOW and forever!
After 10 years of intense back pain and a gradual limiting of my extracurricular activities like ice hockey, I couldn't take the pain any longer. I tried all of the standard treatments in the years prior - with no longterm results. After three MRI's the Dr.s determined that I had DDD in both disks plus spondylolisthesis. The bottom line it wasn't going to get better as I grew older. I finally had a L4-L5-S1 fusion on July 28, 2010 (6 pedicle screws, 2 rods, and two spacers). I stopped taking pain killers 2 days before I left the hospital because I was so ill from the meds. From that point on, I have not taken any meds. I have no more pain or discomfort. I have been using my Spinal Stim 4 hours a day until about 2 weeks ago - now I just use it about 2 hours a day.
I feel so good that my Dr. says I can start slowly ramping up my activity. Last week, I just started playing ice hockey again and I still feel great (albeit out of shape)!
The bottom line is you should not do anything that is known to limit the healing process. That includes smoking. I can't tell you how many sad posts I have read about people who have not had the success I have had so far, only to find out that they are smokers, or smoked heavily prior to surgery.
I sincerely hope your recovery will continue to be successful.
I am glad you are doing well so far. However, I am very concerned about your FUTURE prognosis. Haven't you read all of the medical literature that clearly proves how smoking interferes with proper bone fusion and healing??? You need to take this opportunity to stop smoking NOW and forever!
After 10 years of intense back pain and a gradual limiting of my extracurricular activities like ice hockey, I couldn't take the pain any longer. I tried all of the standard treatments in the years prior - with no longterm results. After three MRI's the Dr.s determined that I had DDD in both disks plus spondylolisthesis. The bottom line it wasn't going to get better as I grew older. I finally had a L4-L5-S1 fusion on July 28, 2010 (6 pedicle screws, 2 rods, and two spacers). I stopped taking pain killers 2 days before I left the hospital because I was so ill from the meds. From that point on, I have not taken any meds. I have no more pain or discomfort. I have been using my Spinal Stim 4 hours a day until about 2 weeks ago - now I just use it about 2 hours a day.
I feel so good that my Dr. says I can start slowly ramping up my activity. Last week, I just started playing ice hockey again and I still feel great (albeit out of shape)!
The bottom line is you should not do anything that is known to limit the healing process. That includes smoking. I can't tell you how many sad posts I have read about people who have not had the success I have had so far, only to find out that they are smokers, or smoked heavily prior to surgery.
I sincerely hope your recovery will continue to be successful.
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thanks for wise advice. All that i have overcome... i can overcome this one little thing... I want to heal & be 100% back to new.
Thank you.
Thank you.
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I am 10 weeks post-op of having a fusion of L5-S1 and laminectomy also including L4-L5. I was taking so much morphine before the surgery that I had to cut it in half in the 4 weeks prior to the surgery. Pain now in my leg is 95% gone! Wonderful!!! Low back pain now, most definitely. But...I have taken myself totally off the morphine. I just take 10mg oxycodone (percocet) as needed which is about every 5-6 hours. The pain after surgery was excrutiating. I was in the hospital 6 days and the only thing I remember of those days is crying out that I could not handle the pain any longer! But, again, I had a discectomy 4 1/2 years ago at L5-S1. There was permanent damage to the sciatic nerve. As you can see, I had alot of issues going into this surgery. Altogether, I have had back pain 18 years. I woke up Jan 30, 2006 and could not move because of the knife if my back. The worst pain of my life and it only went downhill from there. You can't base your outcome on mine unless you have had that debilitating severe chronic pain. I was bedridden for 6 months before this surgery because no surgeon would do the surgery. SO, I AM GLAD I DID IT. I CAN WALK AGAIN TODAY WITH JUST A CANE. I WOULD DO IT AGAIN WITHOUT A DOUBT! GOOD LUCK TO ANYONE READING THIS.
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Hello to everyone just to let you know your not the only one with pain i had decompression and spinal fusion a little over a year ago i was in ICU for 3 days it took 5 hours in surgery let me tell you if i knew then what i know now i would have stayed the way i was even with pain i had because i tried to cure my back and ended up with severe hip problems and needless to say i'm still on morphine and percoset and i can hardly walk so if there is anyone out there that can tell me why these doctors out there don't tell you that something like this can happen to you before the surgery maybe we would think twice before undergoing such a big operation. If anyone out there is in need of back surgery ask questions and think twice the pain can be twice as difficult the second time around.
