<Sigh> Back to the MD (9 wks post-op, still dealing with pain / trouble sleeping)

[davemmevad]

Hey all,

Well, for as wonderfully as my Cervical fusion went, my Lumbar lamy is certainly being a pain. Was back at the Ortho today, 2 mos post op, and had to tell him that I was much better at 4 weeks than I am at 9. Not quite back where I started, but close. So, took me off the motrin (my kidneys will be happy at least ) and put me on Dexamethasone - a steroid - for the next 5 days, and will have me do PT next week to see if the body responds, and if not, then back to the MRI to see what is going on. Man, I'm getting sick of having surgeons on my speed dial, but it does feel like the disc bulge is recurring. In the mean time I can only sit down for 20 minutes of so before I need to get back up, and laying down isn't much better. Haven't had a good nights sleep since the night before the surgery. I guess the worst case is another surgery, but ... grrrrrr, grumble, piss, and moan. Okay, I'm better now. But seriously, I'd like to make it through a day without gritting my teeth.

Hopefully you are all having better days.

Cheers,
Dave

[trkdoc714]

Dave,

I hope the steroids and PT work and you don't need anymore surgeries. I remember the sleeplessness. I hadn't had a good night's sleep for 3 years but after the pain went away, I started sleeping through the night again. It takes a lot out of a person to not be able to rest.

Good luck,

Bob

[Justin]

Hey Dave,

I understand your frustration, especially at 9 weeks post-op. Just remember that you are only a couple months out from major, invasive surgery. Your spine takes time to heal and hopefully that just the case here. You will turn the corner soon--I can feel it.

Hang in there and I do hope you get some good sleep.

[davemmevad]

Hi Justin,

Thanks, it’d be great to simply heal, but I have to admit my hopes aren't too high at this point. So far the steroid and PT have only made it worse, and the last couple weeks I've ended up using a cane again, and am pretty much right back where I started before the surgery. Yech. It'd be nice to find out that I'm just inflamed etc, but ... I'm only gonna hold my breath so long. Besides, while I was happy I might get away with just a lamy, I was also leery of it, as I know my connective tissue is not good (due to Celiac disease). But at least the rest of me heals well, when we finally fix it .

Rgds,
Dave

[Cindylou]

Dave, I am so sorry that your lami is being such a pain in the butt. Especially after having such a successful cervical surgery, you've probably had a harder fall. I hope this next MRI gives you and your surgeon some definitive answers so you can move forward. And I hope too it is just part of the roller-coaster ride of healing......but if you are back to using a cane again, something does seem off. Keep us posted. We do care. CL