My spine surgery journey: from preparation to recovery

[DharmaGirl]

I'm so glad you're continuing to improve! It is helpful to hear your daily accomplishments!

 

[bellbird]

Thank you DG :)

--
Ok, I rang the hospital yesterday and have my follow-up appointment date and time confirmed.

I think I'm going to need to stay at my parents' house for 1-2 weeks after the follow-up, even though I wanted to return to my flat immediately following.

My strength and endurance will probably appreciate having a few more weeks to improve while in a living situation where I'm able to get help if I need it.

It has been challenging, not being in my own space, but it has also been helpful beyond words to have been able to stay here.


I had a new achievement today.
My mum and I ventured into town, for the first time since the day I arrived here.

We went to a department store and I bought some new skincare products, in a treat-yo-self kind of way.
I've definitely been missing the freshness my skin would have after I'd been for a run or done a core pilates session, when I could sweat everything out and then shower and cleanse after; night sweats don't quite give the same feeling..

We also bought a new duvet, but by that stage I was getting a bit tired so we were able to get a chair for me to sit on in the middle of the bedding section, while my mum and the sales attendant came over to me with duvets for me to inspect. I felt rather royal :laugh: ?
(I think duvet = comforter, for the Americans out there)

I also bought myself some new clothes, for when I make my definite return to the outside world from my current world of slippers, sweat pants, and jerseys.

In the past, dressing rooms weren't the greatest places. They sort of just made me focus in on how uneven and twisted my torso was, how badly my right hip stuck out.
Today, my face just kind of went O.O
that's my back.
and I get to keep it.
ohmygod

 

[Wendell_R]

that's my back.
and I get to keep it.
ohmygod

Does that scream out "New Clothes for Bellbird"?
:hug:

 

[bellbird]

Does that scream out "New Clothes for Bellbird"?
:hug:

Sure did, though to be honest even my old clothes feel like new clothes now; pieces that I would avoid sometimes because they showed off the disfigurement of my back too much, now fit so evenly.

I bought some colourful tops, that I previously might have avoided because they'd have drawn attention to my torso. Now they just seem cheerful.


Introducing bellbird 2.0, coming to a university near you in about 2-3 weeks once my strength has improved.
:D :hug:

 

[Teasel]

Cheering you on, lively to read how life is opening up for you. Does sound really good to have been able to stay with your parents during this time too.

 

[knuckles]

Cheering you on with a big smile on my face. It's so great to read your updates. Keep walking tall and proud.

 

[bellbird]

Cheering you on, lively to read how life is opening up for you

Cheering you on with a big smile on my face. It's so great to read your updates. Keep walking tall and proud.

It seems that smiles are contagious, even over the internet.. :) :) thank you both, very much.

 

[bellbird]

Well, poop.

My brace broke. I just breathed, and it broke. :sighs: that was the kind of day I had I suppose.

I have a cash brace, à la > Cash Brace Hinged - Orthotic Centre

I was measured for it I think on my first full day in ICU. Still not sure whose brilliant <heavy sarcasm> idea that was; apparently having an x-ray board stuffed between my back and the bed less than 24 hours after major spine surgery wasn't enough, so they decided to do the same with the brace measurement thingy + a generous sprinkling of prodding to find out where hips et al were.

Ok, sorry, turned into a rant :D

So yeah, cash brace broke.
The four arms of the cross are where the 'fixed' dimensions lie; they can extend or retract and were screwed in place.
Well, there must have been a loose screw, because today I managed to breathe in, and send the right cross-arm sliding outwards. Oops.

A brace isn't really a brace when it no longer fits.. it's just a very confusing accessory.

I called the orthopaedic ward, who then sent me off to calling an orthotics company, who then sent me calling another company.
That's where we met out dead end.

Ward/first orthotic company couldn't help.
Second company won't answer, and haven't returned my call from the message I left on their answer phone.

No brace.

It's not the end of the world, because surgeon did say to wear it for the first 6 weeks, so we are only T-2 days.
Mostly I just wanted to keep my team informed and have their opinion.

