View Full Version : Going under the knife...
I'll be having spinal fusion surgery here in a couple of hours. All prayers accepted. This will be interesting.
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Good luck! You'll be fine.
Prayers over. May your recovery be quick!
Bailey Guns
09-07-2016, 06:41
Best wishes for a successful procedure and a speedy recovery!
StagLefty
09-07-2016, 07:33
Heal quickly !!!
ClangClang
09-07-2016, 07:34
You'll get to eat all the ice cream you want!
Good luck man.
BlasterBob
09-07-2016, 07:41
Gman, Prayers and good thoughts heading your way for a successful fix. Don't overdo the recuperating part of the procedure!
Good luck to ya! Do the PT like a good boy, you'll be fine. Chicks dig scars.....
hghclsswhitetrsh
09-07-2016, 07:55
Best of luck!
May everything go smoothly.
Great-Kazoo
09-07-2016, 08:05
Yowsa. Take care and make sure to keep up on the antibiotics.
cableguy11
09-07-2016, 08:06
I'm going under this afternoon as well! Good luck to the both of us.
Great-Kazoo
09-07-2016, 08:07
I'm going under this afternoon as well! Good luck to the both of us.
You i texted ;)
clodhopper
09-07-2016, 08:11
Thinking about ya. Good luck!
I am three weeks post major foot reconstruction surgery. The down time is aggravating... and I get to do it again on the other foot in December.
Prayers sent for a fast recovery!
Best wishes Cableguy!
Thanks guys!
IV is in, see you all later!
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n8tive97
09-07-2016, 08:21
Prayers for the Dr's steady hand and a speedy recovery!
Good luck and best wishes. I'll want to hear about your experiences as I'm contemplating lumbar fusion and laminectomy.
Best of luck! See you on the flip side...
killianak9
09-07-2016, 09:28
Prayers for you both!
Keep us posted. Let us know if you need anything
mackbamf
09-07-2016, 09:29
Take care and I wish you a speedy recovery.
sellersm
09-07-2016, 09:52
Praying for both. 1 Peter 2:24
Fentonite
09-07-2016, 11:42
Good luck! I've had two, looking at a third. You'll do fine.
Good luck and swift healing to you both!
Thinking about ya. Good luck!
I am three weeks post major foot reconstruction surgery. The down time is aggravating... and I get to do it again on the other foot in December.
Sounds like a screen name change is in order.
I'm late but prayers inbound.
gnihcraes
09-07-2016, 17:44
Best wishes and quick recoveries to all!
KestrelBike
09-07-2016, 18:55
I'm prolly late to the party, but Kick some Ass, GMan!
jhood001
09-07-2016, 20:33
Hope it went well. Do your physical therapy!
pickenup
09-07-2016, 22:13
Sent from here.
I'm finally 'with it' enough to let you guys know that I made it through. Surgery went longer than expected and I ended up with a drain that I didn't expect. Who knew that cutting bone and muscle might be painful? [Coffee]
Thanks for the support gang!
How are you doing Cableguy?
cableguy11
09-07-2016, 22:49
I'm finally 'with it' enough to let you guys know that I made it through. Surgery went longer than expected and I ended up with a drain that I didn't expect. Who knew that cutting bone and muscle might be painful? [Coffee]
Thanks for the support gang!
How are you doing Cableguy?
I'm good, at home with a drain and big ass bandage! Oh yea, and a lot of pain killers. Glad to see your up and posting. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
That's great news! I hope we both heal up quickly.
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Can I bring you guys any ice cream or anything? Whiskey, tobacco or women?
Glad to hear you came through it ok, minus the additional plumbing! Hope you have a speedy and complete recovery.
Late to the party, but wishing a speedy recover to you and cableguy both.
Prayers for both of you for a quick and full recovery.
Speedy recovery to both of you.
Late to the party, but wishing a speedy recover to you and cableguy both.
Seconded.
cableguy11
09-08-2016, 11:15
Big thanks to everyone...and my apologies to Gman for jumping on his thread! I don't usually post about this stuff and found it quite a coincidence that a fellow member was going under as well.
newracer
09-08-2016, 13:36
I might as well jump in too. I am having back surgery tomorrow, not as major as Gman though.
cableguy11
09-08-2016, 13:52
I might as well jump in too. I am having back surgery tomorrow, not as major as Gman though.
Good luck and prayers for a speedy recovery!
With all the old and broken bodies around here, maybe this should be a stickie?
Seriously though, hoping for a speedy recovery for all. [Beer]
Prayers going out for ya' newracer!
