Good days Bad days Fusion/Charite Four week update

[Lori]

I promised myself that I would keep the forum updated on my progress hoping to help others move forward with their situation. Moving forward is a personal choice of ADR, fusion, or managing the pain. I am slightly more than four weeks post surgery. I have good days, better days, worse days and bad days. If you saw my post from last week, you know I had a major setback with a loud pop in the back. I have moved past that hurdle and received a glowing report from Dr. Bitan concerning my recent x-rays. The pop was not and is not a concern.

I cannot sit for very long, avoid riding in a car or SUV, and have not driven. These are my choices and I must give my body time to heal. Using the toilet is a tremendous challenge (up and down). I highly recommend purchasing a raised toilet seat with arms which attaches to any standard toilet. Four inches of height is a tremendous help.

My pain level ranges from 4 to 8 depending on my activity level, time of day and how much rest I got from my 5 year old daughter. I have found that walking in the morning, around lunch and after dinner reduces the tension in my muscles. I am proceeding cautiously with physical therapy (walking only with some leg stretches in the house). Absolutely, no bending, twisting or lifting. I am continuing the prescribed medications to control the pain so that I continue the daily walking.

I did not realize how many things I drop. The pistol grip litter grabber gets used often. This tool is a distant second from the toilet seat. You can find a list of things to do and get before surgery in a specific thread at ADRSupport. I used a lot of the ideas. Many thanks to the author.

My post-op directions included periodic x-rays and followup visits. My next milestone (2 weeks from now) is a set of x-rays taken locally and sent to NYC for review.

Thanks to my fellow spineys for the support.

[Harrison]

Lori, I recall all the weird noises when I was recovering too. My back was a bona fide sound effects factory for a while!

Glad to see things are settling into place (pun intended). Given the complexity of your spine and its new biomechanics, it sounds like you are doing well!

And thanks for sharing.