Moogy
Thinking about you.
Having Surgery
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FinallyFree
- Posts: 2370
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2015 3:29 pm
- Location: Southaven, MS
Re: Having Surgery
How are you doing, Moogy?
Last edited by FinallyFree on Sun Jun 10, 2018 10:24 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Having Surgery
Pardon me for the long lapse in my attendance here. I think I can avoid the walk of shame since I have a doctor’s excuse.
Some of you have been wondering about my surgery and recovery, so here is my report. It is long, so the short version is I had a great surgeon, the surgery went well, and I am recovering.
I went from Texas to Arizona in order to have the surgery at a major medical center where my son works and knows people. That was a good plan. They treated me like royalty. Doug (son) intervened a few times to get me assigned to the best doctors, etc. My surgery was done by the Head of the Spine Department, who specializes in minimally invasive surgery for scoliosis correction. Minimally invasive is a relative term, though. I had 13 incisions, 11smaller ones on both side of my spine, plus a pretty long and deep one on my abdomen and another on my right side.
I had a lot of other junk wrong with my back, which could have been corrected more easily, but the doctor was convinced we would not be successful unless we did the big two-part surgery and corrected everything. Since Doug thinks this guy knows his stuff, and he seemed very knowledgeable when I met him, I decided to trust him.
The surgeries went well according to the doctors. About 8 hours on Tuesday and about that long again on Thursday. But my husband says I was crying in pain for hours after I came out of recovery Thursday. They finally dosed me with Ketamine to handle the pain. That was awful. I had scary visual hallucinations, felt trapped in another world. Finally I woke up enough to complain about the hallucinations, so they weaned me off that awful stuff. (Druggies take this drug for fun? They must be crazy.)
They straightened my spine, breaking at least one vertebrae intentionally to do so. They cut out disks to make room for spacers called cages. I have numerous screws and two titanium rods extending from T12 to S1 (if you are familiar with spine nomenclature.)
A nerve leading to my right leg was somehow damaged during surgery (common problem). The resulting leg pain and weakness has been more trouble than the pain in the back.
I had pain meds and limited therapy for several days in the hospital, then they moved me to an attached rehab center for more physical and occupational therapy, which was quite helpful.
Eventually we had to drive back to Texas. My poor husband had to do all the driving, of course. I haven’t started driving again even now.
If not for hubby’s help, I could not have done this. He drives, picks up medicines, buys groceries, plans meals, washes clothes.
About 10 days ago, one of my incisions started looking infected, so now I have been on antibiotics. I do treat and dress my own wounds, because hubby has a really weak stomach for medical issues. Weird since our son is a doctor with a cast iron stomach.
About the same time, I fell when stepping off a curb, and landed on the asphalt. I have a very painful road rash on my knee, but it didn’t seem to damage my hardware.
Last week was the 6-week mark after surgery. I have started to feel much stronger. But I wore myself out today by just sacking up a few things that need to go to our recycling center—just plastic and cardboard. I still can’t walk very far.
However, we will be flying back to Phoenix this next Thursday. Our son is graduating from his 7-year residency, and I have to be there, whatever shape I am in. I will get a wheelchair from the airlines to deal with the large terminals.
While there, I will have a follow-up with my surgeon. There will be X-rays to see if my bones are starting to grow into the cage areas as they should in order to fuse the lumbar spine. Complete fusion can take from 6 to 18 months.
Some of you may be wondering if the surgery worked. Actually, I can’t tell yet. I have extra pains that I didn’t have pre-surgery, and I can’t do the things that used to set off my back pain. I can tell from the x-rays that my spine is straight and I actually have a proper lumbar curve, which I was missing previously, although I did not know it.
I have been on narcotic pain meds. I just completely weaned myself off of them this weekend.
Thanks for caring!
Some of you have been wondering about my surgery and recovery, so here is my report. It is long, so the short version is I had a great surgeon, the surgery went well, and I am recovering.
I went from Texas to Arizona in order to have the surgery at a major medical center where my son works and knows people. That was a good plan. They treated me like royalty. Doug (son) intervened a few times to get me assigned to the best doctors, etc. My surgery was done by the Head of the Spine Department, who specializes in minimally invasive surgery for scoliosis correction. Minimally invasive is a relative term, though. I had 13 incisions, 11smaller ones on both side of my spine, plus a pretty long and deep one on my abdomen and another on my right side.
