OT Lumbar Fusion

[Alistair]

My dad (76yo) had spinal fusion about a month ago. Don't recall which area beyond "lower back". This was after years of worsening pain that impacted his sleep and ability to function outside the house.

They went in from the back. Procedure time isn't too bad, but depending on exact location and severity, they might keep you for 2-3 nights at the hospital. Dad was in for 2 nights, I think.

He did have a complication, in that he took a bad fall the night he returned home. Got up to pee in the middle of the night, passed out (not sure if a blood pressure drop or what), and fell backwards over the edge of the tub (while we was mid-urination). Broke two ribs and a different vertebrae. And obviously went back into the hospital for another few nights. Definitely not common, but do be careful those first few nights back home - don't try to sneak around at 3am and avoid waking your partner - wake them up and ask for help!

He's recovering fine now, and walking around much better than prior to surgery. It had gotten bad enough that even a quick walk up the block wasn't doable. He probably should have had it fixed surgically 3-4 years ago.

[buddybikes]

Savior for me was/is walking sticks. First surgery went from walker (used religiously for first days) to bit of cane, then quickly to walking sticks.

I remember doing .6 mile walk with my walker up our street few days after getting home from surgery.

Don't be bashful of using walker or other device!

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by Fat Cat

Just do a search. There are a bazillion horror stories.

Or you could share. We only have a sample size of 2 in my own house, but no ill effects. And I know one other person that used it to control cramps on long (multi-day) events.

[benb]

Scary thread.. my mother is scheduled for this..but she has such bad Osteoporosis she's gotta take some drugs for a while first (which she has been on/off for 20 years already).

I think she's having 3 vertebrae fused and 2 discs worked on. She can barely walk right now, her leg goes numb. She hasn't been able to ride a bike for a long time already. My dad had gotten her a tricycle and they even sold that this year, she couldn't even ride that anymore.

In her case it was partly her being scared of surgery. Not doctors pushing her off.

I hope everyone here who is facing this has a good outcome and quick recovery.

[Plum Hill]

Had L2 through L5 fused in January. Walked three miles eight days after surgery. Still have some minor back pain issues but biggest issue is muscles that are constantly tight. Never been able to figure that out. Deep tissue massage or stretching works for about an hour and then muscles are tight enough to tune.

Always preferred upright position on bike. Still running 6cm of drop.

Physiatrist prescribed Lyrica years ago. It’s now listed as an allergy on my records. People noticed a change in me. Living alone, I didn’t notice anything until I received Payment Past Due notices. I completely failed to pay bills while on it, so it must have messed up what’s upstairs.