Surgery in next few days

[Mark N]

Carol, I must have missed your post about the upcoming surgery. It is great news to hear you are doing better than you anticipated one day after surgery. The best news is that you have feeling back in your legs as it isn't a guarantee once our cord is compressed enough to shut off the feelings. Take it easy and don't overdo it as you start to do better because you have gone through a big surgery.

Big Joe, it is good to hear you are talking about playing your instruments once again. It had to be fun for you to get out and hear the music again. Keep up the good work with your recovery.

[Big Joe]

Friday was the jam at the coffee shop. I could not play that night. Saturday was a trip to Lowe's for some remodel supplies. My Son came over Sunday and put in a new back door. It was a long day, but I was very good and stayed out of the way ... mostly :) ... and he has greatly helped our house. Monday was Thanksgiving. We had Zero kids stop at our house. My wife took our grand daughter (we are raising two of our grand buddies) trick or treating. They had such fun. Today she was a bit difficult getting up and out the door to school. I had to physically help her a bit. That pulled and hurt pretty bad. I won't do that again! It was a pretty tough day. I knew it was nothing bad, just pulled things that don't need pulling yet.

The pain decreases each day in its intensity. There are moments when it reminds you it is there. My left leg has been near or at perfect from the surgery till now. The right leg will lite me up once in awhile, but that has really decreased and happens very rarely now. The only real pain I feel is at the surgical site. I continue to be blessed. Today was a tough day, but that is to be expected. I believe tomorrow will be very well. I am continually amazed at how different this one is compared to my prior surgeries.

The only thing I had not thought about was the length of recovery. While I am doing excellently, and things are working very well, I just do not have the strength I expected. I can do a little bit ... very little, then have to stop. I realize I am a bit older than my last surgery and things get a bit tougher as we age, but I am not the most patient person in the world. However, I know time will heal things up and I am going to take my time and do things right. When I feel I have pushed a very little I will stop and then back off. Thank each of you for your support, and I will post back soon on my continued progress.

[Leeaelle]

Hi dear Joe ~ I've been following your progress, and it amazes me how much things have changed since I became a spiney! I'm SO glad that your recovery is going well, and that alot of your pain is gone. How is the drainage situation now? Has that reduced or stopped?

I also want to thank you for posting about your recovery, so that others won't be so afraid. It sure helps to hear from others who have been thru it.

You're still in my prayers, and I'll keep "checking" on you. Just don't do too much! God bless. Hugs, Lee

[Melanie]

Glad to see you are doing pretty good Joe. I remember recovery seemed longer with each surgery, even when they were just infection related. Just keep telling yourself it's going to get better soon.
Bummer you couldn't play at the Jam but I bet it was nice just being able to be there and enjoy it without miserable pains! Soon Joe, soon you'll be jammin' :)

[Mark N]

Big Joe, Don't be pulling on anything right now big guy, especially a reluctant student:). Glad the tough day didn't last any longer than that and your recovery is still going well. One day soon you will be up jamming with the rest of them on a Friday night at the bar.

[Big Joe]

Well, today is 4 weeks post op. I had my first post op appointment with my surgeon yesterday. He was very pleased with my progress and has said I can begin playing my guitar again and driving. I have not driven in about 3 months, so it was good to be able to. It was like I had never missed a day. Our surgeon is about an hours drive from our home. My wife drove into the hospital in Nashville. It was raining and she does not really like driving my truck. After the appointment I drove and it felt good. I took my wife to a very nice Italian Restaurant near the hospital for lunch. It was a beautiful lunch and my first meal out for some time. We then had to drive to another doctor about 40 minutes away. They were closed when we got there for their lunch period. So, we went to Barnes and Noble for a little while. We found a couple magazines we liked and then went back to the docs. That only took minutes, but when we got there I told my wife she could drive. She went through Starbucks and got me a frapacunnio, but I was very exhausted and happy to have her drive home. It was a great day, and I slept very good last night.

I went off all my pain meds in the last week. That was the very worst part of the whole process. I was on pretty high doses of narcotic pain meds for several months. The withdrawals are very bad, but not impossible. The first 24 hours are terrible, the next pretty bad, the next not terrible, but not fun, then you wake up the next day and all is back to normal pretty much. I am just glad to have that behind me. A bit if ibuprofen seems to do the job nicely.

Hope all of you are having a great day. It feels good to see life moving forward a bit more every day. I think I will be back to reasonably normal in a couple more months. I am not going to push it like I used to anymore. I want to enjoy the last part of my days, and not shorten them by overdoing things physically like I have the last few years. Thank you for your prayers. God Bless each of you!

[Mark N]

Joe, great news and I am so glad you have had this result after what you went through after your first fusion. I can imagine how bad getting off the meds were but that is behind you now. I bet your wife enjoyed the dinner with her knight. Keep up the good healing.

[Big Joe]

I still have a long way to go before my ordeal is behind me. While the surgery is a real success and I am so thankful to God for my surgical team and the hospital, I do realize I have to finish the healing process, and that is on my and no one else. Since getting off the pain meds I do have a bit of trouble sleeping at night. Last night was not too bad. I was so tired when I laid down and that helped. I did get about 4 hours of pretty good sleep. Maybe more tonight.

The worst part about being off the meds is that now I am bored. I can't do much of anything yet, but it is hard for me to sit around or lay around without being busy doing something constructive. I tried to play my guitar a bit yesterday and I was surprised how weak I really was! I am smart enough to realize it will take a bit longer to recover at my current age than when I was 20 years younger. I do take plenty of vitamins and have a good meal plan with plenty of protein to help bone growth and I take heavy doses of vitamin D3 and Calcium Citrate to help bone growth and density.

