My story after all these years/ update/02/03/18 back surgery yesterday

[Alchemist]

Hi Bob,

Happy birthday.  Mine was a few days ago, the day before groundhog day I was 67, and still am for that matter.  I had to stop APAP in 1992 because of liver damage.  I was was taking 2400mg of ibuprofen per day until 2004 when my body inflammation came under control with vitamins.  I've been on morphine since 2000.  It changed my life, giving excellent pain control and something my very damaged biochemically body could tolerate.  I'm right on the border of stage 2 and 3 on kidney damage from years of excess MMA from AdoCbl deficiency.  Morphine has been gentle on my body.  The vitamins control edema and I don't even need to take a diuretic any more.

Right now I feel decent enough to look forward to quite a few more birthdays and the years between.   Enjoy your life.  We are each fortunate to have a good and loving partner.  That can make all the difference between giving up or having a worthwhile life, at least for me.  BE IN LOVE.

[hammer]

Love is the big difference my friend, it is a wonderful thing!

Happy birthday to you as well, 10 years my senior darn near to the week!

[hammer]

Went for my preopp today and everything is a go for surgery number 3 on the old lower back first thing next week! After all is said and done the entire bottom of my back will be fused, so I guess it will almost be safe to call me an old "stiff" after next week, lol!

The surgery is expected to take about six hours with a hospital stay about 4-7 days. Total recovery this time on all that they are doing on my back will be 6 month to a year. I guess I may not be running to my favorite fishing hole on my three wheel moped this summer much, the suspension isn't the greatest on that!

The biggest fear that I have is after recovering is that I don't do anymore stupid stuff to do more damage to my back! Even though I'm disabled I'm a hard guy to hold down. I still like to be out in my shop "garage" welding, do carpenter work, but I now just have to get it in my head that I never pick the stuff up that is to big and heavy for me to do! I need to wait until I have help.

The other thing is with what little walking that I do without the use of the wheelchair, I need to use the walker and not just the cane. Anymore falls could put me in the wheelchair permanently, and being able to walk some is better then not at all!

Hope everyone has a better summer then I will, but hopefully I will have one with less pain!


Bob

[Bobby - LAgyne]

Good luck and best wishes on your surgery, Bob!
---Bobby

[hammer]

Thanks Bobby!

[skinny-s]

Good luck, we all are rooting for you. 

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Hey Bob

All your friends here will be rooting for you.  Hope your procedure goes smoothly and you have a rapid recovery.

All the best!

Dr Jacobs

[hammer]

Thanks Bob and Dr. Jacobs, I appreciate the well wishes!

Bob

[Alchemist]

Best of luck Bob.  I have spent 43 years having to be very careful with my back "or else".  Back then my potential surgeon said that it was to my benefit to delay the surgery as long as possible as the surgeries were getting better every year.  So far so good except for a few close calls, but no surgeries required for my back so far.

Each summer I spend walking up and down the hills and living in my RV I am very aware that any given day or summer could be my last one out there.  One can be careful but it sure puts a crimp on things.  When I had my gallbladder out I had to have a special air bed that could be adjusted to the exact needs of my back.

So be sure to take care of your back.  Let's hope this deals with the pain well.  Good luck.

[hammer]

Thanks Alchemist!

I'm hopeful that the pain will be less after all is said and done! You and I both live lives, that have to deal with pain and never will be free from it totally, so when I can be relieved of some I feel that I need to go for it!

I'm not ready to let them work on C4,5,and 6 yet that got damaged from a motorcycle accident. I lost the use of my left arm one time and thought I would need to have surgery, but I got it back doing my own therapy!


Bob

[hammer]

Well gentlemen here is a short update about my third back surgery! Out of 8 surgeries 3 of them being back this one is one was by far the worse pain wise!!!

My back surgeon told me after the fact that is is by far the worst for recovery and for me and with what I've already gone through and the other health problems it with be 9 months!

I came home yesterday and even on pain meds there is now way the I can sit or lay that doesn't feel like I'm directly on top of the hole on by back or on the right side were the also went in to do the fussions. So right now I'm damn if I do and damned don't! Debbie is going to make small pillows to put on my side to lift my spine of the back of the big lift zero gravity chair the I have that seems to be the best right now.

The other problem is I couldn't pee once they took the catheter out, so that meant going home with a catheter! I have a follow up on Friday to see if I can get rid of it then or see what the problem is! This was one of the fears I had about this surgery what damaging anything in that area. When I had injections I had very powerful feelings in that area so it made me afread of what might happen.

It this point and time I'm not sure how much help the pain pills are but im not going to stop taking them to see if in fact they are!

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Glad you are on the other side of the surgery.  Yes, recovery will be long, difficult and painful -- but hopefully each day will be better than the day before.  And eventually let us hope that the surgery will have provided the relief that you have sought.

Courage!!

Dr Jacobs

[skinny-s]

Sorry to hear of your problems.  Hang in there,  our thoughts are with you.  Just remember “Illegitimi non carborundum”!   

[hammer]

Yes Dr. Jacobs courage is needed and lots of it! I'm having even more pain down my legs then before and talking to the home nurse today Debbie asked if I didn't hear or remember the surgeon tell me that it will be normal to have that pain there and in a much greater amount! I didn't.

Debbie and the home nurse also counted all the incisions today, a total of 5 to do this surgey! A big blister was also created near the big one on the right side caused by tape, and my doctor was very upset that the nurses haven't been caring for it and now it has burst and is leaking real bad. That incision one the right side by it has some pus coming out on the bottom too we need to keep a close eye on as well!

Bob, I'm try real hard not to let this get me down, but if would help if I could at least lay down with comfort!

[Alchemist]

Hi Bob,

I wish you the best in all this.  I've had periods where it has been impossible to be comfortable in any position.  Fortunately for me conservative treatment always was sufficient in the end.  I know what back and disk pain are like, with no comfortable positions.  Hang in there the best you can. 

Now if only there were a way that you could take a 6 month vacation elsewhere while your body heals.