[Spinal Fusion / Lumbar] To All Greg's Supporters -- Fusion (ALIF), L4/L5 & L5/S1

[dalhousie]

Hooray! It's great that things went so well. No misbehaving Greg . You should heal pretty quickly, being so young :thumpup:. You get 1 chance at this so take it steady when you get home even though you might feel good.

Take care.

[Joanna]

Well I thought he was doing great, but hes in major pain. Can't even sit up with my help yet. They didn't give him the pain pump like they said so they've been heavily medicating him but right now it's not working. He told me that they had to load him up with Ativan during the surgery because he was screaming the whole time.. so i'm guessing he may have been awake? I'm not sure. I just got in to see him and hes so thankful that everyone cares so much about him. He tried to get on the site himself but I think it was alittle too soon. The good news is now that i'm finished with the last sentence hes finally passed out. Like I said i'll keep you all updated. I made the promise to him and all of you.

[Carmen]

Hi Joanna,
I am sure that Greg will be out of the hospital as soon as he can. He will prob ably want to go back to work, like he wanted to do at his last operation. I remembered reading that. Of course you will have to make sure he does not do anything crazy. Hopefully you will be able to post again when he wakes up. Be sure he is not in any pain and if he is, to call and get some heavy duty pain meds. Hopefully I will go on later so see if you posted anything. Love you both, you for taking such good care of Greg. Carmen

[dalhousie]

hi joanna,

I'm based in the UK but I didn't do any moving about immediately after surgery. I had my pain under control & just laid back & chilled. I didn't get up & about 'till the next day with physio help & then just a couple of steps to the window.

Greg needs to get on top of his pain & the staff should be made aware ASAP if things aren't effective then he can chill.

Hope he gets this sorted ASAP.

[Katie]

Yes, they should be able to control it. I'm a real woosie and don't remember much if any real pain right after surgery. I asked for an epidural during and for the day after surgery though, and it made a huge difference. When it did wear off, I was somewhat uncomfortable, but not in agony, for sure.

Be his advocate, Joanna; it's the best thing you can do for him right now. Chase down the doctor! And thanks for the report...we really appreciate it!

[Rob]

Hi Joanna,

Dilaudid, Dilaudid, Dilaudid worked wonders for me!!! Not oral but IV.

He shouldn't have to be in any sevear pain after surgery. I would assume the doctor, PA or doctor's nurse would quickly get him something. If not you may want to quickly speak to the Patient Advocate at the hospital.

Let us know what you're able to get for him.

[linda]

Hey Joanna,
I'm so glad Greg made it through his surgery. I hope they get his pain under control too. Maybe when he wakes up next time it will be just a tad better. How frightening about the screaming during surgery! Thanks for posting so soon after his surgery Joanna and we all look forward to hearing about his progress. Do you need anything up there like extra pillows, food, anything - just let me know. I can be there in 30 to 45 min.
Take Care,
Linda

[Carson]

Wow. Is there any reason why Greg would be coherent/awake during surgery? How is it he would be awake to holler during the procedure. Hopefully pain has leveled off now and resting.

[Cindylou]

Joanna, thank-you for the updates you have been providing on Greg. I sure hope they have his pain levels manageable now. I recall myself having over the top, out of my mind, jump off a cliff, pain after my 3 lumbar artificial discs. Hospitals still struggle with inadequate pain management....it just blows my mind still, in this day and age. Keep us posted on Greg's comfort levels and let him know he is in our prayers and thoughts. Cindylou

[KBear]

I am so sorry that Greg is in pain, that is miserable. I also had crazy out of control pain after surgery, my blood pressure would go up sky high from the pain, so much so that I went to the ICU for a day and half. I just whimpered (didn't have it in me to cry) all day and begged for drugs. The first day my husband barely got to see me (they had me in recovery for like 10 hours and he only got to come back once), so he had no idea what I was going through. I thought once I got to ICU it would be better, but I was wrong. They tried to make me walk that night and I refused, it just wasn't happening, in way too much pain to even sit, much less walk. I had the nurse from hell the 2nd day and she ended up getting fired b/c of the way she treated me. I seriously prayed to die for 2 days, it was miserable.

Please talk with the doctor and get him so good pain control, being in pain is going to prolong his healing. Don't buy the 'we can't give him anything else' crap, they can too. They insisted on giving me the Morphine shots in my muscle, which hurt like crazy. I did find out on evening 2 that I had Ativan and Phenegran prescribed as well as the Morphine and Oxycodone. The Ativan relaxes you (I was prescribed this once before when I was having a major depression) and the Phenegran is an anti nausea medication, but it also makes you sleepy. I am not a very assertive person, but if there ever was a time to be assertive, now is it. I was really upset with my husband for not demanding more for me. Not that he didn't try, but he stopped at the first person and didn't move up the line. We also made the mistake of not complaining about the mean nurse until we were leaving, when come to find out we could have asked for another one and got one and not had to go through all that. I feel so bad for Greg and will be praying for his pain control. Just remind him that each day will be a little better than the last.

I'm also really curious about his awake status during surgery? That sounds terrifying. Did he wake up during surgery? Or did they leave him awake? I was terrified I would wake up during surgery, as I'm hard to sedate, but Thank God I didn't. Poor Greg... feel so horrible for him. Give him our love.