Your Friend
Fran :-(
Your Friend
Fran :-(
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Go to the emergency room and tell them you can't stand the pain anymore and tell them to call the doctor who is going to do the surgery talking to him will get you in faster.
Good Luck
Fran
Good Luck
Fran
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:'( WELL GREETINGS,
IM GINGER JUST TURNED 45 DECEMBER. AS IM READING ALL OF THESE TESTAMONIES I BEGAN TO CRY. THINKING HOW JUST TWO WKS AGO I RECALL FEELING SO GREAT W/ MY FUSION OF 6 SCREWS IN MY NECK. I HAD MY SURGERY NOV. 23RD, 2010. RELEASED ON THANKSGIVING DAY. VERY PROUD, THANKFUL AND FULL OF ONLY POSITIVE THOUGHTS.
WELL 9 DYS AGO FOR MY 2nd POST-OP VISIT, @MY SURGEONS OFFICE HE TOLD ME I WAS TO TAKE OFF MY (MIAMI JAY ) NECK BRACE.
I WAS SOOO HAPPY EVEN THOUGH THE FIRST COUPLE OF NIGHTS WERE ETREMELY PAINFUL. I JUST THOUGHT THAT TO BE NORMAL. AFTER WEARING A BRACE 9WEEKS & 1DAY OF COURSE MY NECK WOULD BE SOAR/PAINFUL.
ON VALENTINES DAY, MY DOCTORS P.A. SAID THEY NEED ME TO START CUTTIN BACK ON MY MEDICATION REFILLS. OXYCODONE 10/325. AND ROBAXINS FOR THE SPASMS & CRAMPS. THREE TIMES A DAY if needed.
" NO PROBLEM-o!!" I REPLIED.
WELL FROM 2 OXYS EVERY {4-4.5hrs} TO 1.5 PILL {EVERY 5hrs} = MY PAINS THRU THE ROOF ITS UNBARABLE!!
BUT IM AFRAID TO CALL THE OFFICE BECAUSE I DONT WANT ANYONE TO THINK ILL OF ME. I AM A CHRISTAIN AND ALWAYS TRYIN TO BE AN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS, TRUSTING IN THE LORDS PROVISION, ETC... but I hurt SOOO BAD.
PS: MY HUSBAND DOESN'T GET MY PAIN LEVEL{s} REALISTICLY @ ALL. HE'S EXPECTING ME TO HEAL QUICKLY AND MOVE ON JUST LIKE I DID W/ MY FULL HISTORECTOMY 12-2008. THIS IS COMPLETELY LIFE CHANGING. I AM IN SUCH HORRIBLE PAIN SINCE THAT NECK BRACE CAME OFF!! And I'M ASHAMED TO LET HIM DOWN... I AM THE ONE BETWEEN US BOTH WHO CAN REALLY*REALLY ENDURE ALOTA' PAIN. BUT THIS ECCEEDES EVEN MY THREE TIMES GIVING BIRTH.
I GUESS MY FEAR, AFRAID OF ENDING UP IN AWHEELCHAIR along w/ HORRIBLE ENDURANCE OF NEVER ENDING PAINS WHAT CAUSED ME
DELAY OVER TWO YEARS, %-) EVEN THOUGH ITS COVERED BY WORKERS COMP ? THANK YOU JESUS FOR THAT BLESSING @LEAST FOR SURE !
ADVICE??? PLEEEEEZZZ!!
SHANX. Ginger
IM GINGER JUST TURNED 45 DECEMBER. AS IM READING ALL OF THESE TESTAMONIES I BEGAN TO CRY. THINKING HOW JUST TWO WKS AGO I RECALL FEELING SO GREAT W/ MY FUSION OF 6 SCREWS IN MY NECK. I HAD MY SURGERY NOV. 23RD, 2010. RELEASED ON THANKSGIVING DAY. VERY PROUD, THANKFUL AND FULL OF ONLY POSITIVE THOUGHTS.
WELL 9 DYS AGO FOR MY 2nd POST-OP VISIT, @MY SURGEONS OFFICE HE TOLD ME I WAS TO TAKE OFF MY (MIAMI JAY ) NECK BRACE.
I WAS SOOO HAPPY EVEN THOUGH THE FIRST COUPLE OF NIGHTS WERE ETREMELY PAINFUL. I JUST THOUGHT THAT TO BE NORMAL. AFTER WEARING A BRACE 9WEEKS & 1DAY OF COURSE MY NECK WOULD BE SOAR/PAINFUL.
