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Titanium Man's Two Week Spinal Fusion Update: more fun!

Posted , 3 users are following.

Titanium_Man
Titanium_Man

Here we go! Week 2!

I am Titanium Man!

Well, not really. But, I feel much more powerful than I did before my surgery! Now that week one (I know the posts were long) is out of the way, I think that it’s important to mention some of the more technical aspects of recovery. The first (and most important) is to LISTEN to your body. Before my surgery, I was taking so many pain pills that I was basically telling my body to shut up; I knew my body was crying out for help, but without surgery, there was No help available (yes, I tried pain pills, injections, therapy, RFA, chiropractors, etc.). Now that I had my surgery (two weeks ago today… feels much much longer), I actually can listen. When I am tired, my body tells me to rest and take naps. When I am bending more than I should, my body lets me know it with a friendly cattle-prod shock that reminds me that I am recovering.

One of the technological pieces that has helped me is a cold therapy unit (around $100 online - I have the IceMan 3 that I bought from someone on Craigslist for $75). A friend of mine (also a fusion patient) recommended this to me, and it has been really great. I use it 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off as necessary. When the swelling pain kicks in, the cold therapy helps a great deal.

The most important part of week two recovery is making sure that you continue to focus on what is important: Recovery! We have been careful about making sure the pets don’t get into my feet when I am walking, we make sure that we leave the toilet seat up in one bathroom and the toilet lid up in another bathroom (I can’t bend down to open the lid/seat). In addition, we have an adjustable bed (LIFE SAVER) that helps me to change positions as needed because our main-level couch fails to provide any support.

My new best-friend-until-the-end is my back brace (I call him Turtle). When I don’t have my brace on when I am standing up, I feel like a tree being moved around with a stiff breeze. That’s all it takes to remind me to get my brace back on ASAP. Although I understand how important he is, he has given us a couple of small scares since we’ve arrived back home. For example, the first day that I went downstairs I snacked on a piece of bread and I felt myself starting to choke. I couldn’t make myself cough because it hurt my back very much to do so, and I also couldn’t bend myself forward to help try to clear my throat. I made sure to let my wife know that I felt like I might be choking so that she would stay close by. Luckily, it wasn’t an issue but we did learn a small lesson from that experience.

Now that I’ve actually been able to look at my surgery site, I’ve found that the entire length of the incision is layered by what appears to be Christmas gift wrap tape. It’s hard to imagine that my first surgery required staples, and now I wake up with tape. One unexpected pain area has been my waist above my belt line on my lower back. After doing a small amount of research on how the surgery is performed, it appears that the surgery team straps this part of your body on the chair that prepares your body for surgery. This area has been very tingly and my pain receptors tend to be going in overdrive. It feels like i have a Very Very bad sunburn on this site but nothing appears red or swollen just by looking at it.

One thing that I have noticed is that my wife has mentioned quite a few times that I am taller. I wouldn’t really be surprised because it’s probably been a long time since she’s actually been able to see me stand up straight.

Like I mentioned last time, those quick shallow baths are lifesavers each day!

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX Titanium_Man

    Posted

    I used my back brace religiously for three months.  Only took it off for PT and sleep.  It really helps you avoid all those banned motions.  Remember...even when you're feeling better, you are still not completely healed.  Do your PT and strengthening!!!

    I got L3 through S1 done 2 1/2 years ago.  Last October, I got stenosis at L2/L3 (think of it as sciatica down BOTH legs).  Doc could have unzipped me, pulled out all of my hardware and re-fused me L2 through S1.  Instead, he offered me an LLIF where they go in through your SIDE not your back.  Clear the disk, insert the device, expand it with an Allen wrench (like a car jack), backfill it with a bone graft from your hip and close.  One night in the hospital, no brace, no rehab.  Excellent!!!  Yes, I have some residual temporary nerve pain because of the retraction of the nerve roots during the surgery.  Else, it's great (see picture)...no rods, just two screws.  

    If you ever need more work, consider this option.  Very cool animation on YouTube.  Search for "Globus lateral" to find it.  Instant stenosis relief!!!  So between this, my fusion, artificial hip and artificial knee, I've got a little over 4 1/2 pounds of titanium and cobalt-chromium in me.  I am the TSA's worst nightmare at the airport!!!

    Good healing...stay strong!!!

    • Titanium_Man
      Titanium_Man CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Yikes, that's a lot of metal Chico! How do you add pictures to your posts??

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX Titanium_Man

      Posted

      When you start a post, there are four icons in the upper right: Bold, Italic, Smiley eek and Picture (looks like a mountain with the sun overhead).  Click it and select a picture from any folder on your computer.  Here's my fusion...

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      And my knee...

      The docs are slowly turning me into a Terminator!  I know that I still have one knee to go.  Wonder what else The Big Guy Upstairs will throw at me?

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