I'm finding it difficult to walk since my feet are numb. That's supposed to be a temporary thing. The nurse was kind enough to snap a picture of the surgical site when they changed the dressing. I'm a little disappointed. It's not as impressive as it feels.
newracer
09-09-2016, 18:43
Surgery went well. Doctor said it was worse than the MRI showed. I already have a lot of relief.
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Surgery went well. Doctor said it was worse than the MRI showed. I already have a lot of relief.
Great that it went well, not so great that it was worse. Glad you're feeling better.
I think we need a "COAR-15 Gimpy Old Bastards Club". At least hats or sumpthin'......
I'm hoping to break out of the hospital today.
cableguy11
09-10-2016, 09:51
I think we need a "COAR-15 Gimpy Old Bastards Club". At least hats or sumpthin'......
Put me down for one!!
Hope you get out today Gman! I was only in for a couple of hours thank god, and it was driving me nuts. Probably had to do with me being there due to complications and kind of ruined my day!
Great-Kazoo
09-10-2016, 11:45
I think we need a "COAR-15 Gimpy Old Bastards Club". At least hats or sumpthin'......
I have a doctors note.
Just a quick update:
I was able to escape the hospital on Sat. Lots of pain in the surgical area and numbness in my feet and legs. I have to use a walker to get around the house. I had a pretty positive recovery day yesterday and was up and moving quite a bit. Having a rough day of it today. It sure would be comforting to get the feeling back in my legs and feet since I didn't have this issue prior to surgery.
cableguy11
09-13-2016, 20:38
Just a quick update:
I was able to escape the hospital on Sat. Lots of pain in the surgical area and numbness in my feet and legs. I have to use a walker to get around the house. I had a pretty positive recovery day yesterday and was up and moving quite a bit. Having a rough day of it today. It sure would be comforting to get the feeling back in my legs and feet since I didn't have this issue prior to surgery.
Don't push it too much, you can over do it no matter how good you feel. Sunday, I was just chilling with the wife in the living room and next thing I know my bandage is saturated with fluid! Had to go in on Monday and have them re-do the darn thing. I hope you get the feeling back in your legs and feet ASAP! Keeping everyone in the prayers!
The surgeon had put in a drain, which is why I had the extra day in the hospital. Sounds like you had some drainage on Sunday.
I slept really deeply last night. Today things feel 'different'. I'm having some weird pains shooting down my right leg every so often. I'm getting the impression that the nerves are healing.
Thanks for the encouragement and you hang in there cableguy. You're in our prayers.
cableguy11
09-14-2016, 09:41
The surgeon had put in a drain, which is why I had the extra day in the hospital. Sounds like you had some drainage on Sunday.
I slept really deeply last night. Today things feel 'different'. I'm having some weird pains shooting down my right leg every so often. I'm getting the impression that the nerves are healing.
Thanks for the encouragement and you hang in there cableguy. You're in our prayers.
Yep, had a drain since they opened me back up. Hopefully it comes out tomorrow! I feel ya, those pains move around and feel weird as heck. I have a pain that feels like a bruise that moves around on me, but no bruise. Its amazing how the human body heals itself. The technology today is something else too. Stay strong and thanks for the prayers!!
Thanks for updates guys.
Hang in there.
Good luck and best wishes. I'll want to hear about your experiences as I'm contemplating lumbar fusion and laminectomy.
Make sure that you've done your research in selecting a neurosurgeon. Don't settle for someone that is too busy to give you the attention that you deserve.
Just a heads-up, but depending on severity, it really is a process. I've never had something this disabling in my life before. I could usually just 'tough it out'. I get glimpses that I'm healing, but it's not something you just power through. This is something that just takes time, so try to focus on the positives and don't push yourself beyond what your Dr. expects from you.
In hind-sight, I wish I'd have known that I'd be dependent on a walker just getting around the house. I would have re-arranged some things in the bedroom while I could. You might want to have a conversation with your doc to understand the potential circumstances around your recovery. My pain and leg weakness issues ramped up really quickly, so the urgency to get me in for surgery had a pretty short time-line.
I wish you the best in getting some relief!
Gman, thanks for the update and the advice. You're at 10 days which I imagine is early to expect any reduction in pain or increased mobility. I don't know what all the recovery process involves but my doc said it would be ten months to a full year. And I'd be restricted to lifting no more than 10 lbs. during that time. Taking a year out of my active, hard working life seems to be a crazy thing to enter into voluntarily. Even with the continuous pain and leg burning. I've had it for 35 years and it's getting worse. Your experience is very sobering but it's also what I've imagined and feared. Do I take the chance of 15% serious complications, permanent disability or death at age 65, or should I wait until 70 when healing will be harder?
