Re: revision surgery

[Guest guest]

, thanks for answering my post. It makes me for more comfortable talking with someone who has been through the surgery. Everything I read make the surgery and recovery sound very long and difficult. Thanks again, Sheila Kirkaldie <.Kirkaldie@...> wrote: Dear Sheila, While timetables can't be exact, just rough

estimates, there are some things that tend to be in line with what most members going through surgery find. I would say the average hospital stay is about a week, some a day or two sooner, some longer, especially if complications crop up. Work is another issue. I would say on average most who work tend to get back if only partime by the three month mark. If your job involves a lot of physical work, maybe longer. There will be those who go back sooner, and some if complications arise, may never go back, or have to find different work. Recovery is also different depending on just how much you have done. While I can say I was at this point this many weeks after surgery, there will be some who will beat

me, and some who just weren't at that point yet. I left the hospital after a week, and was home resting and recovering for about six weeks. I walked, did minor stuff for myself and the family and just recouperated. At six weeks I was back driving( off major med's) and doing minor stuff around the house, and cooking basic meals for the family. With each week after that I improved, and about the three month mark was doing most everything I wanted, just still tired easily. For me I didn't fully get all my energy back for over a year, and during that year I continued recover and learned to live with my very fused spine( T-1 to the sacrum). Recovery from this surgery is slow, you just have to take it a day at a time, and while it seems to take forever, you when looking back on a week will usually see changes for the better. How you recover to depends on how sucessful your surgery is, how well you heal, how well you take care of yourself. You can screw up fine work by the

surgeon by not following instructions and doing too much too quickly. You and you doc are a team in all this, and while I have given you a basic timetable( very rough), it is all weighed by how well you do. While we all have a common malady, we are not the same, curves differ, our basic health going into surgery differs, our age, stamina, supports( family and friends,very important). So how your recovery will go, it's a kinda wait and see. Hope this helps, all this is subject to the person and their recovery, my recovery is mine, and yours will truly be yours. [ ] revision surgery I need to have a revision surgery, and I was wondering about the recovery. The length of the hospital stay? How long I will be of work ect...?Thanks Sheila

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[Guest guest]

Sheila,

It just so happens that is having revision surgery with Dr. Lauerman

tomorrow. Bet

she'll be able to tell you a thing or two about him pretty soon--

>

> I am sheduled to see Dr. Lauerman at his office in Washington D.C., I

> have saw his name mentioned on this forum. Can anyone give me more

> information about him? Thank you

> Sheila

>

[Guest guest]

Edie, thanks for letting me know. How are you feeling, I heard you just had surgery? I hope everything went well. Sheilaedie_scratch <edie_scratch@...> wrote: Sheila,It just so happens that is having revision surgery with Dr. Lauerman tomorrow. Bet she'll be able to tell you a thing or two about him pretty soon-->> I am sheduled to see Dr. Lauerman at his office in Washington D.C., I > have saw his name mentioned on this forum. Can anyone give me more > information about him? Thank you > Sheila>

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[Guest guest]

Sheila,

Another member, Annette (Arlington)had surgery with Drlaeurman back in

October. She posted an excellent journal in the files section. You can

also type her name in the search box and find relevant posts.

She hasn't posted in awhile...but that doesn't mean she isn't reading.

At a minimum I am sure you could shoot her a private email and chat

with her.

Take Care, Cam

[Guest guest]

Dear Sheila,

I always say plan for the worst, and if you need the help it's there, and if it goes easier, well all is good. The first five weeks can be a blur, the first three I needed help for just about everything. I say if you can have someone with you for those weeks it's mandatory, as you will need the support. Three to five weeks you can be alone for a good portion of the day, with someone checking. Most aren't driving till between six weeks and three months, so plan to have someone to do errands, grocery shop, run kids, basically everything most Mom types do. Three months is a huge turning point, you are back to most functions, now you must develope strength, stamina, and adjust to your new FUSED body.

When you are first home, you are very medicated. Your big event for the day is walking with your walker to the bathroom,and back to bed, and you will feel like you just ran a marathon. Showering is also an event and you'll need a shower chair and someone to be of support. Someone will have to bring you meals, but you probably won't have much of an appetite. You will have to keep track of bowel movements and make sure you go, pain med's can plug you up something awful, so stool softeners, and fiber, and a mild laxitive will be your friend. Your life is about bodily functions, keeping clean and fed, and most of that you'll have to have help with. You'll be teary, at everything, normal. At times you'll feel like the blob on the bed, but know during this period huge amounts of healing is going on, and thats your job for now, healing, all the other stuff must go to others, you are in no shape to do anything except heal. I call this the " What the hell have I done to myself period" and " Good God, I feel like I was hit by a bus period", thankfully this period ends.

At about three weeks there is another change, you'll have a bit, and I mean a bit more energy. You'll be able to shower by yourself( probably), get dressed, be up for more of the day, maybe make yourself a easy meal, like a sandwich. All confidence builders, healing is going on, might not feel like it till you look back. At this point some get a bit depressed, seems like it's taking forever to get better, but alas more time is needed to heal, and you are just at the beginning.

