I’ve added more links for everyone to check out. I’ve included some modified Pilates and Yoga, info on Scoliosis and Osteoporosis and just in general education sites on the spine.
Feel free to send me any links that you have and want to share.
Thanks
Dar
How the times go by. I’m doing well, managing to taper off some of my long term pain meds. 
I’ve cut bad to 45mg MS Contin in the morning and 60mg at night. I feel like I could cut back to 50mg morning and night now as it has been two weeks. My brother in law suggested that a steady blood level was more important and that going down in 15mg amounts would put more of challenge on my body. In other words 50/50 is bettr than 45/65.
Hi all
Just a short post. THE l2/l3 decompressive laminectomy and L5/S1 microdiscectomy is finally over. I spent one night in the hospital. I’ll write more about the stay in the hospital later but it was not pleasant.
The Decompressive surgery went well, no unexpected complications or findings. Also no doubt about the amount of compression causing probems.
In the area of L5/S1 the S1 nerve looked okay compression wise but L5 was a bit of mess. LOTS of scar tissue. In fact, because he had to scrap off so much scar tissue – the incision ended up being the length of L2/3 all the way to L5. It looks like that was part of the reason that I was so bent over – the scar tissue was pulling me down towards the hip on the one side.
Anyway, it hurts like heck. I have staples in this time because of the amount of work. Lucky my sister is a nurse and can take them out or I’d have to go sit in my GP’s office to have the job done.
Managing the pain well at home. Sleeping well and resting. 8 weeks of inactivety except for walking….then occupational and phsyio therapists.
More later.
Results of the CT Scan, the visit to the hematologist and results from the Internal Medicine specialist.
Wow. I see I haven’t written a post in a few days. That’s what happens when you can focus on getting better instead of being in pain. I’ve been doing really well. Able to work out a lot and finding that I don’t have such long recovery times. The exercises I’ve been are done really carefully and slowly. Absolutely do not hurry. Form has never mattered as much as it does now.
This was a good day to see Dr. Guzman. I was in a fair bit of pain and had enough concerns to make the trip worthwhile. Basically he reminded me that I had had two serious operations and normally I would have been in the hospital a lot longer. That’s what Thelma told me, too. And he said that I am doing very well considering the surgeries.
So I don’t know what is going on but I’ve been having a tough time. I spent most of the time standing or lying down because sitting hurt. I also iced quite a bit.
Sohiel was here today cleaning and I did what I could. Perhaps that was too much. I slept for an hour and my body was really tired.
Woke up feeling pain in my leg and hip. I had trouble walking yesterday and Bill noticed it in the house. I’m not sure what is going on.
We got up at 4:45AM. I was having trouble sleeping because of my hip and Bill is still having trouble getting used to day shift instead of graveyards.
I went for my walk just after Bill left for work at 7AM. Very soon after starting both my hips starting giving me trouble. I ended up walking a short 20 minutes and that was too much. I was hoping to get all my walk in (an hour) because it’s going to start raining very hard in a little while.
I got home and took 2mg dilaudid but that didn’t help. I’m getting up and down a lot. Basically I’m doing some computer stuff and then going into the kitchen and doing stuff there. Making Bill’s lunch, preparing dinner. We’re having Shepherd’s Pie tonight if I can get all the carrots and potatoes peeled. Otherwise we’ll have roast chicken and I’ll finish the shepherd’s pie then.
That’s basically how the
Well, it was a very interesting visit with Dr. Guzman, as always. He is such a nice man. Bill took the day off work to drive me to the appointment. Even though it was right in the middle of rush hour on a Thursday we made it in under 30 minutes.
I am heading up to my 14th day post surgery. You know, at first I thought that the laminectomy wasn’t as painful as the microdiscectomy (M/D) but I think it’s a different kind of pain. With the L5/S1 M/D I noticed that the pain in my leg and with walking disappeared almost immediately. Sure, I had post surgical pain, after all they have to move the muscles out of the way and they are cutting bone. But the worst of it was gone.
