Spine laminectomy + fusion

mauvehaze

P.P.S: I had to buy an upside down fridge as I could not access the lower half of the fridge I had. The freezer section of the lower half has drawers and in those are plastic shopping bags containing my frozen items which I hook out with my dowel and hook. I'm quite inventive in making things possible.
As a good friend of mine says, "I can do anything, I just need help with the impossible."

mauvehaze

. . . . . . I went to Pain Management sessions and I found that was very helpful, especially the phsycology part as it helped me get my head around never being able to do what I could before the operation. I am better off in relation to the pain I was in before the operation, although I am not pain free, I have spells of not having to take any pain medication. I can walk. I can do gentle water exercises, I can swim as long as it is an upright dog-paddle or on my back as long as I don't stretch my arms above my head, but no breast stroke, butterfly or Australian crawl (over arm). I went on an overseas holiday in July 2012 and handled my carry on bag very well (limited to 5kg) the flight crew lifted it to and from the overhead storage, my large bag was dealt with by airport staff, taxi drivers and hotel porters. I joined a group travelling and everyone were very helpful too. I have Home Help and a gardener. I have a couple of pick-up tools (the fold-up one went on holiday with me) plus a piece of dowel with a hook on one end (I took one on holiday too) which is handy for assisting in drying my lower legs and between my toes as well as hooking my shoes on with (I now buy shoes & boots with looped tabs on them). I bought a "Turbo" oven that sits on my bench along with a slow cooker and microwave. I have to think "Outside the box" before I do anything. My garden is now in a waist high container and definitely does not entail digging. My mailbox has been raised higher so that I do not need to bend. My family and friends have helped make things easier for me.
P.S. I think I failed to mention that I am 60 years old.

mauvehaze

Although things are not perfect, i'm glad to read things are a bit better for you now mauvehaze.
Last week i had to get my hubby to drive me to the hospital as i thought i'd pinched the nerve...

Hi Captured, Thank you for your reply. Are you able to get a referral to a spinal specialist and have a range of X-rays and scans done to see if there is anything that can be done to improve your spine?
If I had known I had back problems when I was 30 (and in hindsight) I would have had an operation then. I only presume that the osteo-arthriris which started when I was in my 30's has worsened with age which prevented a good outcome at my age now.
I still get sciatica at times. It isn't anything like it was before the operation, it is less debilitating and no longer radiates down both legs or into the soles of my feet. Only my left leg is affected and the pain is not intense as it used to be.
I can't do anything about the osteo-arthritis, I've spent nearly 30 years taking fish oil, glucosamine, chondroitin & minerals to no avail. I'm sure my surgeon could attest to their ineffectiveness as he saw the condition my spine is in.
I wouldn't have been able to see the positives in my life without the help of the psychologist in the pain management team or for the people with disabilities I have worked with, they are so positive in their attitude and it encourages me to stay positive. Ofcourse I have times when I also question what have I done to deserve this, but I have to decide that it's better than the worst scenario.
I do try to surround myself with positive people, the negative ones inspire me to prove them wrong.
I cannot work as a support person anymore but I can supervise a cooking class for people with disabilities. I have had to reassess my capabilities and try to find different ways of doing things. When I can't, I ask for help.
I've always enjoyed walking so I continue to do so.
Recently friends and family helped lay down a path to my washing line so that I could push my laundry trolley easily instead of over uneven grass. I felt frustrated at not being able to help and was told to be thankful I wasn't in a wheelchair so I went and made everyone a cuppa instead which made me feel helpful after all.
Thank you for your best wishes. I wish you well too.
If you can, talk to a spinal specialist and find out all the pros and cons. I thought all spinal fusions were the same and had only known of successful ones so when I was told that I was a good candidate for a successful outcome I believed all would go well. I did not question what would happen if it was a failure and wish I knew beforehand, only to be prepared and to have things organised beforehand as I would have gone through it all regardless of the outcome.
If any amount of pain relief would come from the operation I would go through with it all regardless and that was my mindset at the time. In hindsight I would still have had the operation, but much sooner.
As a good friend of mine with disabilities says, "I can do anything, I just need help with the impossible." I now understand what it means.

Captured

. . . . . . I went to Pain Management sessions and I found that was very helpful, especially the phsycology part as it helped me get my head around never being able to do what I could before the...

Although things are not perfect, i'm glad to read things are a bit better for you now mauvehaze.
Last week i had to get my hubby to drive me to the hospital as i thought i'd pinched the nerve in my back again (It's been happening to me for the past few years, every now and then). This time though it pretty much paralysed me- i couldn't walk, i couldn't really put any weight on my legs at all.
It turns out i have Sciatica, Osteoarthritis and scoliosis. They just gave me pain killers and sent me home as there was nothing more that they could do at the time.
I am lucky enough to start physio next week at the hospital but i don't know what they will be able to do or if anything can be done to stop the pain.
As i am sure you can relate, feeling like this is horrid, it makes me wonder what i have done so bad in life so far to have to put up with pain like this now... I mean i don't think i'm old yet (I'm 31 years old with 4 kids), but how my body is behaving- i feel like my grandmother (who's almost 84yrs young) can get around so much better than what i can and do.

