Surgery, Part Deux

[akw94]

Date: 4/14/2006 10:04:00 AM
Author: Blenheim
Amy, all that I was told regarding recovery was to expect it to take three months. Unfortunately, I was too drugged up to ask whether that meant three months of pain and not lifting anything heavier than 10 lbs, or three months until I could think about running again, or what. I need to schedule my first post-op meeting with the doctor for next week or the week after, and I''ll be able to ask more questions then.

I''m already starting to feel stronger though! Showering helped me feel a lot better, and I was able to walk really slowly to Starbucks (two blocks round trip) in the late afternoon with my mom''s help. I need to keep up on the drugs, but my progress so far is encouraging.

That''s great that you''re already feeling stronger! I''m sure your recovery time is dependent on you and hopefully, since it seems like you''re in pretty good shape, it''ll be on the faster side.

Great news!

 

[firebirdgold]

Glad you''re feeling better! Hope your recovery goes smoothly and quickly!

 

[fatafelice]

I can''t believe I missed this thread, but I saw your mention of your surgery over in the LIW forum, so I thought I would pop over and say:

I am so glad you are beginning to feel better!
I hope your recovery continues to speed along!

 

[moon river]

Glad all is well.

 

[drk]

Thanks for letting us know how things are going. Hope you''re doing a lot better after the Easter long weekend and a few more days healing time.

Take care!
Kate

 

[Blenheim]

Thank you for all of your good wishes!

My recovery and my back pain have been kind of up and down. Sometimes it''s feeling a lot better, and sometimes it hurts like heck. I was getting pretty discouraged, because from the way the surgeon was talking I was almost expecting the amount of pain that I got from the epidural blocks, and it''s certainly a lot more. But of course, it''s back surgery. It''s going to hurt and take a while to recover from. I''ve come to terms with this, which is helping me to feel a little better emotionally.

My mom mentioned that the surgeon doesn''t see patients until 1-2 weeks after surgery, at which point they''re generally doing better.

Officially, spring break is over today and classes have started. I have books and reading I''m supposed to do, which means that I need to spend a little less time on PS

. I have a post-op visit on Thursday which should help clear up when I can start doing different things, but right now I''m really not sure when I can make it back down to school. I can''t shower without someone else''s help yet and I can''t walk far enough to be able to get from my apartment to class. We''ll see how it all goes.

 

[moon river]

Blenheim, I feel for you. I was injured last year and had to be showered and such by my boyfriend. It''s very humbling. I wish you a speedy recovery.
BTW- I LOVE your new ''Breakfast At Tiffany''s'' avatar!!!!! A girl after my own heart.

 

[Blenheim]

I just realized that I haven''t provided many updates as to how I''m doing!

During surgery, the surgeon found that the disk was pressing against the spinal column more than the MRI suggested. It means that recovery time is going to be a bit longer and I really have to focus on getting well. I thought that I''d be able to make it back to school sooner, but he still wants me to be in the area. It''s just as well, because I still don''t think I''m able to do everything that people have to do to live alone. It''s hard to pour from a gallon of milk, and I doubt that I could really carry it from my car to the refrigerator. I''m not able to do laundry.

Because I''m still at home, I had to drop my course load a little bit. I spent close to a day on the phone with some deans at my school and some people in the registrar''s office, trying to figure out if I needed to withdraw from school for the semester. We finally figured out that one computer science course is manageable to do from home, and so that''s what I''m currently doing. Fortunately, it''s not going to affect graduation at all.

I''m feeling better, but I still have some radiating pain. This is pretty normal, because my nerve was so agitated for a long time, and it''s going to take a while for it to completely go away. I''m able to go on walks now, and it''s great to be able to move around and get fresh air.

About a week and a half ago, my surgeon decided that I could start driving. Cool. So I went to try to get in my little convertible, and could not physically fit in the door. I could sit on the ground and kind of pull myself into the car, but I couldn''t get my legs in. I''ve had to borrow my mom''s SUV, which is an automatic. I find it so hard to drive automatics, because I keep getting the brake confused with the (non-existent) clutch, and it''s kind of ridiculous. I tried getting into my car again over the weekend, and I can finally pull my legs in. I still have to get down on the ground though.

I have another check up with the surgeon on Thursday, and it will be interesting to hear what he has to say.

Thanks for all of your encouragement and support! It''s really helped.

 

[rainbowtrout]

you sound like such a trooper--I hope everything goes smoothly for you!

 

[moon river]

Blenheim, Glad your feeling better. But please, stay outta the convertable!!!!Your gonna kill yourself trying to get into that thing.

Can you imagine the ambulance arriving to find you hanging half in and half out of your car.