I also want to thank Mark and all the rest of my friends on the forum. It used to be a LOT busier in the mid to late 90's when we were all getting used to doing these kinds of things and research on the internet. We met in Louisville, KY a number of times for dinner to meet and encourage each other. I do miss that. I have made so many wonderful friends over the years. So, I am not going anywhere, but want to thank you and all for this forum to help encourage and educate those in need.

I wish we may each look beyond our difficulties for the next week and see those things for which we can be thankful. We all have trouble, pain, discouragement, tears, fears, and disappointments. Still, every time I look around I see those who are far worse than us and can be so thankful for so much. I am thankful for each of you and the forum. I am also thankful for my wonderful wife of nearly 43 years. My 4 kids and my 8 grandkids. I used to call them my little buddies, but a few of them are over 6 feet tall now and teenagers!. I am still thankful for them. I am thankful for BeBop and Bingo... my dogs and best friends. I am thankful for my doctors and surgical team that have helped me through a real emergency situation. I am thankful that God has blessed me to walk this journey to learn what I have and to offer help to those I can. I am thankful that it was me who has had to suffer these things than anyone else. Even at my worst I never asked "Why Me?" I figured why not me. Better me than anyone else that I could think of. That does not mean I wanted these disabilities or the pain or the constant difficulty with mobility, but better me than a kid or my wife or anyone I could think of. That truly is an odd blessing.

May God bless you this next week and I wish each of you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving!!!

[Mark N]

Joe, you have nailed one of the biggest problems with recovery - boredom. Surgery takes so much out of us it is shocking how weak we are. The combination of not having the ability to do more and having the time to do more leads to incredible boredom. I found that I could catch up on my reading and watching some fo the movies I had missed. It was hard to deal with the pain but it gets better as time goes along.

Joe, like you I never wondered why me as I would rather deal with this than anyone in my family. I have also found that not only have I learned from my disability and pain but so has my family. Despite the pain and discomfort there still is plenty to be thankful for this week and every week. I can't imagine dealing with this without my family although I know that there are spinies that don't have family around. I am very thankful my family hasn't abandoned me since my condition throws everything in turmoil. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and Thanksgiving celebration.

[carolnurse]

It was so nice to read the words from Mark and Joe........very heartfelt, very encouraging. I am glad to hear that Joe is moving along, if even at a slow pace. I agree with the boredom. Right now I am climbing the walls, but don't have enough strength or movement to do much. I usually make blankets for the woman's shelter in my area for Christmas and am very unhappy that I can't even do that. I am incredibly sick of watching TV. I have been out driving on 3 different occasions, short distances and I seem to be ok with it. I have almost no pain at this time, the burning has lessened and most of my pain is just muscle spasms(the muscles are soooo not used to this stiff position!).

I also agree with the "why me?" I don't wish this on anyone else and figure I will deal with what I am given. I have been lucky that I have NO other health problems and that I have been able to be active all these years before it got this bad. My immediate family(husband and child) have alot of health problems and my only regret at this point is that I have always been the one to take care of them. Right now, I can't do much for anyone and I am terrible at asking or getting help from others.

I am glad to read these posts from all of you, you all seem incredibly nice and sincere. Just wish I had found you all earlier!!!:o

[puddykat]

Found you Joe!!! Still not used to BT set up, get confused.

So very happy to have found you, know that you're doing well. Not sure why you just completely stopped pain meds instead of easing off of them, taking one when pain at it's worse.

Great to have a supportive family isn't it? Have known a few where no support or family looks past their illness like it wasn't there. Kudos to yours and others that help you hon.

If you have snow where you live please be darn careful out there.....as we're getting some white stuff way north in WI. Deer hunters love that as season opens today. Last night weatherman had his latest gadget that produces 90 day outlook. which didn't look good......15-18 extra inches snow above/beyond our normal totals. Think we're in for it this year :)

You're doing so great Joe, love reading news like that, keep it up. Glad I found you. hugs/love, kat :)

It'll take longer than you think to recover fully.....

[Big Joe]

I am six weeks post op. Everything is going great! I continue to improve every day, though it is a slow improvement. I go out and walk every day. I can walk farther with more comfort than I have been able to for some considerable time, and I am tall again! I guess if you are not bent at a 45 degree angle you are taller :) . No pain at all. If I push too hard or too long I will get some slight spasms, but no pain. While I do get bored, I have learned what I can and what I cannot do. I think I will be able to begin painting again soon. I certainly hope so. That will help ablate the boredom.

I am so thankful for my recovery. I also am thankful for each of you and hope and pray that each of you are doing better today than before. Have a Great Day!

[Mark N]

Big Joe, it is good to hear the recovery is going well. Walking every day is the best exercising for now as you can increase a bit each week. Ah yes, the boredom during recovery, I remember it well but if you can start painting soon you will have something new to do. Hang in there and keep taking it a day at a time. Christmas will be here before we know it and the grandkids will be glad to be able to play with you this year. I am looking forward to see our granddaughter opening her presents this year as she was a bit too young last year to know what was going on.

[Big Joe]

I am excited about getting started painting again. I often peruse the artists magazines when I go to the book store. It often gives me great inspiration. I love doing it but don't have a space that I can designate especially for that. I can bring my easel and paints out for a day or two then have to put them away for a bit and then bring them out again. It makes things a bit more challenging, but not impossible! I am going to try to post one of my paintings here.Acrylic Mountain 3b.jpg

[Mark N]

Big Joe, It will be fun to see one of your paintings on the site. It will be good to get back to a hobby you enjoy. I know the projects around the house give me something to enjoy. I don't know what I will do after all the rooms are done as so far I have put in a bathroom, a family room and bedroom the past three years. Now I just have the finishing trim to do but come Spring time I have wooden storm windows to refurbish and bring back to their original state. Keep healing and take it easy as your body rebuilds itself.