Hi Angela,
Sounds similiar to a few episodes I had at about the sametime in my recovery. I was getting complacent getting out of bed and ended up twisting too much when I was getting up and it led to the most pain I've ever felt in my life. I went back to being extra careful not to twist/bend at all and whilst I had a few twinges, I didn't have another episode like this thankfully.
hi guys
im in an awful place at the moment my pain is now worse then before my fusion i will be phoning again on monday but i do know i'll be seeing my surgeon again anyway and all i can do now is carry on with oxynorm and rest.
i had a visit from occu health yesterday she is putting a request in for a walk in shower as she knows this is a long term health problem im gonna have and i will end up having another fusion done which surgeon said this would probable.
Angela lovely speaking with you yesterday i really hope you don't get any worse xx
and rob hope you get sorted soon xx
Hi Clare
It was good to have the chat. So glad you have posted as although I said you were not good and back in bed was not sure if you wanted me to say more.
Hope you are more successful when you phone hospital again. He knows you well and I am sure he will see you. I also hope Owen enjoys first day at nursery.
love Angela
Hugh
Thanks for the reassurance. The thing that worried me was the intensity of the pain. Have not had it again since. I had forgotten you had a similar thing. You are right - it is so easy to forget and act normally.. I am now much more careful.
Rose of Sharon. Many thanks for your message too. Sorry you had to have another car journey so soon. Did you think you had an infection? Hope all is well.
I have this physio appointment today. Not looking forward to car journey and sitting round. It seems early to me - only two weeks tomorrow When did other people start physio (not counting the exercises the physio at hospital gave out).
Angela
Hi Clare, so sorry to hear you are having a tough time of it. Really hope things improve for you soon.
Hi Angela, I think I started my physio about 3 weeks post op. The first session was really just to see how my recovery was so they checked my range of movements and I did not have to do any scary workouts or anything.
You re quite right Hugh - I don't think I am going anywhere fast on physio - this I feel is good in some respects - but feel a little irritated nevertheless. I am a rheumatology patient at a local teaching hospital -temporarily on hold until neurosurgeon signs me off. I was referred to the neurosurgeons at another teaching hosp by them when I developed the sciatica etc. The physios at the operation hospital have referred me back to the first hospital because I live outside their area. The first hospital do not really want to treat me because they do not have experience of post op neurosurgery. Apparently there had been much discussion on phone between the two before I arrived yesterday. All this was explained to me and a conclusion reached. if I would agree. The neurosurgery hospital would do the first couple of appointments to sort out where I am at and whether I should be going faster or slower and to answer questions I might have post op, then the rest of appointments at the first hospital as a rheumatology physio patient. Of course I agreed - either hospital is fine to us.
I was however left thinking that if the NHS was going to develop these large centres of excellence (in this case Cumbria down to South Cheshire) that hospital should be prepared to carry out the full treatment. If you create these monopolies it seems obvious to me that supporting services like physio will indeed lose expertise of specialist areas. Sorry for that rant. At the end of the day I do very much like my new rheumatology physio and will enjoy working with her and I can see she has stuck her neck out to get the best for me, but I just think that the NHS should think of all eventualities.
Angela
8 Week Update
8 weeks already! I finally had my follow up session with my neurosurgeon. a bit later than normal as they've been on holiday. Even Neurosurgeons are allowed holidays! Anyway she is really happy with my progress and has officially signed me off now. Feels great to reach this milestone and be almost back to normal. She did explain that at this stage, the scar tissue can begin to tighten up and this can cause some discomfort. I had noticed this more over the last week and had assumed this was the case. Nothing major mostly just dull aches. Also in terms of nerve recovery its still really early days. To be honest I'm use to it now and it doesnt stop me doing anything so I can deal with this. There are times however where I feel absolutley no pain at all.
I've been given the ok to begin gentle cycling on a real bike, whoaa! Getting so bored of the gym bikes. As long as I start gentle and progress gradually. She basically said at 3 months I should be able to return to most activities except things like contact sports and rowing. Should be ok to start hitting some golf balls soon as well. Really feels like I've started to turn a corner.
Back to work on Monday which I am actually looking forward to. I have a desk job and will be doing a phased return. Both the physio and surgeon has suggested for the first week doing half days but only Monday, Wed and Friday then see how I feel.