I guess what i'm tryong to say is that i am glad you're able to see the positive things in life (I'm currently worried that i won't be able to do the things i love to do) and that you've adapted really well.
I wish you all the best and hope you're keeping as well as you can and aren't in too much pain these days.

mauvehaze

Hi All. It is almost 24 months since my operation. I meant to update sooner. When I saw my surgeon in 2011 he told me, "No bending, no lifting, no gardening ever!" My spine had not even fused at 8+ months. At 13 months I had a large list of questions, a copy I gave to him, at my visit. I wanted to know what I could do. He again repeated, "No bending, no lifting, no gardening ever." I asked him what I could lift if I had to and he asked me, "Like what?". I said, "Groceries." and he asked again, "Like what?", I said a 10kg bag of potatoes. He said, "No! You are never to lift any more than 5kg! Do not lift mattresses to tuck in sheets, do not get on the floor, do not try to get into bottom cupboards, do not lean over a top loading washing machine, do not try to pull out laundry from a top loading washing machine, do not use an oven lower than bench height, do not do any repetitive movements, do not twist, do not flex your back, no high impact exercises. Ever. Do as I do and keep your pots on the hob or hang them on your walls. I know you women, you keep them in your bottom cupboards. You tend to keep all your heavy stuff on the bottom shelf." He said my back had finally fused but if it hadn't there wasn't anything he could do about it. He said I had osteo arthritis that didn't show in the scans or xrays which is why my vertebrae were breaking while he was trying to screw a bit of bone to my spine and that's why the operation took so long. He said it was a mess and he did his best. He said that I have to be very careful because of the amount of osteo arthritis I have. So this is as good as it gets. . . . . .

ozziedigger

I sincerely feel for you all, who have had a procedure like this done. It frightens me,as late last year i rolled over in bed and something like two bones came together and clamped a nerve and paralysed me,that`s exactly what it felt like .I went to the bone man,x-rayed and the result shown to me, was the bones protecting the nerves had worn halfway down, and they are.Sorry sir i can`t help you. That`s where it stands, so I move very carefully now and am in a little less pain. Life`s path ends too soon to give up on it !

RWOLR8?

Hi have you had any session with your physios on an exerciser machine?
which supports your body downwards to shift slowly upside-down to some degree
and helps with decompression of the spine.

mauvehaze

It is now 10 months since my op and despite physio and hydrotherapy I am still struggling to be pain free.
I am now concentrating on pain management (with/without medication).

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) is a syndrome characterised by continuing back and/or leg pain despite undergoing lower spinal surgery.
A spine fusion for spinal instability (e.g. spondylolisthesis) is a relatively predictable operation. However, a fusion surgery for multi-level lumbar degenerative disc disease is far less likely to be successful in reducing a patient’s pain after surgery.
Fusion surgery considerations (such as failure to fuse and/or implant failure, or a transfer lesion to another level after a spine fusion, when the next level degenerates and becomes a pain generator)
Lumbar decompression back surgery considerations (such as recurrent spinal stenosis or disc herniation, inadequate decompression of a nerve root, preoperative nerve damage that does not heal after a decompressive surgery, or nerve damage that occurs during the surgery)
Scar tissue considerations (such as epidural fibrosis, which refers to a formation of scar tissue around the nerve root).

nig

contact a mentor of swimming you will be very surprised of what you can do
nig

mauvehaze

contact a mentor of swimming you will be very surprised of what you can do
nig

Thank you for your reply. The Physio I am seeing is getting me into their Hydrotherapy program, although there is a bit of a waiting list. Once I'm fitter I will go back to the Aqua Fit classes at my local Rec Centre that I've been going to for four days a week for seven years prior to my operation. Prior to my operation I lost twenty-five kilos, I needed to for the operation, the recovery and my general health. I am trying to do everything the right way, but feel frustrated at times due to my limitations. My surgeon told me to do things slowly and carefully and told me it would take twelve months at least. I was also frustrated that Physio hadn't been set up, that there had been no mention of it by the surgeon or my GP. I had borrowed aids from OT and they asked if I was having physio at the hospital and suggested that I do so. When I contacted the Physio Dept they told me that most people who'd been sent to the city for back operations missed out on physio afterwards. Now I feel like I'm getting somewhere.

typhoon

I had a laminectomy 19 years ago but my problem was with L1/L2&L.3 and before the operation i was in agony almost all of the time. I have been lucky because 19 years down the track and i am still going strong but i do pay attention to what i do. I have recently been diagnosed with spondylitis in the neck between c3 & c8 and so i modify my life because of this. i have found that by keeping active and moving around is much better for me than not doing anything. It might sound strange but i went back to ballroom dancing for exercise and it seems to have strengthened up the spine. In keeping correct posture for dancing the muscles along the spine have got stronger and take the load off the weak points on my back and neck. The truth be known, i think that attitude is everything and healing takes time. Any exercise you can do is useful as it gets the blood flowing and helps with the healing because of this. Exercise can help strengthen the muscles and in doing so may take some of the strain off the back. At least it did for me.

mauvehaze

I had a laminectomy 19 years ago but my problem was with L1/L2&L.3 and before the operation i was in agony almost all of the time. I have been lucky because 19 years down the track and i am still...

Thank you. When I saw my surgeon he told me it would take twelve months or more to recover as the surgery had been extensive. I am still wearing the brace. Physio hadn't been arranged for me post-op so I went to my GP and got him to refer me to my local hospital. (My operation was done in the city.) I still keep moving around and walk as I can't stay in one place/position for long. My doctor changed the type of painkiller I was taking but it wasn't affective although it is one of the very strong ones. I'm now taking a mixture of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen and have found it as effective, without the side effects. I hope to get off the Ibuprofen soon. I have been to Physio twice and been given exercises that continue on from what I was given in hospital. Just small steps each time to extend what I can do. I am going to get into the Hydrotherapy program and I hope that will allow me to remove the brace sooner. I just have to be patient with my limitations and follow these exercises. I'm looking forward to enjoying holidays. I am already walking without the pain I experienced before the operation. I am three months post-op.