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Amazing Update.

Posted , 2 users are following.

Cindy5067
Cindy5067

Last month I put up the post. And I did receive some replies. The surgery was on the 22nd of September and wow!

I did have anterior and posterior he replaced three vertebrae in the front five vertebrae in the back and I have them fused and stabilizing rods.

I have no numbness in my legs no numbness in my arms I am able to squeeze and move my hands I'm able to walk it's just amazing.

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/surgery-anxiety-609769

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX Cindy5067

    Posted

    WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!  Love success stories.  Glad it all worked out.  Now just remember...

    "Great, kid.  Don't get cocky." - Han Solo, Star Wars

    You've got the surgery done but the spine takes about a year to fully fuse.  Everything has to grow and mesh together.  So please take heed of your restrictions regarding bending, picking up heavy items, and especially twisting at the waist.  When getting in and out of a car, move your legs and torso a full 90-degrees together...don't twist yourself out of the seat.  This is REALLY hard to remember since we're all used to moving in certain ways all our lives.  In this case, you literally have to retrain yourself in how to turn your body.  Just think before you move; you do not want to jeopardize the fusion.  Golfers are forbidden to swing a club for at least six months after a fusion and not fully engage in the game for a year.  Be safe...take care of your spine...it will be fragile for a while...

    • Cindy5067
      Cindy5067 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      This is exactly what my husband needed to read. Because my neck had been deteriorating, I had not been able to twist. I will take this advice to my heart. I want to be healthy down the line and not just today.
    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX Cindy5067

      Posted

      In just my spine, I've had a laminectomy (L4/L5), plus TLIF (L3 to S1) and LLIF (L2/L3) fusions.  Doc told me to be very careful.  If I mess up L1/L2, he cannot fuse that joint since it is transitional with the thoracic set.  My next fusion would then be T9 or T10 all the way through L2.  With my current hardware, it would literally be like having a steel pole running down most of my back.  Not a fun thought.  I cannot bend over to pick a weed out of a flower bed no matter how much I want to.  At almost 70, it's tough to change your habits...but I have to.

      You should be just fine if you give yourself the time to heal properly.  No one should make you do anything contrary to your neurosurgeon's instructions and your own good sense.  This is your body, your health.  The year will pass and you will be OK...just give yourself the time to get better and have your body heal itself.  Don't be in a rush...patience is the toughest thing to have...

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