I'll ring the ward again Wednesday early Afternoon as my surgeon should be there for me to talk to.
Will take my brace with me to Friday follow-up to try have remeasured it for anyway.

Until then, we wait to hear back from orthotics company (not holding breath) and practice sitting, standing, and walking straight without it.


Can also talk to my GP about it this morning; we have a phone consult in a couple of hours. I'll also get the OK to come off my morning gabapentin dosage = no more gabapentin!!

And I will ask her what our plan is for coming off my last celecoxib dose (and omeprazole, which I'm taking as a cautionary measure with the celecoxib).

That will take me down to just paracetamol for pain.
Which will be great.
I'm on a lot of medication for PTSD and GAD already:
375mg venlafaxine
200mg quetiapine
50mg phenergan
45mg mirtazapine
PRN clonazepam

So if I don't -need- my pain meds, I'm very excited about coming off them.

 

[bellbird]

No more gabapentin ??

We're also planning on dropping my last celecoxib dose on Friday morning, omeprazole can stop a couple of days later on the weekend.

Which will mean it's just mood meds and paracetamol from the weekend; will be really happy to get to that stage.

And then we'll slowly taper paracetamol.


Another exciting thing I realised about my upcoming follow-up: I'll get to "have" my scar.
I'm quite sure they'll permanently remove any dressings (except steri strips which will fall off on their own).

The wound was completely healed at my 2 week formal wound check, so I think this extra month of dressing might give the scar the best chance of healing/protect it from little bumps or scratches in the early stages. I'm not sure.

Regardless, I will be very happy for the dressing to be gone. It will mean I can have a good gauge on how the incision site is doing, and I can start to get the skin around my scar (that's currently covered up by dressing) used to touch again as I'm guessing it will still be a bit numb.

And the fact that it's a pretty badass scar that I'm going to wear with a lot of pride. I'm excited for that.

I have a lot of scars.
Some associated with a lot of shame.
But my spinal fusion scar?
No shame.
None at all.

 

[LuckiLee]

Keep vasiline on the scar for a few months. Keep it moist. Back in the " old" days they said to keep scabs/scars dry to help heal. Not anymore. ?

Glad to hear you're on the mend. So happy for you!!

XO

 

[bellbird]

Keep vasiline on the scar for a few months. Keep it moist. Back in the " old" days they said to keep scabs/scars dry to help heal. Not anymore. ?

Will do :)
I don't have Vaseline, but I do have a balm made here in NZ with beeswax, propolis and Vit E.
And I have rosehip oil as well.

Glad to hear you're on the mend. So happy for you!!

XO

Thank you so much @LuckiLee . Grateful for your support.

--
Today has been interesting!
My first full day without Trev (the name I gave my brace, for anyone just tuning in), since getting my new spine!
I suppose I didn't wear Trev in ICU or during a good part of being in the ortho ward, but that was either because I couldn't walk or I had a massive preggo belly that Trev couldn't fit over and I sort of waddled instead of walking anyway.

The freedom has been quite liberating if I'm honest.

I still haven't been able to get hold of those orthotics people. And I'll ring the orthopaedic ward tomorrow to get my surgeon's advice on what I should do. But I'm hoping this is the beginning of a new phase, of (re)learning to walk on my own.

Three cheers for Trev, though.
He's been super.


Speaking of super.. there's a part of me that keeps thinking I could potentially see CR in 3 freaking days :inlove: :swoon:

 

[bellbird]

So we've been measuring my height against the side of our bookshelf, starting with the day before we left for surgery, and intermittently since then.

We also measured my mum's height, as a reference point.
I've always been the shortest of my immediate family.

We've seen the instantaneous growth that happened from the straightening of my lumbar curve in surgery, illustrated by the sudden increase in height when we measured me the day I came home from hospital.

And we've seen the further gradual growth that has been happening while my thoracic curve straightens itself out since it no longer needs to compensate for my lumbar curve.

And today, for the first time in my life, we saw my heightline over take my mum's.
I'm no longer the shortest in my immediate family.
ohmygod


As I write this, I'm eating my breakfast with late season strawberries.
And the sun is shining.

They do say that good things happen in threes.
??