Five week is huge, a lot more energy in spurts, but you'll still tire easily. You'll feel more confident using your tools and adjusting to your body. You'll probably be out in the world more, car rides, a bit of walking around stores, starting to see that it will come back, it's just going to take more time. A lot of us are stepping down our med's at this point, while it's an adjustment, many find they adjust just fine to lower dosages. Now is about building strength, walking is great exercise, and can get you out of the house and seeing the beautiful day, sure lifted my spirits.

Three months is the next Milestone. At this point I was back for the most part, driving, cooking, light cleaning of the house. I was off pain med's ( lucky, a lot aren't, and if you still need them, completely normal), and seeing the possiblities of my new life. Many go back to work part time at this point, but for some it's just too soon, I was lucky I'm a stay at home Mom, so I didn't have that pressure too. Now while I say I was back, there were accomodations to that. I could do all those things, yeah, but it exhausted me, so I needed to lay down a few times a day a rest. Endurance building takes time, and a lot more than three months. This is the point where friends and family can tire of you " Being sick", their problem not yours. You have to take the time to heal, not push yourself, nothing good can come from pushing too hard, hurting yourself and those foming fusions. Slow and steady is the way to win the race.

Three to six months is just healing and strength building. During this time many go back to work full time, but some can't, and some may never. I found with each day my energy built, slowly but surely. I felt not as alien in my new body, and had made the adjustments to a really fused spine. Even when I had a down day, I always had my spirits lifted when someone would see me and say" Look at you, so tall and straight", made me feel like it was all worth it. Just having the pain gone or reduced makes it all seem worth it, but it may take more time to feel that way.

The next year is just healing, and gaining stamina, and of course learning to cope with that new body. By a year and a half I truly didn't feel I lost much, I had gained far more. I had gotten back my ability to live a full life without pain( and yes I'm very lucky), and while there are accomodations for a very fused spine, none of them suck as much as the pain I had before surgery and the level of disability I had then. While I know I have come through all this very well, and some don't get as far as me, I think almost all of us are glad we had the surgery, I sure am.

Colorado Springs

[ ] revision surgery

Hi everyone, I do not post much, however I have been reading everyone posts and following recents surgeries. I have found it to be very helpful in finding a doctor that is able to help me. I am scheduled to have my revision surgery Septemeber 10th with Dr.Lauerman in Washington DC. I will be in the hospital for a week and then I will stay for one more week in DC with family. I live in Pa. so the doctor will not let me travel for two weeks. What I am most concerned about is how much help I will need with daily activities and for how long I will need it after surgery. Does anyone have any helpful hints for before and after surgery?Thanks, Sheila

[Guest guest]

,

I concur....make a file and save it!

Take Care,

Cam

[Guest guest]

, thanks so very much for your encouraging words. I had a bad weekend, and it was just what I need to hear. Sheila Bonnie <bonnie@...> wrote: , Fabulous summary. Great for any newbie. Maybe put in Files? Bonnie [ ] revision surgery Hi everyone, I do not post much, however I have been reading everyone posts and following recents surgeries. I have found it to be very helpful in finding a doctor that is able to help me. I am scheduled to have my revision surgery Septemeber 10th with Dr.Lauerman in Washington DC. I will be in the hospital for a week and then I will stay for one more week in DC with family. I live in Pa. so the doctor will not let me travel for two weeks. What I am most concerned about is how much help I will need with daily activities and for how long I will need it after surgery. Does anyone have any helpful hints for before and after surgery?Thanks, Sheila

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[Guest guest]

Dear Jackie,

Welcome, and sorry you are facing another surgery, but you are among friends here. Where are you located, and who will be doing your surgery? Did you get other opinions?

Most all of us having revision have had osteotomies, I've had three, as part of our surgeries. Google pedicle subtraction osteotomies, and tons of info will come up, with good pictures of what it looks like. They remove a wedge of bone to help straighten up your spine.

1. Sitting after surgery was tough, and I was limited to 30 minutes sitting at a time for the first six weeks. With time away from surgery it improves, just takes time and healing.

2. I wore a brace for 3 months following my first revision, and for six following my second. Many like having the brace, makes them feel secure while healing, I plain hated mine, hot and uncomfortable, mine was a TLSO, a soft plastic form of my body from the armpits to the hips, with velcro to remove it for showering and sleeping. There are a few braces out there, in the files section under photos, under Cam, she has a great picture of what hers looked like. Some doc's don't have patients wear braces at all. You'll get through it, not fun, but doable.

3. I was up walking( not far mind you) the day I woke up from surgery. First they had me get up and sit on the edge of the bed, once I was settled, they got me up to my feet. For some thats it for a first try, especially if you are shaky. Before you are allowed home, they have you walking a decent distance, and have you able to climb a few steps. You will need a walker for those first few weeks home( for me three weeks) and then I went to a cane when out in public. By week five I wasn't using and aid for walking, but thats me, everyone is different, and just how you will feel and do is as individual as you.

