Good day...Please alleviate my pain

[laid up doc]

Raj,

The decision to do hybrid vs adr is based on patient factors... It isnt a random decision. No study would help b/c if you need a fusion at L5/S1 then you need it... Make sense??

[Cirobi]

Congrats on having a date set for your trip to England! That must be such a huge relief to have that date set and be able to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I'm so glad you're feeling better and better every day!

~Sara

[srajan0929]

Originally Posted by laid up doc

Raj,

The decision to do hybrid vs adr is based on patient factors... It isnt a random decision. No study would help b/c if you need a fusion at L5/S1 then you need it... Make sense??

yes i understand . did you ever go through mood swings right prior to surgery? yesterday i was all excited, today i am all down and scared. i understand not every surgeon is perfect, i am just scared to always fall into the bad statistic. but not able to walk well is whats driving me to take this surgery. urgghh

[laid up doc]

no, i didn't have swings... i was very very down for quite a while until i made the decision to have surgery - then i was busy planning a move, the trip, etc... and i felt better. i KNEW i would be better after and tried to stay positive. i was ready to get it over and done with, and move forward.

have tried to keep the same attitude during recovery... which can be agonizingly slow at times. am still definitely in recovery mode even at 3+ months out. i know from others' updates here that improvement continues for several months, so i continue working hard to regain some level of fitness and strength, especially as i look ahead to returning to work on the 15th - which means 8+ hours of sit/stand/walk/bend/stand up/lift/repeat.

it's totally understandable that you'd have ups and downs though, especially since you're still getting over the discitis and laminectomies. try to keep your head up, note what progress you HAVE made, and focus on getting yourself as well as you can by May!!

[Cirobi]

I'm not sure I can say I had mood swings entirely because of my spine situation or fear of the surgery. Though, I had already known in the back of my mind that someday I would need surgery to correct my back problems. It was a matter of when and what kind that was the main question.

Was I nervous about the surgery? Definitely. And when I get nervous, I get really intense about being prepared and on time for stuff. I probably drove my hubby crazy the night before because I kind of prepared for going to the hospital like I was packing for a weekend getaway, minus the normal clothes packing. I was also generally depressed and moody for a long period of time anyway because it was impossible to explain what was wrong and have those who never experienced it understand. To this day, I still get people who don't get it even though I've had surgery to correct the issue!

However, the prospect of getting rid of that nagging pain/pressure in my back and possibly being able to get back to having a normal life excited the heck out of me.

I can see where you might have more ups and downs emotionally over the surgery. You've been through a lot with the infection and the other procedures that didn't work. That can be really hard on a person when all you want is to be better and get back to living life. I agree 100% with LUD. Try to think about all the positive things that have been going on lately with the recovery from the infection, the fact that you're mobile again, the level of support you've gotten from Dr. Boree with remote consultations and advice while you dealt with the infection issue and best of all, the prospect of getting better and getting back to living your life the way you want to live it.

No matter what type of procedure winds up happening anything has got to be better at this point than the agony and uncertainty you've dealt with for so long. Now, you have a date to count down to. You could think of it as a countdown to the rest of your life, in a positive way of course.

~Sara

[srajan0929]

Originally Posted by Cirobi

I'm not sure I can say I had mood swings entirely because of my spine situation or fear of the surgery. Though, I had already known in the back of my mind that someday I would need surgery to correct my back problems. It was a matter of when and what kind that was the main question.

Was I nervous about the surgery? Definitely. And when I get nervous, I get really intense about being prepared and on time for stuff. I probably drove my hubby crazy the night before because I kind of prepared for going to the hospital like I was packing for a weekend getaway, minus the normal clothes packing. I was also generally depressed and moody for a long period of time anyway because it was impossible to explain what was wrong and have those who never experienced it understand. To this day, I still get people who don't get it even though I've had surgery to correct the issue!

However, the prospect of getting rid of that nagging pain/pressure in my back and possibly being able to get back to having a normal life excited the heck out of me.

I can see where you might have more ups and downs emotionally over the surgery. You've been through a lot with the infection and the other procedures that didn't work. That can be really hard on a person when all you want is to be better and get back to living life. I agree 100% with LUD. Try to think about all the positive things that have been going on lately with the recovery from the infection, the fact that you're mobile again, the level of support you've gotten from Dr. Boree with remote consultations and advice while you dealt with the infection issue and best of all, the prospect of getting better and getting back to living your life the way you want to live it.

No matter what type of procedure winds up happening anything has got to be better at this point than the agony and uncertainty you've dealt with for so long. Now, you have a date to count down to. You could think of it as a countdown to the rest of your life, in a positive way of course.

~Sara

sara and LUD, you guys always manage to light a candle in a room filled with darkness. I guess anything is better than what i am right now. u guys are right..i should keep a pain journal and note down everyday the progress i have made so far. that would be very helpful. can you believe, when i was taken for surgery into Dec 29th, i was crying my way into the surgery. i was fearful the surgeon would do a fusion. Major surgeries like that need to be done correctly.

Thank God i didn't have the fusion. God someway made my L5 vertebra soft enough that he couldn't carry out a fusion. like i said, i believe the vitamins i am taking now, in heavy doses, is actually helping me recover. i have eaten nothing but fruits, vegetables...and very high doses of vitamins. i feel good about quitting smoking. i never noticed how bad the smell was. the other day, when i got into the bus, somebody had smoked and the smell coming from him was so bad it gave me a headache....THANK GOD I QUIT....now i dont smell like a skunk..

well studying differential equations on the bed now...catch ya later

[Harrison]

Hey Raj!

Can you share a bit more about your bone density issues in your lumbar spine? Forgive me, I can't recall if you had a DEXA scan. You've made some BIG changes in your life that should help you get better! Congratulations.

Studying differential equations? Wow -- that's great! I barely remember those, not that I ever really understood them.

[laid up doc]

harrison,

i think raj is talking about the osteomyelitis softening L5, not a metabolic/endocrine issue...

[beaner1]

Raj,

So cool you quit smoking. I quit a little over 2 years now. Best decision ever. I totally agree with you about the smell. It's nasty. I have to deal with people pretty personally at my job, and the worst is when I get someone in my chair who has just smoked a cigarette. Sometimes I have to stop the haircut and put a little perfume under my nose so I don't gag. LOL Keep up the good work.

[srajan0929]

what is the deal with ADR and facet joints? after i had the laminectomy, i am worried whether additional stresses are now held up by my facet joints...at least in the L5 area. it sucks...i was reading my surgical report and it says i have spinal stenosis and yet my surgeon never mentioned i had spinal stenosis. Boeree never mentioned anything about narrowing of my spinal canal. and my symptoms are classic DDD; pain from sitting. pain from jumping. pain from lifting. Do ADRs make facets worse off down the line?