Hi all! Most of you know me by now. I'm a 33 year old accountant, married for 13 years
with two small children, 9 and 7 (at least I like to think they are small). I am 5 months
post op with a two level fusion with cage instrumentation and hip graft, anterior
approach.
My back pain story starts back about 3 or 4 years ago. Before that, I felt back pain when
I did too much gardening or a lot of heavy lifting. Which I thought was a sign of not
being a kid anymore. I started playing a lot of tennis. A sport I love. I was playing in
leagues and with my friends as much as I could, at least 3 times a week. I started
noticing severe lower back pain. The pain had started to radiate down my left leg. I often
couldn't feel my butt after sitting for long periods of time. After a while I could no
longer ignore it. I went to my GP, who prescribed some exercises and heat for a couple of
months. That didn't help. He then sent me to a chiropractor who proceeded to work on me
(without taking x-rays). This person scared me half to death and after a few visits I felt
worse. My GP finally sent me to an orthopedic surgeon who ordered my first of many MRI's.
Low and behold, I had two herniated discs, pressing on nerves. He felt the only solution
was a laminectomy, discectomy. So after much discussion it was scheduled. Spent only two
days in the hospital. Home, miserable for only a couple of weeks then I started to feel
pretty good. Started physical therapy and thought this was great. Radiating pain was gone,
I was building up the muscles in my back, I went back to work. Life was good. Then about 4
months post op, I only got to play tennis one time (very conservatively), and I was
rear-ended pretty bad in my car.
The pain was back! My surgeon sent me back to PT in hopes that I had just strained the
site and needed to work through it. Six months later, I felt worse. Another MRI showed the
discs were degenerating. His recommendation was the cage fusion. I was not willing to even
discuss the possibility of more spinal surgery. I was too young for all this. I was
determined to work through it with my PT and this was going to pass. I was young and
healthy. I wasn't ready to deal with it. But as we all know, it didn't pass.
I sought a second opinion. A young, conservative surgeon who came highly recommended and
had done more of these cages than anyone in the area. He ordered the dreaded discogram. If
I had known how bad that test was going to hurt, I would have never agreed to it. Cried
through the whole thing. Results were instantaneous, one disc was shredded and the other
was gone, bone on bone. No wonder I hurt. At that point there really wasn't much choice,
it was just a matter of when.
After much soul searching, going through our calendars and discussions with our families
about helping with the kids, a date was set. My surgeon kept telling me I couldn't compare
the two surgery's, but in my mind I kept thinking there was no way I was going to be out
of commission for at least 3 months. No driving! That dreaded brace (that I'm still
wearing)! I'm young, I'll get through this. HA!
The whole hospital experience sucked. The tube down into my stomach sucking out bile
through my nose so I didn't vomit. The alarm on the IV pump kept going off when I just
about fell asleep and we all know you don;t sleep in a hospital anyway. A PT from hell,
that kept dragging me up and down the halls in the largest walker I had ever seen with my
butt hanging out, my IV attached to me and the tube in my nose. Not to mention just
walking was killing me. Lovely site. After 5 days I lost the tube and started on broth.
Day 7 they let me go home. I couldn't wait to shower and wash my hair. But the drive home
wore me out. I had to wait until the next day so hubby could bathe me. First shower, the
one I dreamed about, I thought I was going to die. I felt for sure I was going to pass out
on my poor husband. Back to bed, fast. I was whipped.
Three months post op check up, thought I would be going back to work. "No" says
the Dr.. Home another month. Still no driving, still wearing the dreaded heater of a
brace.
At 16 weeks I begged and pleaded to be sent back to work, at least part time. I wanted my
life back, now! He allowed it for four hours a day. Well, four hours was always at least
six or eight and I felt terrible and very overwhelmed. So out I am for another two months.
Now the Doc tells me he never sent anyone back to work before at least six months post op.
I have also started back on PT.
The upside is my back does feel better than it did prior to surgery. I can feel my butt
and toes. No radiating pain. YEAH!!!!!! It is just a very long haul from point A to point
B. That's what I don't think I understood in the beginning of all this. I could never had
made it this far without the wonderful support of my husband, who took off the first two
weeks I was home to care for me, my family, friends and neighbors who helped with my kids
and made us these great meals. Also, the great support I found on this site, from my cyber
support group that helped me feel like I wasn't losing my mind and to answer all those
little questions to things that my doctor didn't tell me about. To you all, I am truly
grateful.
Jade has been kind enough to offer anyone interested to e-mail her..
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