Braving the arms of Morpheus

[papaof2]

When you're looking at sedated surgery - out cold and no idea what they're really doing to you - you give serious consideration to whether you should be subjecting a body that's 70+ years old to

- full unconsciousness via anesthesia

- driving a spike between the sacrum and the ilium to make a place to drive the guide for abrading the bone enough to make it bleed (yes, "driving" because they use a metal mallet (hammer)

- having a device made of someone else's cortical bone placed in that newly created and now bloody gap

- having an incision staples that must be taken out later

- spending weeks using a walker and/or a cane.


But then I did some seemingly small things

- time sitting on a low stool to sort some things for transport to the basement

- time sitting on the floor to put a folding crate back together after someone else had been a little too forceful in moving it (no damage, but one end panel knocked out)

and 30 minutes later I'm sitting on the sofa thinking that my back is hurting more now than it did 3 hours ago when I decided I needed the Rx pain med for the pain in that back.


Then I decided that having surgery was probably a good idea. I'll hurt more for a while (recovery from surgery is never easy and sometime the physical therapist is more of a physical terrorist) but in a few many weeks I will be able to sit on that stool or on the floor or go up or down the stairs without reaching for that bottle of Rx pain med.

[gipsy]

Hope things get better for you

[papaof2]

I survived surgery ;-)

It was a "Nothing by mouth after midnight" event, so home from the surgery center, eat "breakfast", Rx pain pill and to bed. Slept about 4 hours, then up to eat again - and awake until almost 5AM - the nurse that called today to check on me said that "being awake" might have been a side effect from the steroids given along with the anesthesia (maybe to reduce swelling?). Another Rx pain pill and to bed - for almost 9 hours this time. Woke up not hurting - as long as I was in bed on my other side. Sleeping on my back is an option mentioned by several surgeons online but the incision is too tender for that so far (or maybe it's just the area with staples?). Up and on my feet and looking for the Rx pain med bottle. Sitting is iffy, as certain back supports press on the incision (closed with staples and sutures) and are painful to use. The best seating is the sofa that was the best seating before surgery - support in only the right places.

Walking (slowly and small steps, per the instructions I found online) is almost painless. I haven't tried standing for an extended period, except for time to fix breakfast but so far that's been OK.

I'll be back at the doctor's office in ten days to get the staples/stitches out and maybe get a PT referral (often not started until two weeks after surgery).

24 hours is a little soon to say "success" on the surgery, but sleeping through the night and not hurting when I wake are strong indicators of improvement.

[9idrr]

Great news!

[gipsy]

Cool

[rvm45]

Friend,

Well wishes for your continued recovery.

What was the NAME of your procedure?


…..EVM45

[papaof2]

SI joint fusion

The staples are out, but more than two weeks out from surgery the incision area is still tender to the touch - there was still some bruising in the first week when I took off the big (6" x 8") bandage so I could check/change the gauze square underneath. I'm curious if that large and very stiff bandage was in place to provide some movement control immediately after surgery
This far out from surgery I'm still on the pain meds but usually only one or two a day, not a steady stream. I'm sleeping 7-8 hours most nights but only when lying on the non-surgery side - still hurts too much to sleep if I'm on my back. I can walk 150 feet (multiple laps in the house) before walking becomes painful and, other than the 30 feet or so from the SUV to the house on the day of surgery, I'm not using a walker or cane. Still limited in where I can sit and how long - my back needs support in the right places.
Probably not bad for being 70+ - or maybe I'm just too stubborn to stop ;-)

PT will probably start in 10 days or so, as I expect to get the prescription for PT when I see the doc next week.