I'd like input from others who've gone through this and are now at one, two and three years after. I want to know about their resulting abilities, range of motion, conditioning and strength. I'm no Seal but have always been a tough hard working guy and have engaged physical life adventures with zeal. I'm reluctant to give that up. The past two days I've been wading the river with a chain saw to remove some very large spruce trees that had fallen across. Tomorrow i work on the roof. They're some of those things I can't do in recovery, and maybe never again.
cableguy11
09-19-2016, 08:27
Prayers for you guys! That seems like a life changing surgery for quite awhile. All I did was have my hip replaced and doing the other one in November. I had to go back under due to an infection. The second one set me back on my recovery. Still have stitches and a drain in my leg.
Hummer I made my decision based on pain...hasn't been 35 years, but my left hip has hurt for well over 5 years. To the point that it is hard to sleep and night, walk around, bend over, put on shoes/socks, and just move around. Probably doesn't compare to the problems you and Gman are having. I looked at it as a quality of life. At 45 years old how long did I want to go like this? If I waited how well would my body recover at a later stage in life? Talked to a bunch of people that had a hip replacement and it was all pretty much good news and people were glad they did it. So I went under the knife.
I knew that if I didn't have the spinal fusion surgery, chances were good that I'd die a lot sooner than I'd like. Living a rough and tumble youth and decades of sports injuries had taken a toll. I couldn't stand for 10 minutes without severe back pain and weakness in my legs due to nerve compression. I had to make a change. I still have faith that I'll be coming out on the other side of this experience with a much higher quality of life and will be able to get back to activities that I enjoy. The recovery is just part of the process. My surgery was significant (multi-level fusion and removal of facet joints) and others may not have the same experiences that I have.
The idea of actually having a pain free day is now within the realm of possibility. [Ban1]
Great-Kazoo
09-19-2016, 10:00
To address the few who have had or contemplating surgery.
In the long run and bottom line it's All about Quality of Life. When i had my 1st surgery X yrs ago the spouse and i never imagined a simple procedure would result in having my leg amputated, due to complications.
Even post op (surgeries 1-4) my physical limitations forced us to re-evaluate many things. From something simple like brushing your teeth to cooking, not to mention using the bathroom. Yes things one takes for granted can suddenly be a major obstacle for what was an everyday routine
If one decides to have surgery make sure you know what forms of rehab are available, research the PT, the surgeon AND what people who have had the same surgery went through post op.
What's average recovery time how, long will you be unable to resume partial - full chores and work you did prior to injury / return to 100%.
As mentioned look at your home to see what could become a problem. Those food items on shelves used daily, move them. If your freezer is on the bottom... rearrange items for ease of access, same for the entire dwelling. What was an arms reach away could be something the causes you to slip or fall.
MOST OF ALL What types of pain meds & management will you have to do, be it 1-2 weeks or till you can function pain free. AND...what ever the surgeon says will be your recovery time, add an extra month or two. While that surgery might be considered routine. Your recovery time will not be the same as someone else.
Great advice Kazoo, back surgery is serious stuff.
Some 20 years ago, I was having major back spasms (like 2 weeks off work every time it happened ) and found out thru MRI's, and a pleasant spinal tap, that I had a blister on my spinal cord about the size of a plump lima bean. I had an exceptional surgeon and a PT team that I swear was staffed by ex Catholic Nuns! I count my blessings every day that everything worked out.
Its nothing like putting a new transmission in the truck. It can be life changing.
An update from my 3rd week follow-up appointment. My doctor is happy with where I'm at with my recovery. Surprise! My uninformed expectations were unrealistic. For a 5 hour procedure and L-4/L-5 L-5/S-1 fusion, I'm right where I should be. This just takes time and the doc expects it will be 6 weeks before the healing is significant. Unfortunately, we don't always get to choose when the old body just breaks down.
We may go for another round of MRI images to check if fluid build-up around the nerve roots is causing the numbness in my feet. Depending on the outcome, there may be options to drain the fluid and speed up the relief or to just let it reduce over time.