I had a lot of other junk wrong with my back, which could have been corrected more easily, but the doctor was convinced we would not be successful unless we did the big two-part surgery and corrected everything. Since Doug thinks this guy knows his stuff, and he seemed very knowledgeable when I met him, I decided to trust him.
The surgeries went well according to the doctors. About 8 hours on Tuesday and about that long again on Thursday. But my husband says I was crying in pain for hours after I came out of recovery Thursday. They finally dosed me with Ketamine to handle the pain. That was awful. I had scary visual hallucinations, felt trapped in another world. Finally I woke up enough to complain about the hallucinations, so they weaned me off that awful stuff. (Druggies take this drug for fun? They must be crazy.)
They straightened my spine, breaking at least one vertebrae intentionally to do so. They cut out disks to make room for spacers called cages. I have numerous screws and two titanium rods extending from T12 to S1 (if you are familiar with spine nomenclature.)
A nerve leading to my right leg was somehow damaged during surgery (common problem). The resulting leg pain and weakness has been more trouble than the pain in the back.
I had pain meds and limited therapy for several days in the hospital, then they moved me to an attached rehab center for more physical and occupational therapy, which was quite helpful.
Eventually we had to drive back to Texas. My poor husband had to do all the driving, of course. I haven’t started driving again even now.
If not for hubby’s help, I could not have done this. He drives, picks up medicines, buys groceries, plans meals, washes clothes.
About 10 days ago, one of my incisions started looking infected, so now I have been on antibiotics. I do treat and dress my own wounds, because hubby has a really weak stomach for medical issues. Weird since our son is a doctor with a cast iron stomach.
About the same time, I fell when stepping off a curb, and landed on the asphalt. I have a very painful road rash on my knee, but it didn’t seem to damage my hardware.
Last week was the 6-week mark after surgery. I have started to feel much stronger. But I wore myself out today by just sacking up a few things that need to go to our recycling center—just plastic and cardboard. I still can’t walk very far.
However, we will be flying back to Phoenix this next Thursday. Our son is graduating from his 7-year residency, and I have to be there, whatever shape I am in. I will get a wheelchair from the airlines to deal with the large terminals.
While there, I will have a follow-up with my surgeon. There will be X-rays to see if my bones are starting to grow into the cage areas as they should in order to fuse the lumbar spine. Complete fusion can take from 6 to 18 months.
Some of you may be wondering if the surgery worked. Actually, I can’t tell yet. I have extra pains that I didn’t have pre-surgery, and I can’t do the things that used to set off my back pain. I can tell from the x-rays that my spine is straight and I actually have a proper lumbar curve, which I was missing previously, although I did not know it.
I have been on narcotic pain meds. I just completely weaned myself off of them this weekend.
Thanks for caring!
Moogy
NI COC for over 30 years, but out for over 40 years now
Mostly Methodist for about 30 years.
Left the UMC in 2019 based on their decision to condemn LGBT+ persons and to discipline Pastors who perform same-sex marriages
NI COC for over 30 years, but out for over 40 years now
Mostly Methodist for about 30 years.
Left the UMC in 2019 based on their decision to condemn LGBT+ persons and to discipline Pastors who perform same-sex marriages
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FinallyFree
- Posts: 2370
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2015 3:29 pm
- Location: Southaven, MS
Re: Having Surgery
Wow, what an ordeal! Hope things get easier for you. Glad you have come this far.
Re: Having Surgery
Oh wow! I saw a FB post about that surgery recently. You're like a bionic woman now, eh?
I hope everything heals properly and the pain goes away. So glad you're doing ok. We were definitely starting to worry a bit here!
I hope everything heals properly and the pain goes away. So glad you're doing ok. We were definitely starting to worry a bit here!
Re: Having Surgery
That sounds really rough. Best wishes for continued progress.
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Cootie Brown
- Posts: 3997
- Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2016 4:34 pm
- Location: TN
Re: Having Surgery
Wishing you a complete recovery with no pain. It sounds to me like you are a warrior & your husband is a good man that is deeply in love with you. Been missing you on the board.
Re: Having Surgery
Moogy is alive and well although a bit sore. 
The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.----Karl Marx