adr tomorrow

[holly]

I am having a single level lumbar L4,5 tomorrow with Dr. Zeegers and Jung. Multiple diagnostics have been done and confirmed by discography. I cannot overly state the anxiety I'm experiencing. Anyone who's been down this road - thanks for your encouragement.

Thanks...Carol aka Holly

[ZorroSF]

well the surgery is simple from your point of view. you're going to be under and won't know what happened. You'll wake up and probably the worst pain you'll have is the incision. if your spine was distracted then you might feel as if you threw out your back for a few days.

It's not fun, but it's not the end of the world. You're seeing experienced surgeons, so there's very little to worry about in the way of side effects.

As long as you have someone with you to make requests on your behalf then you'll be fine. Also don't be shy. if you really can't stand a drug or you can't be moved because of the pain then speak out. Don't let them bully you. I don't think at the place you're in they will ignore your requests like in the US. You may need to change from Morphine to Dilaudid cause morphine is really weak after surgery.

other than that watch your step when you walk and good luck! also post your experience in the section for members who had surgery. We want to read about the ups and downs regarding your recovery. it will help you and others who are thinking about having this surgery.

[rhatzy]

Carol,

I wish you all the best! As to recovery, everyone is different, from a guy I know who had L5-S1 and needed no pain meds. He was basically feeling pretty good after 5 days. And then there was me who was in more pain than ever after my two level. In fact it took me 6 months to fully recover then the pain just quit. So, be prepared to slog it out and keep the faith because if all you have is just a bulging disc and really nothing more, then you should do just fine.

Mark

[Odd_Bug]

Good luck with the surgery, soon you'll be on the road to a successful recovery!

I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience with Dr. Zeegers.

Take care.

[steelskyway]

Holly,

Good luck tomorrow. The surgery is a cake walk since you are sleeping. When you are awake and have a pain pump be cautious of how much you use. I really didn't need much the hardest part is leaving the hospital and the ride home. Make sure you are definately medicated then. I will pray for a speedy and successful recovery.

Paul

[JudyW]

Everyone is right, the surgery itself you breeze through. I was in the hospital four days and didn't like using the dilaudid pump. The nurses kept bugging me to use it. I stopped after my IV blew out my vein and my arm became huge and swollen from all the fluids just going into the arm instead of the vein. I didn't really have any advocate with me so make sure you have someone looking after your best interest. It was hard for me to be my usual tuff self when I was in such a vulnerable state. With all that said, I had my ADR surgery, GERD surgery and two surgeries on my right shoulder in the last two years. I honestly look at my ADR surgery as my least painful overall. Hopefully that gives you some hope. There is a fairly long recovery period, getting back to full force. Make sure you take it slow and don't try to get ahead of yourself. It will all come in time. Good luck. Look forward to hearing your updates on the other forum.

[Abbe]

Wow Holly,
Hope everything went well for you. We have not seen an update yet from you I am sure you are in the recovery mode and I hope you will post when you are able. I understand your trepidation. I am about one month away from having 2 levels done (Sept 18th)and I feel frantic. Writing lists and trying to get a bunch of things done ahead of time. Hope all went well! Keep us posted.