11 Week Update
Getting a bit slack with my updates!
Well coming to the end of my 3rd week back at work and I'm now back full time. I try to stand up every half hour even if its just for a minute or a walk to the water cooler. Then go for a brisk 30 min walk at lunch time. So far so good and it feels really great to be almost back to normal.
Pain wise I still have an achy pain in my bum/glute area. Also my back gets a bit sore after a day at my desk. The pain is about 1/10 compared to 9/10 pre op. One day I will be completely pain free I hope!
So as I approach the 3 month mark, I have to say that for me, surgery was absolutely the correct decision. Pre-surgery I was effectively disabled. I could barely walk 100 yards even with a stick. I had to kneel down in the shower as I could not stand for more than a minute. The surgery has given me my life back. I can pick up my son, ride my bikes, go to work, go out with my wife. I now have to remain disciplined and look after my back for the rest of my life now. Small price to pay to avoid having to go through the pain of a 'slipped disc' again.
Great read Hugh! Hope i can follow your path to a pain(less) free life and one where i can do the things i have had to put on hold!
Keep up the good work!
Regards
Rob
Hi Hugh
Thanks for update. You are doing really well now.
I find your progress particularly interesting because as far as I can tell before the op we were pretty similar. For me it was a stick or wheelchair as my walking with stick petered out at about 50 yards.
Can you tell me if you were told anything about bending?
I am six weeks' today and although quite a lot of backache from the existing osteoarthritis everything else is fine. If I can just get over the withdrawal effects of Tramadol and Pregablin I would be happy. Actually I have been off the last one a day Tramadol for six days and do feel less sideeffects today. However I have to get off the last bit of Pregablin now.
I am working again tomorrow - as I have the last three weekends. One day a week has been fine mainly because hardly any travel - 10 to 15 minutes - and a great deal of understanding and flexibility of working by the doctors I work with. It has been good to do it.
Angela
Hi Angela,
Re bending yes I've been given some stretching exercises which involve sitting down and bending forward, almost putting your head between your knees. Obviously starting off taking it very easy. My movement is almost back to normal now but I'm still very carefull when bending down by trying to keep my back straight etc...
Sorry to hear about your withdrawl, as an ex smoker I know how bad withdrawl is. I was only on Codeine and Naproxen and didn't get any withdrawl thankfully. Hopefully your withdrawl does not last too much longer! Sounds like your recovery is going well to, cant believe you're 6 weeks already.
Hi all
Well I am 8 weeks post op today and have just returned from seeing the rheumatologist re the way forward with my arthritic spine/neurogenic claudication. (My appointment with the neurosurgeon post discharge is not until Tuesday.
This morning went reasonably well. I saw the consultant for the first time which was a huge improvement and she talked me through the whole thing and explained a lot. Not all good news but then I was not really expecting it. She says op has been a great success in what it has done - more than was expected. However ....... she pointed out it had only partly cured the claudication and would have done nothing for my arthritis and I now have to look at the future with the back pain (standing and walking). She says it may stay static for a long time or equally it may go worse and that after the six weeks mini gym and then six weeks hydrotherapy at hospital if I join a gym for swimming and aqua and pilates (I had suggested this) it may delay though not necessarily improve future prospects. The suggestion has also been made that cycling after all this will probably work better than walking. She also said I must accept permanent medication for my lifetime and was a bit surprised that I had been allowed off medication and that is why back pain has come back over last two weeks. So ... I am back on Pregablin! I can see my drinking days are over but you know after 12 months off because of the drugs I am not sure I am that bothered. Just an occasional very small glass of wine.
I was quite proud of myself today - actually yesterday too. Yesterday I worked at Salford Royal and today went to MRI for appointment and DID NOT use the wheelchair - just my stick/stool thing. I have worked a day a week over the weeks since week 3 and that has really gone fine.
So that's me. She did also say when she was discussing me coming off drugs that I was being very hard on myself. That although it was microsurgery it still classified as a major op and she thought I had probably expected too much. Don't we all!!
Angela
Sorry to hear that you have to go back on the meds, I read your report with interest. I am a bit further along than you and wanted to offer the suggestion of a static exercise bike. I tried a proper bicycle, the old fashioned sit up and beg so that it helped my position but any bumps no matter how small made me worse and also I would end up tired and having to cycle back home even a short way or someone having to come and help me back or with the car. The static bike helped from that point of view, I was at home in the warm and dry all year round and could use it for short periods.
Hi Cassie. Thanks for that - I had wondered about an exercise bike - though goodness knows where we would keep it in the flat. As I already have an outside bike I will probably try that first and see what happens. Fortunately the immediate roads around are flat and I guess as you say I will not get too far. Anyway it has been forbidden until the Spring after both sets of physio classes - gym and hydrotherapy. She said that in their gym they may???? let me try the exercise bike dependant on how things are going.
Hope you are well
Angela
3 month update
Hi all,
Here's my 3 month update. Well I've pretty much got my life back now which is great. I'm now walking, sitting and generally getting on with my life as normal. In that sense I consider the op to be a success. To manage expectations, am I 100% pain free?.............no. I still get pains in my bad leg and sometimes even in my good leg. They are relatively low level and are easily manageable with paracetamol and ice. Walking also seems to relieve any aching pains. Hopefully these will eventually go but I'm still over the moon as I can get about without any issues and start living again.
Angela, can't believe thats 8 weeks already! I started off on a gym bike as they are a lot more upright and moved onto a proper bike once I was confident it didnt aggrevate any nerves. I started off really easy so 10 mins first. Then gradually increasing to 20 mins, 40 mins etc.... On the real bike it felt amazingly liberating after being immobile.
Hi all
9 weeks today and saw the Neurosurgeon on Tuesday. From his standpoint the op could not have gone better and very pleased with me. He says as he told me before op the arthritis would be no better but we are both agreed overall a great success. He has also said I can drive now - document says three months but he says as no symptoms at all with my leg now I can go ahead. Hopefully I will feel less like a parcel for delivery or collection. He also told me - because I needed to know in case of a further op for anything in the future - the reason I was in recovery so long and then on oxygen up to 8.30 pm at night (from a morning op) was the position I was in for two hours on the operating table draped over the U shaped dome had affected my SATS and that there was no reason to worry in future.
I feel better being back on low dose Pregablin though hate the thought of lifetime medication - but hey that is the only thing wrong with me and many people of my age are on all sorts of things, blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes you name it so I am telling myself I am very lucky. If I can delay the arthritis and walking difficulties getting worse for a while I can live fairly happily within the limitations and I think the wheelchair at least for the moment will not have to be used overmuch.
So pretty good news really!!
Angela