Update BIO.
I was given a large corset to wear
Damn Bro... you are tough! I don't remember how long it was before I was moving around. I had 4 vertebrae in my neck fused. I had tremendous nerve damage and weakness. All of that is improved, but I have constant pain and I can no longer turn my head more than a few degrees. I am able to train again, but things are very different and I was fired from my job (the injury happened at work) and I'm now on Pain Management. I just focus on the fact that Im much better than I was.
I don't say this to dim your hopes, but I know alot of people with similar experiences. I wish you the absolute best and feel free to PM me if you have questions. I posted pics of what I looked like the day I was able to return to the gym and then like 3-4 months later I was back to looking pretty damn good.
just stick with it and stay positive
Pics or it didn't happen!
Glad it went well! I hope you heal quickly.
Im glad to hear that everything went well! TAKE YOUR TIME recovering... I only say this because I know so many friends that have tried to rush their recovery to get back to normal life only to injure themselves again... Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders though...
Here you go BIO found this on old phone.
This is a stand alone device, meaning normally no posterior instrumentation is required, huge advantage in increased recovery time.
Exactly. I'm sure I'll have some films done next Tuesday. That's when my first follow up appointment is.
I went out and picked up some prescriptions yesterday afternoon. It was my first time behind the wheel but I felt pretty good. It's a bit uncomfortable and I'm not supposed to sit for more than 30 minutes at a time, so I made it quick. Since it's raining here, I'm getting ready to head down to the gym to walk on the treadmill there. I feel much better walking around. Those various muscles in the glutes still get pretty tight and painful.
This Wed, Dec 3rd, I'm having L4-5 and L5-s1 fused. My spine surgeon will be using the SynFix LR System. Once I recover from this surgery, I'm having 2 levels of my neck fused...C5-6 and C6-7. I'm really looking forward to this surgery. I get painful pins and needles in my chest, back, and shoulders from time to time. More regularly, I get neck, back, and arm pain, along with terrible tension headaches that can easily turn into a migraine. So, along with the other medical issue I had prior to this, the last couple of years have been a bit tough! LOL!! I'm looking forward to getting a much better quality of life back!!
Thanks again to Lex who helped me steer the conversations with my doctor regarding hardware and procedure. I also want to thank IronMiner2 who had the same surgery in September and has really help me with what to expect.
I've got say, the worst part of all, started today...Clear liquid diet today and tomorrow...With nothing after midnight tomorrow and my surgery isn't until 1pm on Wednesday. I'm already starving and dealing with a headache! LOL!!
Good luck with your recovery. I'm curious have you ever talked to your doctors about spinal cord simulator or was your condition not fit for it?
I was scheduled for a lower back fusion this month, but I ended up cancelling after talking to the pain specialist. I ended up getting another cortisone shot to help in the meantime, and he suggested I look into a simulator instead.
Brother that's sounding pretty good if you are getting out to do things that fast! How long did the doc say you needed to wait before getting back on the treadmill? I would think at the 90 day mark you could start doing some light weights?
i found walking as a very good way to hasten recovery.
Is this going to severely limit your movement? I'm asking because I don't know.
Hope all is well bio. Ill prob be getting lumbar fusion next few years. Just holding off long as I can.
Yea He did cause he gets major $ for implanting test leads and doing the test for placement of the implant leads. Stims are usually for those with failed back surgery at the end of their rope with pain. If you have structural issues like collapsed disk space that is crushing a nerve you have to have that fixed somehow. Stims work on some people ok, others nothing, some for a while then fail. Its hit or miss. Its not an alternative to fixing a structural issue. You want to cry in your car? talk to one of those patients for 3 minutes, that have been thought that and now the last hope the stim fails.
(IMO only )don't get me started on Pain Mgt. Dr's. I'm sure there are a few out there that will act in your best interested somewhere on Earth -maybe. I haven't met one. It's all about $$.
It's funny Lex...If you find that you need to be on higher end narcotics due to pain, most GP's won't prescribe them and make you go to a Pain Management doc. In fact, I'm getting ready to switch my Pain doc. I don't like her attitude. She was getting pissy a while back because I was taking less than what she prescribed. I told her, "I've had intermittent back pain since 17 and chronic back pain since I was 22. Now at 45, I've seen what these meds due to people! I told her that if I really tried to kill the pain, I would end up a junkie. I told her that I take enough to get me through my day and then enough to help me get through the night." She couldn't wrap her head around that. I know it's because she's never been in chronic pain...I asked her! Anyway, after my neck surgery, hopefully I won't require pain management services any longer!
Hey Kubes, I walk around my neighborhood. They get you up the day after surgery and encourage you to walk. I went to the gym Friday night, which is less than a week out of the hospital, and walked on the treadmill...I had to because it was raining pretty heavy where I'm at. I have to walk daily, even several times a day, because it feels so much better. Being immobile causes the glute and hamstring muscles to tighten up to a point where it becomes extremely painful...Especially the glutes, since those are the muscles closest to the where the fusion was done. Remember, I surgery was strictly anterior.
Me too Buck! I look forward to walking every day! Like I said above, it helps keep the muscles loose. Since I can't stretch, this is the only way to get blood in in there. I also hold onto something and do squats on my tippie toes which keeps my back and sacrum straight / flat.
Not too bad. They estimate ten degrees per disc. So, for me that will be twenty degrees lost. Considering the pain I've suffered through for decades, it was just something that I'll deal with.
Thanks Dragon! Believe me, it wasn't a decision I made lightly. Don't just read the reviews online, go out and talk to people and ask around. Make sure you see two or three surgeons and that each of them is a very conservative surgeon. The process from start to finish may take a year or more...Mine took longer because my neck is an issue as well. The insurance company will want to make sure you tried more conservative routes like chiropractic, acupuncture, and physical therapy, all within a recent time frame. After that they'll recommend cortisone. Cortisone only lasted between 2 to 3 weeks for me, and of course, they'll want current MRI's and any other scans they deem necessary.