Two steps forward...

I was very excited for physical therapy to start today. My husband went with me yesterday to get my new shoes. Nothing can go wrong with this day...

I am one month out of surgery. I had a 2 week follow up and everything was good.

Last week I had a sharp pain around my incision. I figured that I did too much. I did not take time to look at the incision. BIG MISTAKE! My incision is in a fat roll. I have a back brace that pushes on said fat roll all day. I sweat a lot in said fat roll. I started to notice an odor from said fat roll. I showered and it went away. As I tell my students personal hygiene is very important. But the smell kept coming back. Last night I was tired of the sweaty smell so I powered up and went to bed. This morning I woke up and the smell was back. I looked and the incision had opened.

Seriously! Called the neurosurgeon and he was able to see me right away. Thank goodness the opening is superficial. No redness, drainage or fever. We are going to keep a close eye on it and keep it covered. He did let me know that I could start physical therapy! 

What a long day!

Road to recovery

I needed to get moving so I made the husband and dog walk with me last week. They were kind enough to walk twice with me. I did experience incision and back pain so I chose not to push it. 

There are days that I cry

This has been hard emotional too.

• I miss being at work and seeing my crazy co-workers every day. 
• I did not care about the holidays this year.
• It hurts to much to do anything before surgery.
• My daughter made the high school swim team and I could not attend the meets.
• I missed seeing my son wrestle this season.
• The doctor "cleared" me to return work but he really didn't. 
• I can't bend, lift or twist so it is hard to any work (why I can't return to work).

Finally cleared to come home

Below I have pictured a few of the items that have helped me recover at home. 

Gripper tool because you can't bend over.

Toilet seat riser has made going to the bathroom easier.

Pee pads because it is hard to get out of bed quickly.

The sock tool. Helps you put on your socks without bending over.

Post-op

Let me start by saying I DO NOT handle pain well.

I remember waking up in recovery having abdominal pain. This was my first abdominal surgery. I knew it would hurt but I was not prepared for this amount of pain. The nurse in recovery was wonderful and tolerated my complaints of pain. At some point they started my pain medication on a PDA infusion pump. Every 8 minutes I would push the button and the pain would go away.

At midnight they transferred me to a regular hospital room. Ready to rest...WRONG...you're in a hospital remember.

It was decided that I needed to have a post-op x-ray AT 3AM. Later that morning they get me up to use the bathroom. Have you ever been in a kindergarten classroom bathroom? I swear the toilet was 2 inches off the floor. It took the nurse and my husband to help me stand up. I learned that my husband truly loves me...I held conversations with the TV set and he did not video tape it. There were blood pressure issues, oxygen level issues, constipation and incision pain. Through it all I was surprised that there was no back pain. NO BACK PAIN!

I wish that I could remember the names of everyone who took care of me. The doctors, nurses, nurse techs, house keeping, cafeteria workers, EVERYONE! Thank you for all of your handwork.

What is an ALIF?

I will do my best to explain what was done in my case. If you find yourself in need of surgery speak with your physician.

First they created a 4-5 inch incision on the left side of my stomach. The approach surgeon then moved all of my internal organs over so they could get to my spine. The neurosurgeon then removed a piece of the disc between L5 and S. A mesh cage with a bone graft is placed between L5 and S. This will realign the vertebrae relieving the pressure on the nerve. A few screws were placed in order to secure everything then the incision was closed.

Over time the bone graft will grow around the cage fusing L5 and S1.

Surgery day!

I can't believe that this day is finally here.

With a 3pm surgery start time it was a LONG day. My husband and I arrived to the surgery center 2 hours prior to the start time. Having worked in a hospital I understand the logic behind this but as a patient my anxiety level was rising.

They take us back to the pre-op area. I change into my sexy hospital gown, non-slip socks, and blue hat. Of course they need a urine sample but I have been NPO (nothing per oral) since midnight. Good news...not pregnant. I was at a teaching hospital so there was a constant stream of professionals visiting my bedside asking the same questions. During all of this we were able to find some humor from the lady beside us. She couldn't remember which doctors had been in to see her (understandable), which knee needed to be repaired, and when she was admitted because of infection. She also talked about crazy things...her cats, book recommendations and what was going on with her knee.

When it's finally time to roll they give me some versed. I don't remember a thing until recovery.

More doctors appointments

Getting ready was hell!

I think that I was pack to go to the hospital in November. My sister was able to take time off of work to help with the kids. Let's do this!

The best laid plans of mice and men...

2 weeks prior to surgery the anesthesiologist called because they have not received the pre-op clearance. I manage to get an appointment with them 1 week prior to surgery. At this appointment I find out that they are concerned about my EKG so I need to follow up with a cardiologist. I am able to get an appointment on January 23rd. I also get diagnosed with bronchitis.

1 week prior to surgery the surgeon's office called to tell me that they had not received the clearance from my primary care physician. I am able to get an appointment January 23rd.

Ugh! I am worried that they are not going to clear me for this surgery. Thank goodness that my sister was here and she drove me to all the appointment on the 23rd. She was able to make me laugh through all the tears.

We were the last to leave out of the cardiologist office but I had received clearance. AWESOME but I have to follow up because of changes to my EKG.

Unable to work

In October life changed.

The pain went from bad to worse. Just walking into the building every day was difficult. Friends and co-workers had to assist me with basic tasks.

I remember one day I went to lunch and found myself crying at the table. The pain was horrible. A co-worker called my husband and doctor. I was placed on strong pain medications and bed rest. They sent me for a MRI, CT and x-ray. It was recommended that I follow up with an orthopedic surgeon. From there I was sent to a pain clinic to have epidural injections.

It is the nature of these pain but I felt like a criminal down to the piss test.

I had 3 epidural injections and do not want to EVER go through that again. I will admit that there are control issues. I'm a nurse; it's hard to be on the receiving end of care. During my second injection I had an anxiety attack before the injection. I would receive about 3 days of relief but the pain would come back.

While getting these injections, a co-worker recommended that I get a second opinion. I went to visit a neurosurgeon and he recommended that I have surgery. Of course I was ready to go that day but unfortunately we had to wait until there was an opening in his schedule.










I am grateful to my husband, daughter, and sisters. We would not have had Thanksgiving or Christmas without their help.

 

Surgery scheduled for January 24th.

P.S. I did obtain a cane to help me walk. A friend promised to jazz it up and I'm still waiting.

How did I get here?

About 4 years ago I was trying to teach my son how to ride his bike. He was convinced that he would never learn to ride without those training wheels. We fell and I experienced severe back pain. I went to the emergency room the next day and diagnosed with muscle pain. They gave me some muscle relaxers, narcotic pain medication and told to rest for a week.

My pain would come and go over the next few years. There would be times when the pain would be severe (after Zumba class). I learned to live with a daily pain level of 2.

I gained weight and struggled with hypertension. When the number of medications that I take daily reached 10 things needed to change. In March I decided to train for a 5k using a walk-run-walk program. I would run the bus lane while my son was at lacrosse practice. Every time I trained my legs would go numb about 15 minutes into the session. I chalked it up to be out of shape and there was no quitting.

One evening practice was cancelled do to a storm. Since it wasn't raining at the house I chose to train in my community. After training my back hurt. Training had to stop.

I have tried everything to relieve the pain. Heat, ice, over the counter pain medications, narcotics, physical therapy and chiropractors. While visiting the chiropractor a x-ray showed that I had a pars fracture to L5-S1 with grade 2 slippage. I finally had an idea of what was wrong and we had created a conservative treatment plan.

My son finally learned to ride his bike without those training wheels. Only took him 2 years!