ON VALENTINES DAY, MY DOCTORS P.A. SAID THEY NEED ME TO START CUTTIN BACK ON MY MEDICATION REFILLS. OXYCODONE 10/325. AND ROBAXINS FOR THE SPASMS & CRAMPS. THREE TIMES A DAY if needed.
" NO PROBLEM-o!!" I REPLIED.
WELL FROM 2 OXYS EVERY {4-4.5hrs} TO 1.5 PILL {EVERY 5hrs} = MY PAINS THRU THE ROOF ITS UNBARABLE!!
BUT IM AFRAID TO CALL THE OFFICE BECAUSE I DONT WANT ANYONE TO THINK ILL OF ME. I AM A CHRISTAIN AND ALWAYS TRYIN TO BE AN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS, TRUSTING IN THE LORDS PROVISION, ETC... but I hurt SOOO BAD.
PS: MY HUSBAND DOESN'T GET MY PAIN LEVEL{s} REALISTICLY @ ALL. HE'S EXPECTING ME TO HEAL QUICKLY AND MOVE ON JUST LIKE I DID W/ MY FULL HISTORECTOMY 12-2008. THIS IS COMPLETELY LIFE CHANGING. I AM IN SUCH HORRIBLE PAIN SINCE THAT NECK BRACE CAME OFF!! And I'M ASHAMED TO LET HIM DOWN... I AM THE ONE BETWEEN US BOTH WHO CAN REALLY*REALLY ENDURE ALOTA' PAIN. BUT THIS ECCEEDES EVEN MY THREE TIMES GIVING BIRTH.
I GUESS MY FEAR, AFRAID OF ENDING UP IN AWHEELCHAIR along w/ HORRIBLE ENDURANCE OF NEVER ENDING PAINS WHAT CAUSED ME
DELAY OVER TWO YEARS, %-) EVEN THOUGH ITS COVERED BY WORKERS COMP ? THANK YOU JESUS FOR THAT BLESSING @LEAST FOR SURE !
ADVICE??? PLEEEEEZZZ!!
SHANX. Ginger
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Hello, Fran I knoe exactly what you went through, and the predicament your in. your totally right these dr.'s really dont tell you everything, and you end up making such a big desicion like this, and ruining your whole life permanently.
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Hi I'm 23 and just got my t3 to s1 fusion spinal surgery and just curious when I'll be able to drive again?!? Any docs on here? Or anyone with similar surgery have any idea.,.!??? I know half of you know how shatty it is to just be sitting here all day (even when I go on walks) I'd like to go on trips to the stores and my family taking care of me thinks it sounds NUTS'!!
They say my (full) recovery time is anywhere from 6mnths-1yr but Im 23 almost 5weeks into recovery an feel AMAZING!!!!
Thanks to whom answers!!
-Ali
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Dear Jewel,
Usually spinal surgery is not the correct treatment, but it is done every day...hundreds of times in the USA.
It has been a year. If things are not good drop me a line.
Yours, Norsk10
Usually spinal surgery is not the correct treatment, but it is done every day...hundreds of times in the USA.
It has been a year. If things are not good drop me a line.
Yours, Norsk10
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I,v just said yes to having a full lumber fusion & didnt know about bone grafts etc.I,m petrified bt like you but I,v been told no guarantee!help!think I,m going to have to talk to my consultant.
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I had L4;L5 back Fusion On my 12 th week of recovery; First 2 weeks Super Super painful, 3 & 4th week reduce pain 40% Now I'm doing therapy 3 days a week Feeling GREAT Pain free. getting ready to go back and play tennis in 12 more weeks.
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I think it really depends on the individual, and the type of procedure that she had. Some devices have more side effects than others:
http://www.newsinferno.com/defective-medical-devices/medtronic-infuse-controversies-include-questions-over-cancer-risks/36788
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In 2005, 3 months after getting married, i was fused from L4 - T4. I still have pain, still do PT, but probably would not be alive if I hadn't had the surgery. I remain married to my husband who has been wonderful and have a 4 year old daughter (adopted at birth). I would suggest, get the surgery, get multiple opinions first, pick the best surgeon you can find - even if not near your home or even if he/she isn't the nicest. Best of luck to you!
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In 2006 i had back surgery for a ruptured disc in the T10-T11 zone. It left me in a wheelchair as i lost the use of my legs.
I now have lots of leg spasms in my right leg which is aggravating. I take Baclofen for the spasms, but they seem to be getting worse. Any information would be greatly appreciated, as my doctor has turned me loose and i do not have a neurosurgeon to talk to now.
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