The biggest issue I'm currently having is my inability to sleep comfortably. If you're not sleeping, you're not healing as well as you could.
cableguy11
09-27-2016, 20:03
Thats is great news! Not being able to sleep sucks, especially for a prolonged period of time. Both of my hips WERE bad and it didn't matter what position I would lay down in, I would wake up in pain almost every 2 hours. Now I only have one bad one and just started sleeping on the good side/back a couple of nights ago. Talk about refreshing! Godspeed on your recovery.
Man I am late to wishing you a speedy recovery.
After having both my hips done last year I wish now I would have never done them. Hips are fixed, but because I favored my knees to help with the hips both my knees are shot and the docs want to do knee replacement surgery on both. I haven't been pain free in years and I am sick of it. Boohoo to me.
Sending positive vibes and well wishes to you Gman.
Good news Gman and cableguy11, sorry about the additional surgery 02ducky.
You guys keep plugging though!
cableguy11
09-29-2016, 12:42
Well hell 02ducky prayers your way as well. I will probably need both of mine replaced as well, but I probably have a couple more years for that. My other hip gets done in November. Just got released to return to work on 10/7! Got a clean bill of health today. Got a couple more PT sessions, but that will be it for the left side!
Man I am late to wishing you a speedy recovery.
After having both my hips done last year I wish now I would have never done them. Hips are fixed, but because I favored my knees to help with the hips both my knees are shot and the docs want to do knee replacement surgery on both. I haven't been pain free in years and I am sick of it. Boohoo to me.
Sending positive vibes and well wishes to you Gman.
Geez dude, sorry to hear this. You're a young guy to be having all that shit going on.
Man I am late to wishing you a speedy recovery.
After having both my hips done last year I wish now I would have never done them. Hips are fixed, but because I favored my knees to help with the hips both my knees are shot and the docs want to do knee replacement surgery on both. I haven't been pain free in years and I am sick of it. Boohoo to me.
Sending positive vibes and well wishes to you Gman.
Thanks T!
It seems like it's just one thing after another, doesn't it? I wish you the best my friend!
Well, I'm back in the hospital. I started having the worst muscle spasms ever and my fever was over 102. Wife took me into the ER Fri. night. Turns out that I have an infection and fluid between the surgical site and the sutures. I'm getting IV antibiotics. I should be going to surgery again today to clean out the nasties.
Wheeee!
vectorsc
10-16-2016, 07:49
Shit man shit. Get better.
StagLefty
10-16-2016, 08:01
Heal fast !!!
Yikes! Sending positive thoughts for a full and complete recovery!
Aw crap - Hope you recover fast
Good thing you caught it. Get cleaned out.
Cultures came back positive for MRSA. Surgery to clean out at 5:30. 6-8 weeks of daily IV antibiotics. Oral meds for a year.
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I glad they caught that!!
Fentonite
10-16-2016, 15:47
Good luck with this surgery! Curious - what hospital are you at?
Fentonite
10-17-2016, 23:15
How did it go?
...and I'm finally back home after 6 days in SkyRidge. That wasn't fun at all. I'd recommend passing on the MRSA when the server comes around.
The barrage of antibiotics that they hit you with just clouds your head. Every chair and the bed was uncomfortable, so that was dreamy. I don't think I could have taken another night of it.
I now have a shiny new PICC line and the joys that come with it. Have an appt. with the infectious disease doc tomorrow to become a PICC line expert. It will be in my regular 'things to do' for 6-8 weeks.
But Praise the Lord, I'm not dead yet!
MRSA sounds bad, please stay on top of it.
Fentonite
10-20-2016, 19:26
...
But Praise the Lord, I'm not dead yet!
Was I supposed to read that with a Monty Python accent? [ROFL2] Glad you're sprung from the hospital. Keep healing!
cableguy11
10-20-2016, 20:52
Damn, I missed this! Glad you are back home. Infection is not a joke. They thought I might have to do another hip replacement with 4-6 weeks of bed rest. Thank god it was only superficial. Good thing you caught it and it was taken care of. Hope you feel better and have a speedy recovery!!
Was I supposed to read that with a Monty Python accent? [ROFL2]
Absolutely.
67584
I missed this. Sorry to hear you had to go back in, but glad you managed to escape. Hope all goes well from this point forward.
An update after more than a year following fusion surgery. The fusion failed. No bone has filled the disk spaces. The surgeon that did the job says he now wants to go at the spine through my abdomen to attempt another fusion and add large cages in the disk space. Wheee!
I've seen my surgeon's practice decline over the past year and I'm shopping for 2nd and 3rd opinions.