Had a few things to do today and ended up doing 4 x 40 mins car drives. Def felt a bit sore at the end as this is the most I have sat since pre surgery but a few paracetomols and ice and it settled down.
Anyway generally feeling great at 8 weeks and really looking forward to return to some normal activities in the next month. Hope everyone else is doing well.
ps Wonder if Andy Murray will be joining this forum now, lol! 🙂
First day back at work
Well Monday did not go according to plan. Back was fine but my wife and I came down with some awful vomiting/diarrhea bug so unbelievably had to take Monday off sick! Well after 8 weeks off, another day isn't going to matter too much. Being sick was not much fun as I was worried that I might re-herniate with the violent vomit contractions but touch wood, everyrthing seems to be ok still.
So today was my first back in the office. Felt a bit of leg pain after the drive in (about 50 mins) but after a short walk it soon died down again. I ensured that I kept standing up every 20-30 mins. The surgeon said even 60 seconds was enough to give your discs a break. Good news is that I'm not feeling any worse. Plan this week is for 3 x half days and luckily my work has been very understanding. Felt really good to be back in circulation.
Hi Hugh
Glad to see you are doing so well. Sorry your return to work did not go as planned and I guess Tuesday in the aftermath of sickness and diarrhoea did not make the best of returns.
I am four weeks post op and time for reflection at the end of this period.
Pluses:
I am upright instead of bent
No nerve pain in either leg except for the two occurrences that morning on week 2
My right leg which was the worst I can now raise to 70-80 degrees instead of one inch from the bed and on bad days was no raise at all, meaning that I can walk upstairs and down normally instead of both feet on each stair. I can also get into the car without husband having to lift my right leg in for me and even on some really bad days I needed help raising leg onto bed.
Over the last week the numbness in right leg has disappeared and just left a slight tenderness to touch. As right back at the start of my troubles I got tenderness before the numbness I guess this too is on way out.
One of my biggest joys is losing the burning sensation on my numb leg in bed. I think in some ways this was even worse than nerve pain.
I can stand long enough to shower which I have not been able to do for nearly a year.
I can walk in the house without my stick and on very, very short journeys outside
I can walk with stick up to 100 yards plus round trip, which is double what I could do without my wheelchair before.
I have (in fact never have had since op) no pain on sitting. I really have to remind myself to stand up and walk around regularly.
I went back to work for one whole day last Sunday at 3 weeks - and am doing the next three Sundays as well. More on that below.
Since three weeks I have been cooking the dinner each evening. Well to be honest that involves me dictating a list to Peter of things I want getting out which involve bending at the beginning and then me cooking dinner!!! Oh and I can't get things in and out of oven as I do not have eye level. Now I am four weeks I guess I can start getting things out from one shelf below and work up.
I CAN SLEEP AGAIN AT NIGHT!!!
Minuses:
I have got my spinal arthritis lower back pain back from third week. Actually week one and two I got no pain at all it did not start until I was walking a bit more than 50 yards outside. The first little circuits round the garden were fine.
My walking is a real problem. I have worked myself up with my stick gradually to about 120 yards but cannot get further. In fact at a little over 100 yards if I push to 120 yards I have to have a rest on my stick stool.
In view of the fact that he only ever promised a 50-70% improvement I guess in lifestyle terms for me that is about 75-80%. I am not quite sure what to do about my walking but must try to press on however many stool sits this incurs. The trouble is that in addition to spinal arthritis, a herniated disk and spinal stenosis hence the laminectomy, decompression of spinal canal and discectomy I also have neurogenic claudication which means I can only walk a certain distance and the pain gets worse and worse and a few steps further and I cannot go on and have to either sit or bend over something. This clears itself in about half a minute then I continue with each walking distance less and rest period getting longer. There is obviously quite an improvement after the op and fingers crossed it will keep improving but I have accepted that supermarket, hospitals, museums, long walks and the like I will probably still need a wheelchair. However, most of my day to day activities - Art Society, textile clubs, church, doctors, dentists and hairdressers etc I can now do without a wheelchair and that is a huge improvement and after all I am 70 not like you young things and up to 2 years ago had excellent health.
I am not going to drive yet. I don't have to as Peter happy to drive me, but as well as starting again after nearly 12 months I have to get used to driving a much larger car as we have had to change to take the wheelchair. Much to my chagrin son has decreed we should have an automatic and I actually although have driven both prefer gears. So I guess 5-6 weeks will be early enough.