4. Pain, wow, thats a tough question. You need to be aware of the reasons for your pain, some of us have come through this relatively pain free after the surgical pain was over, and others will have lingering pain, much improved by the surgery, but still there. I'm in the painfree group, lucky yes. The majority of those who under go the surgery find that having ones flatback surgically corrected, lessens pain, and makes getting around easier. I'd say most are very pleased with their outcomes, painfree or not.

Surgical pain for me lasted about three months, and by then I was off all med's. Many need pain meds far longer than me. Pain and how one feels it is a different as we all are. While we all have Flatback, our surgeries similar, some are more complicated than others. So a timetable on just when you will be over surgical pain isn't really possible.

5. I did some physical therapy at the three month mark. Some docs say no to anything other than walking till the one year mark. Walking is good exercise, and helps build endurance, and I walked a lot during recovery.

6. I drove at about the one month mark, very early, but with my doc's permission. Mind you I wasn't driving but to the school and back, nothing extensive. Most doc's let patients drive around the three month post op mark. Mostly you have to have the strength in your feet to handle braking, and be stepped down on meds to where it is safe. I'd say this too will be personal, just geared to how you are recovering.

7. The first three weeks home are a blur. The first two are mostly about taking care of bodily functions, a walk to the bathroom, or a shower( with help), will be your big events of the day. You will sleep a great deal. I say you will need someone with you for the first three weeks. After that you can go longer periods alone. I got better and stronger each day, but it does feel like it goes on forever, the recovery. It plain goes slow, but every week you get stronger and can do more. I remember making the first family meal at about one month( nothing fancy) but it felt so good to be useful.

When you come home, really it's all about you and your healing. You will use a walker and you will be tuckered out just walking to the bathroom. You will need a raised toilet seat, at our house we had three bathrooms, so we dedicated one to me, and had it setup just for me. Showering can and will be exhausting, so you will need a shower chair for the first bit home. You will need a grabber to help with clothing, and anything down low. Many use a dressing stick with a long shoe horn. Slip on shoes are best. Keep clothes easy and comfortable, satiny PJ's help getting in and out of bed, and I wore sweats and a T-Shirt. A sock aid to help put on socks is a must, I still use mine. The nitty gritty is the first six weeks is tough, you are dependant, needy, uncomfortable, painful, and struggling, but you are building bone, making fusions, recovering from blood loss and trauma to your body. It's not easy, probably one of the toughest things you'll do, but so worth it. I'm glad I did it every day.

Work and going back to it, just depends on how you heal.Some are back at three months, some at six. There are some that after all this have to reevaluate their job, either do something else, or not work. Since you have an office type job, it will depend on how comfortable you are sitting. Getting up during the day and walking helps, and if you have a place to lay down for a few minutes a couple of times a day, thats really helpful. Many ease back into work gradually, partime for a while and then back to fulltime. There is no clean cut answer to this other than you will have to follow your body and listen to it.

Many have to travel for surgery, I was lucky and had mine locally, but travel home is possible. Planes are great, if there aren't too many transfers, get med's accordingly. Some travel home by car or van, for me the car in the brace was uncomfortable, just the half hour home, I remember all bumps in the road. I think my prefered way would have been to lay down in a bed in a van. Some if traveling a great distance home, after hospital go to rehab facilities for a week or two to help heal up a bit before the long trip home. Worth a discussion with your doc.

This is a tough surgery, takes a whole lot out of you, and since we are no longer kids, takes a good long while to pop back. The first three months is basic healing. The next three is adjusting to your new body and getting back into the world. Six to twelve months is about building strength and endurance. I'd say I didn't feel like my old self till about 18 months post op. It just takes a LONG time. But even then I'd do it again tomorrow if need be, as I got so much from it, it's good to have the pain gone and be able to walk and stand as much as I like. A gift, but didn't feel like it when I was in the middle of it. You just have to get through it, as Flatback doesn't fix itself, and will only get worse with time.

Hope that helped!

Colorado Springs

[ ] Revision Surgery

Hi AllThank god i found this forum as so many of my questions have been answered, just by looking at past posts. But of course now i have a dozen more - so thought i would ask people out there to let me know what they experienced!I have been told that i have to have a "pedicale substraction closed wedge osteotomy " or something like that! I would like to hear from anyone who has had something like this! I am try to find out the following:1. How long after the op were you able to sit? Doc said i would battle to sit for 2 months!2. Did you have to wear a brace?3. How did you find the walking around - the doc said that they would have me up and walking soonest after surgery.4. Pain - how long does it carry on for? 5. Did you have to do any special excercises etc?6. How long till you could drive?7. How did you cope once home?The reason for all the questions is that i will have to go to another town to have surgery - about 850 km away and i am trying to figure out how the hell i would get home! I also have my own business - i am a short term insurance broker and work from home - so need to be able to work out how long i would not be able to work properly! I am of course also a mother and wife - so need to know what the rest of my family is in for! What the doctors tell you and what is the truth i do believe is always different and the best way to ge the information is from People who have been through it!I would appreciate any feedback.ThanksJackie