Left foot/lower leg is still mostly numb from the first surgery. Right big toe and outside of the right calf are still numb. Upside of that is that I lost my balance in PT, rolled my left foot and fractured my left ankle and it didn't hurt. [Coffee] Lyrica has been a big help turning down the nerve static in the areas affected. Still on oral antibiotics from the MRSA infection. It's certainly been an interesting year.
Damn Brother here's prayers that you get it straightened out this year.
Eta they don't call it practicing medicine for no reason.
Praying for you that you find the right doc as well as relief and healing.
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OtterbatHellcat
11-03-2017, 08:05
Shit man, I don't remember hearing that you were going through all of this. Hang tough, and I hope they can get you right again.
Eta they don't call it practicing medicine for no reason.
Yeah, they never seem to make it official. I need a guy that's ready for game day. [rockon]
wctriumph
11-03-2017, 08:08
My wife will be undergoing disc replacement surgery on her neck sometime in the next year and we wish you a speedy recovery. We had a surgeon lined up but we changed insurance plans at work and the guy we have been seeing for the last four years is not part of the new network so now we need to find someone else, we have to start the process all over again.
Good luck with your new surgeon.
Snowman78
11-03-2017, 09:20
Gman, I am so sorry to hear that the surgery did not go as planned. Here is the info on my wife’s doctor:
Shared Rajpal MD Neurologist
303-938-5700 (tel:303-938-5700)
He is in Boulder Country so it may be to far for you, but he was great with my wife!
Hope you recover fast. Keep us updated.
Wishing you a good outcome. I had a blister on my spinal cord in the lower back that would lay me out for weeks with spasms. Dr Wieder ( Dr's choice mattress advertizing star from the past ) did the surgery about 20 years ago, I count my blessings every day that it worked.
My thoughts are with you, keep your chin up.
fairrpe86
11-03-2017, 19:34
Who did your original surgery?
Thanks guys. Y'all are probably tired of seeing me so often on the forums, but sitting at the computer is one of the few things that isn't really painful.
fairrpe86, PM sent.
...and so it begins....again.
The 'slow burn' infection apparently wasn't as "slow burn" as they thought. After being off my oral antibiotic for about a week, the crazy muscle spasms and low-grade fever came back. To avoid having the MRSA put be back in the ER, my surgery date was moved up to today. Going in today to have the old hardware removed and infection treated locally. I'll have 3 weeks of clearing up the infection and then it's surgery to have new fusion hardware placed from the abdominal side as well as the back. Hopefully they won't have to fuse up to L3.
I'm hoping my spine will be stable enough without the hardware that I can come home for that 3 weeks. Otherwise, it's 3 wonderful weeks in the hospital.
I'm open to all of the prayer I can get from this fabulous group of folks, that also happen to be AR-15 enthusiasts.
Wow, so sorry to hear that G, rest assured you have a lot of good thoughts and prayers from this group.
Hope everything goes well and you have a rapid recovery.
Bailey Guns
01-08-2018, 10:53
I'll offer up what I can...best of luck, too.
[snip]
I'm open to all of the prayer I can get from this fabulous group of folks, that also happen to be AR-15 enthusiasts.
Incoming!
cableguy11
01-08-2018, 13:15
Prayers sent your way for a perfect surgery and quick recovery!
Hope you don't have to spend that time in the hospital. If you do, I see a lot of Netflix and books in your future.
Hope they'll let you go home, hospitals scare me. Sending positive vibes for a quick and complete recovery!
You guys are the best! I woke up in the PACU, and that's a good thing. The old hardware practically fell out. There was the one broken screw and 4 screws didn't have to be unscrewed to be removed. None of the vertebrae have solid bone bridges between them. Once the infection is cleaned up, the new multi-level fusion will be L3 to S1 to make sure there is a solid termination point.
OtterbatHellcat
01-08-2018, 19:23
Sending positive vibes your way for the different phases of care you're going through, I hope the best Man.
Yep, still have 3 weeks to go for the next surgery to fuse L3 through S1.
Thank you for your support!
Tough run dude. Here's hoping you the best.
Prayer sent. May your recovery be physically fruitful, and may that time spent in recovery be spiritually so as well.
Finally back home from the hospital. It's amazing how much less pain I have since they removed the loose hardware. PT/OT folks were impressed by my ability to get around, but I had to keep reminding them that I was still going to work last week and I have less pain now than I did then.
IV antibiotics for at least the next 2 months. Cultures haven't showed any particular bugs yet, but it's also early. Thanks for the support, guys.
Snowman78
01-11-2018, 22:06
So happy for a good up-date!
