Happy Healing Holidays...

[Guest guest]

Our oldest daughter's L5-S1 fusion surgery was a success, and she got home the

day before Christmas! For an 18-year old, she is taking it very well, not

really complaining much, and already working to get off the pain meds so she can

think clearly again. Not only did she have a transitional/segmental lumbosacral

problem, there was a ruptured disk as well. Having a back brace was optional,

mostly because the neurosurgeon didn't think they could find/order a 30-inch

waist size, so we are working on that now, before she goes back to school next

Thursday. Daughter isn't travelling much until we get something, although she's

using an oversized brace we put together from two other braces temporarily.

Am wondering why the neurosurgeon used such small staples on her. Mine were a

lot thicker and I'm jealous. :0 Hubby bragged that the incision from his

microdiscectomy was glued (no staples at all). We get her staples out on

Monday.

Also, I had an ortho consult for my hips the day after Christmas at another

Tulsa facility. This lady was really good; she looked at the fresh x-rays and

then asked if it hurt where she was pressing on parts of my leg/hip. I had no

idea there were so many sensitive nerves there, but I'm sure she found every

single one of them. Diagnosis surprised me - not only did she confirm the

sciatica problems from (already known) spine/back problems that I had at L4-L5

(fused a year ago), she also diagnosed Sciatica RLE (Right Lower Extremity) and

discovered Greater Trochanteric Bursitis. Now I have to research these things

so I know what to expect. She did tell me - honestly - that I would probably

have to learn to live with this, as there was no good way to fix it and I'd had

it many years already. She suggested a change in lifestyle (not hauling

anything around here on the farm). I asked for a specific weight limit and she

said 10-12 pounds was realistic. I about fainted! My neurosurgeon said to do

whatever I felt like, although I'm avoiding the 50-pound sacks of livestock feed

like I used to move around.

I received an injection, believe it was Depo-Medrol. Hubby was such a smarty

pants - while they were getting the injection stuff ready, he said " man, that's

a big needle " . THANKS A LOT dear! <G> She got it in the right spot, if pain

was any indication. This reminded me of the Pain Management shots I had

(different facility) in my mid-back, which did not work BTW because they did not

consider the thoracic problems (two small herniations, osteophytes, etc.) that

were actually in the same area.

I am still needing to find a neuro that will work with my thoracic problems.

Apparently my current one chooses not to address this area; he claims it will

probably go away on it's own in a few months, as my spine muscles start to

realign things. They are (realigning), but the problem with a suspected

fractured facet joint (pars defect) or transverse process is certainly not

getting any better. And I discovered, totally by accident, that pressure on

this thoracic area seems to help, but I don't know why. This is all on the left

side of the T7 to T9 area. I rolled a soft play ball thing that we have at home

under that area while resting on the couch, and the pressure there (for over an

hour) helped. Anybody know why that would made sense? I don't understand, but

it did.

Sooo . . . it has been a very interesting holiday season for us. But we were

together, and that's what counts. Our Christmas was very low-key and fairly

quiet, all things considered with the trips hubby and other daughter made back

and forth to Tulsa every day, and the cold wet weather. One trip going home was

very bad with the highway being partially frozen.

If we are lucky, we'll make it to a New Year's Eve party with the Sunday School

group, since we missed all the Christmas parties with the surgery and doctor

appointments.

Debbie Dahl

Oklahoma