Going under the knife...

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]

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.

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!

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!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 02ducky

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.

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Geez dude, sorry to hear this. You're a young guy to be having all that shit going on.