Fentonite
01-11-2018, 22:13
That's about the best news you could hope for. Awesome!!!
That's great news. Don't forget, no handsprings for at least 2 weeks.
Great update, keep 'em coming!
It's a good time of year to take it easy and relax.
Great news, best wishes everything continues on a great path.
StagLefty
01-12-2018, 12:26
Good news-hopefully speedy recovery !!
Big surgery in the morning. Should be about 5 hours long in total.
Met with the vascular surgeon this past week. He'll be making a vertical incision through my substantial belly to the left of my belly button about 6-8" long (my belly modeling days will be over [Coffee]). He'll be moving my internal organs toward my right side and then be moving some major blood vessels along the spine over to my right side as well so that the orthopedic surgeon will have access. Ortho will be pulling out the old round cages from the disk spaces and inserting substantial new cages that will screw into the vertebrae above and below locking them together. They'll sew me back up in the front, flip me over like a pancake, and then open my back up again to put in fresh hardware that should lock me up pretty solid from L3 to S1 this time.
On the positive side, nothing came from the cultures from the hardware removal 3 weeks ago. They'll do cultures from the disk area in the front to make sure those are clean, but we should be able to stop the antibiotics in a couple of weeks if everything stays clean. The vascular surgeon also assured me that he leaves the peritoneal sac intact, which thrills me about the reduction of impact to the organs inside and protecting them from possible infection.
I do have to admit that the sound of snipping some blood vessels to move my abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava have me a little freaked out. I pray that God will guide the hands of the surgeons.
Best of luck to you! May the doctor's hands and judgement be excellent!
Good thoughts headed your way.
-John
CoGirl303
01-29-2018, 01:11
best of luck. I am not the religious kind but I will send positive thoughts your way. [emoji846]
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It's incredible what modern medicine can do. Strength to you, and may your healing be fast and painless as possible!
Fentonite
01-29-2018, 02:03
Pulling for you!!!
Positive thoughts your way.
OtterbatHellcat
01-29-2018, 21:12
Hang in there Gman.
Hmmm, everything go well? Has anyone heard yet?
It's been a long day and I'm still here. Got to my room a couple of hours ago and sent the fam home. They've been awake for the whole thing.
Had an interesting start to the production. I work my way from the gurney to the table in the OR, and the next thing I know, I'm stopping a falling IV stand with my face. The thing was huge with too much equipment attached to one side. Clobbered me just under the left eye and rang my bell a bit. A big mouse started swelling up right away, and I'm thinking my insurance must be really crappy if they're trying to knock me out the old fashioned way. I'm also hoping I don't have to pay extra for that.
Surgeons were really happy how well everything went. I also got a spine straightening upgrade while ortho was in there. I can tell this recovery will be a little more challenging, but I've got this.
Thanks for prayer and positive thoughts.
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Great news! Hoping for a rapid and complete recovery. Then we can rag on you bout that shiner.
Good to hear! I hope you have a quick and complete recovery with no glitches!
Yup great news! Rest up and take it easy.
OtterbatHellcat
01-29-2018, 22:52
No...you need to rag on those idiots that let a IV stand fall on your head. Dumbasses.
I'm glad you have a good prognoses from the docs, and your positive attitude is paramount as well. :)
theGinsue
01-29-2018, 23:48
Great to hear things went well and you're so positive about everything. Recovery & rehab are always a b!tch, but I know you've got the fortitude to show your back who's boss.
Now, don't go letting your fam take the jello off of your food tray, that's the best part of the meal.
The sad part is that I'm looking forward to Jell-O...and popsicles. Just sips of water and ice chips until the guts are working. Just had an internal medicine doc stop by after midnight (they tell you to get some sleep and then pull this stuff). The surgical notes state that I lost a liter of blood during the surgery. That's some fun trivia.
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KestrelBike
01-30-2018, 04:42
Really pulling for you, Gman. Hang in there.
Its amazing they can do surgeries like this, we live in a wonderful time.
Rest up and hope you get some jell-o soon.
It's been a long day and I'm still here. Got to my room a couple of hours ago and sent the fam home. They've been awake for the whole thing.
Had an interesting start to the production. I work my way from the gurney to the table in the OR, and the next thing I know, I'm stopping a falling IV stand with my face. The thing was huge with too much equipment attached to one side. Clobbered me just under the left eye and rang my bell a bit. A big mouse started swelling up right away, and I'm thinking my insurance must be really crappy if they're trying to knock me out the old fashioned way. I'm also hoping I don't have to pay extra for that.
