First post -- PLIF scheduled

[Jack-of-all-trades]

I took a train to my last surgery and was considering not exiting at my station ...
Welcome to the group.


Do consider hybrid fusion/ADR. This is what I got and it works very good. I have more motion now then before since my back was so bad for years that I would never know the difference and I am somewhat glad the surgeon chose this option at the last minute. I am pain free in my lower back (no narcotics, some ibuprofen) and before surgery it hurt very bad and looked bad on the pictures.

I thought about the hybrid fusion but the surgery I have scheduled will only involve two small incisions into my back. For ADR, it would involve another approach, another incision.

If you don't mind seeing surgery/blood (not much I hope), you can see a video of the surgery I am to have here ORLive, Inc.: Minimally Invasive Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF)

As far as the train, right now I feel like I'm on the track in front of it envisioning on it like a bug instead of riding in it.

[Justin]

Thanks for posting the Minimally Invasive Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF) video.

While we're on this crazy train, I'll say that you will be getting off at the first stop: feeling better.

[Jack-of-all-trades]

I am something like 5 weeks out and doing better than I thought I would at this date. I've started tapering down on my opioid and would love to be able to trash 'em. Everything I want out of the rest of my life legally requires no narcotics. I have a private pilot's license and am held to the same medical standards as a professional pilot. I can't work as a physician Assistant and be on opioids, although I have found out that there a re a handfull of MDs in my state that do take them regularly. The difference is they are in private practice (or use to be) and PAs work under the supervision of a MD or DO. Stuff happens in medicine and if I tried to lie and got caught I would loose any future working ability. Plus if something happened and wasn't even my fault a slick lawyer could and would use this as a means to get $$$.

I was up to 4 miles walking a day before all the snow ans ice hit

One downside. I was walking in the woods behind our hous along eth edge of a stream bank and went to ground in leaves over slick mud. Some of the moves I made trying to keep my footing would have made Fred Astere proud.I caught most of my wt on my left arm and my Left butt cheek put a sizable divot in the stream bank. I thought for sure I had broke something. Just goes to show God does look after drunks and fools.

The next day, I was a bit more sore but seems no damage down.

It is very hard to just lying around doing not much but waste time

[ajj1001]

It is very hard to just lying around doing not much but waste time

Thank God for dvd boxsets and the internet.

I use walking poles in slippy situations and these have really helped keep my upright. Most of my slips and falls are in the house so I have a fairly soft landing. Hope you are still feeling ok.

[scduggan]

Dear Jack,
You totally crack me up. I never heard about God looking out for drunks and fools. It seems I am SAFE! Your news about feeling better than expected is awesome. You have a lot to get back to and hopefully the prescription meds will be a thing of the past. Wow, a pilots license....so cool! I wish you the best and also that your other levels hang in there for a long time before needing intervention. I know what you mean about hanging around and doing nothing. The IDEA of rest and recuperation sounds great (I have 3 boys) but the reality is a nightmare.....lots of cabin fever. Wish I had a new Mac laptop. Do you love it? Good luck and hang in there.
CD

[Jack-of-all-trades]

Dear Jack,
You totally crack me up. I never heard about God looking out for drunks and fools. It seems I am SAFE! Your news about feeling better than expected is awesome. You have a lot to get back to and hopefully the prescription meds will be a thing of the past. Wow, a pilots license....so cool! I wish you the best and also that your other levels hang in there for a long time before needing intervention. I know what you mean about hanging around and doing nothing. The IDEA of rest and recuperation sounds great (I have 3 boys) but the reality is a nightmare.....lots of cabin fever. Wish I had a new Mac laptop. Do you love it? Good luck and hang in there.
CD

The Mac seems to be quality. I like the idea of not having to deal with added anti-virus. Some of the programing doesn't seem quite as intuitive as a PC but anything is better than the Fortran and key punch cards I had to deal with in college. Big 10-4 on the cabin fever. All the snow and 33 degree rain we have been having doesn't help much. All the laying around isn't good for my school-boy figure either. The above plus tapering off opioids leaves me with gummy bears in one hand and chocolate covered raisins in the other. I have read somewhere that chocolate with it's caffeine is a favorite of street users. Staying busy, plus drinking lots of water is the best way I have found to deal with tapering down. I'm down to 4-5 Percocets a day and could jump off, as they say, altogether at 3. My doc said not to rush it but mentally I'm ready. Just need to get my body to catch up.

One point of interest to those approaching surgery. If you have anything at all, no matter if it seems unrelated or trivial, mention it to both the surgery people and the anesthesiology people. I have had on-and-off carpel tunnel in my right hand for years. It flares, I get a steroid injection and it is quiet until it gets aggrivated. When I woke up from surgery I had two IVs in my right hand and it hurt as much as my back. I suspect the IVs were positional and they had my wrist in flexion to keep them running. This is the worst possible position for carpel tunnel. In fact a test for same on examination is to put the wrist in flexion and see after 30 seconds or so if the pain increases. Mine was like that for hours. It took three days of babying it to get it toned down and am getting it injection Monday. I can't blame them as they didn't know.