However as I said I did go back to work last Sunday and did a 9 to 5 day which I managed well. A bit more backache the next day but nothing untoward but fine on the day. Before I sense disapproval of the three week return let me say I cleared this with the senior registrar who discharged me. He checked out exactly what I was proposing and said if no unexpected problems once I got home no problem. I work odd days here and there. Some of them I cannot do as distance too great yet, but the one last Sunday and tomorrow is based in the local hospital 10 minutes away. I had planned this with the organisers previously and it was six one hour slots. Within the slots I did a 14 minute roleplay and then did my feedback to the doctor and went out of the room to walk around for 6 minutes whilst the consultant did his medical feedback. This really worked well for me. Normally I would be sat down the full hour as we share feedback adding to one anothers comments but they were happy to fit in. I really enjoyed it and am glad to be back - I was going stir crazy. Lots of friends have been to visit but the conversation always returns to questions about your op - this was a whole day of me feeding back to someone else!
I am really worried about Yogi, Wends and Daveyam who seem to have stopped writing here despite the support I hoped we gave them. I hope they do not feel they cannot discuss their problems - the board is not just for those whose cases are straightforward.
Angela
Glad to hear you are doing so well Angela, and 70 too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You write like one of my "get wid it" kids!! lol.........So pleased for you!
On the downside, like you i have been concerned for the others, I do speak to Clare on Facebook but i think she is finding things emotionally hard at the moment as well as medically. As long as we are here for them as when needed, thats all we can do. Love to them all and prayers too!
Hi Rob
Well there you are - you never imagined the pyjama/drugs party was with a 70 year old did you!!!
Thanks for facebook - I will eventually be putting a photo on when I work out how to do it. I got the main bit up but it does not seem to accept the photo. Never mind, daughter coming on Friday so she can sort it then.
Angela
Angela - your definitely a down wid it 70 year old! Make me feel old next to ya lol!
Good on ya girl!!
Be lucky! x
Hi Angela,
Glad to hear that you are doing well although I hope you see some improvement on your walking. Pre op walking was my main issue. Now walking is the most comfortable I am and get very little pain when I do however I still get some pain standing still or even lying down. My scar tissue must be kicking in as I've started to feel an increase in leg pain, mainly around the hamstring. Its not too painfull and it doesn't stop me doing anything so I'm not too worried. The pain comes and goes and is not consistent. The surgeon did say this might start to happen around about now (9 weeks post op). Its easily manageable with ice and paracetamol.
Hi Hugh
Thanks for that. It is interesting the variations we all have. Before the op standing was dreadful and walking very bad - sitting and lying until the last couple of months no problem at all. Since the op no problem at all sitting - even a few hours after op when they got me out of bed to use a commode. I really find it difficult remembering to keep walking round if a friend calls or I get engrossed in TV.
Walking really felt that I had come to an end on improvement yesterday because you are all doing so much more but this morning I had a small success - went to dentist and it is road parking away from surgery and then a long garden path. I gritted my teeth and said I am going to do this without a stick and I did. Given my confidence a boost. That is not to say I did not get back ache doing it but nothing I could not cope with. I start physio next week at 5 weeks.
I find your posts most useful. I think your last one about scar tissue at about 8/9 weeks very good. Most people would not know that and it would be a bit of shock suddenly at that stage developing pains. Also I have taken comfort from your post op - surgeon saying you can get improvement up to 18 months. I would recommend anyone to have this op but it is not a quick fix - a sort of snakes and ladders game. Fortunately the snakes seem short and the ladders much longer!
How is work going now you are full time?
Angela
Hi Angela
Snakes and ladders is the perfect description! At the moment I'm moving around a lot more which is prob the cause of some of my increased pain. Although my pain is pretty low level. I'm currently just doing half days monday, wednesday and Friday. It's going really well and I'm not in too much discomfort from the increased sitting. I do get up every 20 mins even if it's just for 60 secs but my surgeon said that is enough to give the disc a break. Next week I'm going to go back to 5 days but just full days on Monday Wednesday Friday. If that goes well ill go back full time the following week.
Well done on your walk to the dentists. Hopefully you will see some real improvements after physio as that's when I started to see some improvements.
I had a little success myself yesterday I went out for a quick cycle, just 25 mins and it felt great. First time on a real bike since this whole mess started. I'll gradually increase provided I don't feel an increase in pain.