Surgeons were really happy how well everything went. I also got a spine straightening upgrade while ortho was in there. I can tell this recovery will be a little more challenging, but I've got this.
Thanks for prayer and positive thoughts.
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Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
They should be paying you for that additional pain and suffering. Christ, no wonder more people die receiving medical care than are killed by all those evil guns.
https://www.sawayalaw.com/our-attorneys/michael-sawaya/
Infectious disease doc stopped by this morning. One of the old cages taken out Mon. came back positive for staph. More prolonged antibiotics. [Swim]
I did get some orange Jell-O this morning. It was wonderful.
I'm hoping to break out of this place on Fri.
theGinsue
01-31-2018, 21:24
Didn't I tell you about the jello? Mmmmm.
Not good hearing about the staph, but almost expected. Keep healing, get stronger and get back to enjoying life (hopefully without back pain).
Just wanted to let you guys know that I did manage to escape and make it back home yesterday.
That's great! Hospitals are dangerous!
Fentonite
02-03-2018, 23:13
73380
Glad you're home! Now the real healing and rest can begin.
OtterbatHellcat
02-04-2018, 00:40
Nice !!!!
Heal up, man.
Just when you think things are going really well....
I was planning on going back to work on Monday. Just submitted my return to work paperwork to HR this morning. This afternoon, I decided I'd like to go for a walk, the weather's nice, might as well walk down to the community mailbox and pickup the mail. As I'm approaching the mailbox it hits me that I'm suddenly out of breath, and it's looking like I'm going to pass out. My, this is unexpected. I get low, and I pass out. I come too on my back, just rolled my right ankle didn't hit my head or something more important. Didn't affect my spine at all. About 5 folks from around the corner came to my aid. Someone was on their phone with 911, one lady was talking to me, and one resident even brought a bottle of water. One guy pulled over because he was a Dr. and offered to help, but the medics were just pulling up. I'm very grateful that I live in such a cool neighborhood.
Paramedics showed up, misdiagnosed me with possibly having sepsis from my surgery, and we headed off for the ER. I had no fever whatsoever. I couldn't catch my breath and they kept telling me to slow my breathing. My bod was telling me to keep the O2 coming. They were cool about handling my CCW. Had me unload it and put it between my knees. They put it in a clear bag and then put that in a red biohazard bag so nobody could see it. They asked for hospital security to come to the room on the way in. Security locked it up and turned it over to my wife when she got here.
Turns out I threw a blood clot on my walk (never had one before) and ended up with bilateral pulmonary embolisms. I guess it was a good thing that my lung function is normally 110% of normal. All of that competitive swimming in my yoot may have paid off. Anywho, I'm in the ICU getting blood thinners waiting for my body to break up the clots and am doing pretty good on 2 liters of O2. Thank you Lord for another chance. I hear it could have killed me. I guess I needed a little more tuning on the "humble" switch. Never take life for granted.
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Jesus, rough night. Glad it didn't take you.
OtterbatHellcat
03-10-2018, 00:40
Thank you Lord for another chance
Holy hell you've been through a lot. I know there isn't anything I can say that can or will make a difference in your situation, Gman.
But I will say that I know you have some fight in you that is admirable. Myself and others I know, appreciate you as a person first, but also how much you've faced and overcome as well.
Hold that middle finger up as often as you have to, and keep on truckin', brother.
Just when you think things are going really well....
I was planning on going back to work on Monday. Just submitted my return to work paperwork to HR this morning. This afternoon, I decided I'd like to go for a walk, the weather's nice, might as well walk down to the community mailbox and pickup the mail. As I'm approaching the mailbox it hits me that I'm suddenly out of breath, and it's looking like I'm going to pass out. My, this is unexpected. I get low, and I pass out. I come too on my back, just rolled my right ankle didn't hit my head or something more important. Didn't affect my spine at all. About 5 folks from around the corner came to my aid. Someone was on their phone with 911, one lady was talking to me, and one resident even brought a bottle of water. One guy pulled over because he was a Dr. and offered to help, but the medics were just pulling up. I'm very grateful that I live in such a cool neighborhood.
Paramedics showed up, misdiagnosed me with possibly having sepsis from my surgery, and we headed off for the ER. I had no fever whatsoever. I couldn't catch my breath and they kept telling me to slow my breathing. My bod was telling me to keep the O2 coming. They were cool about handling my CCW. Had me unload it and put it between my knees. They put it in a clear bag and then put that in a red biohazard bag so nobody could see it. They asked for hospital security to come to the room on the way in. Security locked it up and turned it over to my wife when she got here.
