T Minus 2 days until surgery

[Nervous1972]

Hello all! I'm a 39year old male with DDD. I've beendealing with pain in one form or another since 2004. I've done the PT, shots, core exercises,etc. We finally settled on a 2 levelALIF for L4-L5 & L5-S1. I go inThursday 1/12 for this surgery. I amfairly apprehensive about everything...like everything from returning to a sex life, to playing with the kids (youngest of 3 is 5), work....everything! Any words of caution, encouragement, etc. are welcome. Thank you!

[ajj1001]

If you have read the pre-op tips then that covers most thing. Only other tip is to be easy on yourself and realise its a big op to get over so you aren't going to be instantly "cured". Also have you explained to the kids (in terms they will understand) about the restrictions you will have and how they can help pick up, put on socks etc? If you have meccano or similar building set (Knex maybe), you could show them how Daddies back is going to get a bit of help to make it stronger.

[Justin]

Hello all! I'm a 39year old male with DDD. I've beendealing with pain in one form or another since 2004. I've done the PT, shots, core exercises,etc. We finally settled on a 2 levelALIF for L4-L5 & L5-S1. I go inThursday 1/12 for this surgery. I amfairly apprehensive about everything...like everything from returning to a sex life, to playing with the kids (youngest of 3 is 5), work....everything! Any words of caution, encouragement, etc. are welcome. Thank you!

Hi Nervous1972,

Welcome to the Spine Patient Society.

We will be thinking about you on the 12th! My only advice is to listen to your body post-op. Your mind will be "ready to go" before your body is ready. Avoid any twisting, low-level bending (such as tying your shoes), avoid high-impact activities, listen to your surgeons and stick to their post-op plan.

You only recover once from surgery and you want to give your body the absolute best chance of healing well, especially with spinal fusion. Have help around the house. Talk with your kids about how Dad won't be able to pick them up for a while and will need some time to recover (so you won't be as active). Be patient with your significant other; surgery can really bring out the best/worst in people. Treat your medical team with respect: they really do have your best interests at heart and are doing their best to get you feeling good again. Eat healthy, STOP smoking if you do (it inhibits bone growth and your fusion will be likely to fail), use a heating pad when needed, drink a lot of water, etc.

Here's a great link to "Must Have Items and Postoperative Tips."

​Good luck!

[trkdoc714]

Nervous,

You'll do fine. I had the exact fears and concerns about my son and being able to be a dad. The sex thing didn't bother me. They have chemicals and if those don't woek we move on to pneumatics.......

Seriously though, we have similar levels of damage. The one thought that kept me moving forward was "what does the future hold if I do nothing?" The thought of not being able to play with my son or wife (refer to pneumatics comment) kept me motivated to get fixed.

Good luck, I know you'll do well.

Bob

[Kimberly]

Hello and Welcome!

Tomorrow's the big day, eh? You'll do fine (although I don't think you'd be human if you weren't nervous.)

I am a couple of years older than you (43) but had the same surgery (ALIF L4-S1) about 6 months ago. I distinctly remember the decision making process and the waiting to be so very difficult. All the unknowns, the "what-ifs" and horror stories were difficult to ignore but perhaps like you, I reached a point where I was not able to live my life anymore. You've been dealing with this for a long time so you probably understand the slow decline in function and ability. You might also understand (since you are considering a major surgical intervention like this) that it becomes less about being able to run/mountain bike and becomes more about being able to live a healthy present life with those you love. Ok...that might just be my experience :-)

You've gotten good advice above and to that I would add to be patient. Recovery is looooong and slooooow. For example, I did not even begin PT until 3 months. I did not drive until 3 months. But trust that your body will heal.

Ok.....here's a few things that worked for me....

1. Be patient. It's a long slow process. I know I'm repeating myself, but that one is important.
2. Have help in the beginning. I was unable to do much of anything the first 3-4 weeks.
3. I think it's hard for kids to see a parent not be "superman/superwoman" so I tried to keep them busy with friends and little stuff to help. They seemed to feel better when they were helping me feel better. My kids (11 & 13) were in charge of fielding my texts from bed (or walkie-talkies work well), bringing me juice/food, lining up DVDs, and they walked around the block with me.....little things, but it somehow made them feel useful and reminded them that I'm still me.
4. Raised toilet seat. Very useful.
5. Good laxatives (Senekot or Miralax - both OTC.) I was hit particularly hard with constipation from pain meds.
6. Try to focus on the small victories (not what you still can't do.) I tried to celebrate things like showering by myself, getting socks on, making it all the way around the block, staying awake all the way through dinner :-)
7. Oh....and request an epidural from your Dr. or the anesthesiologist. SUPER helpful with post-surgical pain control.

So, at 6 months I am doing GREAT! I still have healing to do (did I mention it was a long and slow process?) and still have limitations (I probably always will) but I am SO MUCH BETTER THAN I WAS BEFORE THE SURGERY. I would do it again in a heartbeat (and frankly wish I had saved myself some suffering and done it sooner.)

Hang in there. Good luck tomorrow and keep us in the loop and let us know how you're doing. Feel free to PM me or post ANYquestions/concerns you may have. We've been there!

Take care,
Kimberly