Week One-First 4 Days
The first week at home must be divided into two categories and for me, the hospital to home medication management is a big challenge. My friend Sue moved in with her little dog, Ginger, for four days and three nights to help Paul keep things on track which was a lifesaver. They sent me home with numerous medications to manage and by Monday morning I was calling the doctor’s office to refill some meds and get new meds. I had two bad nights with panic attack symptoms one night which combined with the after effects of anesthesia was rough. Beyond pain management, which to me means getting ahead of the pain instead of chasing it, pee and poo management must be handled next. I’ll spare you the details but I needed one to stop and the other to go which took some big guns with results four days later after which I turned a corner on everything. I am very happy we chose to get new Lazy Boy recliners this winter which allowed me to sleep as the bed was not doable.
Week One-Next 3 Days
The rest of the week I stayed cocooned in my chair with pain management finally down to a 4 hour timeline requiring compliance and documentation. How three smart people can get so confused by some pills remains a mystery to me. However, I do think the primary problem was me, trying to sound credible enough to weigh in on decisions when my caretakers finally realized there is nothing credible about me the first week after surgery.
I was able to chat with a few folks and had several visitors toward the end of the first week. While they all enjoyed happy hour with Paul I sipped on my protein shakes and water. Paul was, of course, prepared with regular meals which helped Sue out a lot. I had my first few showers this week and Paul was in charge of changing my bandage and getting my socks on. The first few days I moved around the house using a walker but quickly moved to a cane later in the first week. The primary post op mandate is no bending, lifting or twisting for the first several months after a lumbar spinal fusion surgery.
Week Two
I was able to start sleeping in my bed and Paul started me on my progressive walking program which is the only form of rehab for the first several months after spine surgery while waiting for bone to fuse. We started with 2-3 small walks a day 5-10 minutes each. Sounds easy, right? Not so much after poking and prodding the bear into a new configuration in and around two levels of lumbar vertebrae and screwing some metal on for good measure. Mostly my hips were/are killing me when I walk. I still have all the old pains, only worse, plus some new pains, all of which I am hopeful will slowly dissipate over time. What makes it worse is I can’t take Ibuprofen which interferes with bone fusing. I needed lots of naps after so much trauma but was able to manage my pain at a 5 most of the time.
I have now entered Week 3, am off the pain meds and up to 4, 12-15 minute walks a day. I know I am pushing the envelope but damn, I’m going stir crazy. My goal by the end of Week 4 is 3, 20 minute walks a day or 2, 30+ minute walks a day but that is going to be a challenge unless this hip pain while walking eases up. I still have a dull ache at my surgical site but mostly it itches. I am still taking some Tylenol daily and icing 2-3 times a day. I have my first follow-up appointment next week and in closing “so far, so good!” Hope this info helps some of you in preparation for any elective surgeries you might have coming up; we baby boomers are not going down without a fight.