Turns out I threw a blood clot on my walk (never had one before) and ended up with bilateral pulmonary embolisms. I guess it was a good thing that my lung function is normally 110% of normal. All of that competitive swimming in my yoot may have paid off. Anywho, I'm in the ICU getting blood thinners waiting for my body to break up the clots and am doing pretty good on 2 liters of O2. Thank you Lord for another chance. I hear it could have killed me. I guess I needed a little more tuning on the "humble" switch. Never take life for granted.
Sent from my electronic leash using Tapatalk
Glad you're still with us.
Double PE has a very low survival rate from what I was told by the ER doc when I had one (technically two). I was uncomfortable all evening and it got progressively worse, especially after I laid down for bed. I had once had Pleurisy when I was in my mid 30's and thought at first it was that, but yet it was different somehow. I was getting ready to wake the wife to take me to the ER when she woke up and asked me WTF was going on. Managed to make it downstairs, to the car, and ambulatory into the ER, but by then I was running low on O2, barely able to stand, and visibly ashen. Painful as hell too.
StagLefty
03-10-2018, 08:26
Glad your okay-recover well !!!
Holy crap!! Glad you're getting taken care of.
buffalobo
03-10-2018, 08:31
Glad to see you are recovering.[emoji106]
If you're unarmed, you are a victim
Looks like they're going to take me down for a procedure this morning. They want to run a catheter to where the clots are and use a clot dissolving med to dissolve the clots and help remove the back pressure in the right side of my heart.
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theGinsue
03-10-2018, 10:41
Damn it Gman. I know what this is really about. You do know they sell jello that you can make at home - you ain't gotta go back to the hospital just to get more you know.
You're an important part of team COAR and we can't have you all busted up or dying on us. Make those doctors get you fixed up so you can get on with life.
I pray you'll get this all corrected in short order and put the risks behind you. If you need anything from us brother, just hollar and you know we'll have your back. In the mean time, rest, recover and get yourself back to 100%.
For the record, I haven't had any Jell-O. I'm leaving it in the world for you, Thomas.
Felt a little better after they broke up the biggest clots which reduced the pulmonary artery pressure. But felt worse later in the day which they warned me would probably happen.
I was also notified that I did fracture the tip of the fibula in my right ankle.
I'll be on blood thinners for 3 months.
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Just remember that feeling worse is better than feeling nothing (dead).
Just remember that feeling worse is better than feeling nothing (dead).Oh yeah, I'm very familiar with the concept. I get immense sensations, especially in my left foot that range from zings of electricity to pretty intense pain. Even bad sensations are good since that means the nerves are still working.
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Fentonite
03-10-2018, 23:17
Glad you're pulling through, hang in there. And jeez, be careful. You don't want to fall and bonk your head (or anything else) while on anti-coagulants!
Tell your lungs that while you've had doubles before (and they were spectacular) singles are good from now on.
Thinking good thoughts for you, Gman.
-John
Damn brother sounds like you have been busy! Prayers sent for a quick recovery and Godspeed to perfect health for the future [Beer]
Good lord!
I'm very glad things turned out the way they did, and I hope the blood thinners help.
Woohoo! Actually got some good sleep last night and felt much better this morning. Lungs must be feeling better since I really noticed the ankle when I woke up.[Coffee] I was able to convince the folks in the hospital that I was doing well enough to come home this afternoon. I get gassed pretty easy, especially going up stairs. The clot breakup relieved some pressure off the right side of my heart, but the pieces of the clot travel to smaller vessels and cause issues there that need time for the body to fully resolve. I've noticed progress in my physical stamina from this morning to tonight, so that's a great feeling.
As I've been thinking about how this happened, I'm actually happier that it happened when and where it did. The clot was there in my body, so it could have broken loose as I was walking into work tomorrow. Since I was planning to return to work before my approved FMLA block expired, now I've contacted everyone to continue on that earlier path. The folks at work have been amazingly supportive.
If you're planning on going through a multi-level spinal fusion, just realize that blood clots like this are not unusual. https://www.gaspine.com/2013/06/risk-factors-for-blood-clots-and-pulmonary-embolisms-after-spine-surgery/
Some other issues to repair and rehab, but on the positive side (in addition to looking at the grass from the green side), my back is doing extremely well. [Awesom]
Thanks for all of your support! This is an amazing group of folks that happen to be fans of modern sporting rifles.
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