One month after lumbar fusion surgery. Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas everyone and the best of this celebratory times to you. I've got a whole lot to celebrate actually - I'm alive, I'm well, I've recovered a whole lot better from my lumbar fusion back surgery than anticipated, and of course it is Christmas.

Rules in Play

Its important to keep the BLT rules in mind. Yes, it has been a whole month (sometimes that feels like a long time, and some times just like yesterday) – but the No Bending, No Lifting, No Twisting Rules are important, they are still in ply, and more than ever they are important now. The forums say...

During this time, the lumbar fusion bone mass is becoming established. These movements should continue to be avoided to avoid stress at the fused segments:
Excess lifting (anything over 10 to 15 pounds), Bending, Twisting

Patients who were prescribed a back brace to help immobilize the back will probably be advised to continue with it for six weeks to three months after surgery.

How's the Pain?

It's there and it's not sometimes. There are some bouts of pain – usually after I have overdone it – usually after I have climbed the stairs way too many times, or jumped off where I was sitting (the low sofa is bad, and I forget), or when I have over done the walking – like going Christmas shopping for the family in Dubai Mall. (Dubai Mall is the world's largest mall. Mistake.).

Just as a reminder to any one who has been reading my posts, or some one coming in from the cold, I have absolutely NO pain whatsoever from my pre-operation symptoms. The intense pain down my lower back, down my butt, my thighs is gone. The early tingling sensations – gone. The numb foot – gone. So, every reason for my having gone in for back surgery – all gone. The pain that I sometimes have is post operation pan at the site of the incisions. And it comes and goes. So it is sporadic, and honestly, other than a few hours when its intense – it is not, never unbearable. So there.

Physiotherapy and Walking

I am getting two sessions of physiotherapy a week. They last about an hour, and consist of core muscle  toughening exercises followed by a few minutes of pain management electro therapy, ultrasound and infrared.

I am also walking every single day – without fail, and I am invariably either increasing distance walked or pace achieved most every day. I walk every morning – early morning (around five in the morning) when its pitch dark and kind of cold – as cold as it gets around here in Dubai – and I come back refreshed, with a sense of achievement – but some days a bit exhausted.

Post spinal surgery. The emotional angle. Ground Control to Major Tom

It's important to keep a perspective on the emotional angle to help your recovery. You really need to reconcile all the past, the present and the future and feel both comfortable and confident about it all to be able to overcome this huge beast that post-surgery recovery is all about.

Having all the information on the surgery, I was not exactly sure I was going to come around on the flip side a 100%. I was not sure I was going to come around at all, actually. But I was too chicken, too afraid to face possibilities that were negative to make those phone calls, write those emails, post those last postcards. I just hoped, stalled, and wished for the best...

And here I am, three weeks, post surgery, and I feel almost better in so many ways. And, I started making phone calls, writing emails, sending those cards. Good time as any, actually, because it is Christmas time after all.

I spoke to one of my oldest, dearest friends – Graham Smith, my ex-boss, ex-partner and ex-fill-in-the-blanks guy. I felt I needed to call Graham, say a big, huge thank you. To him, to Linda, his awesome, generous, tolerant wife. Who put up with me day after day, week after week, just so that I could get a break. Unselfish, giving, kind, – I just owe them.

Graham worked incredibly hard at getting me into the UK when it was impossible almost – and achieved it. Graham pushed the envelope when I worked with him, always asking for more tha what the client wanted. And Graham was there, just there for me. That was such a big thing for me.


And for that reason, as I was headed into that whitelight of the surgery, I had this reason, this pang, of calling Graham and saying goodbye just in case.

Thank heavens, I did come out on the other end, nasal fed tubectomy and multi level lumbar fusion and all that, and I can write this now. In acknowledgement and a bow. To my friend Graham. Thanks forever.

Post surgery: Lumbar fusion in Dubai. Day 22 - Sudden intense pain

Woke up with intense shooting pain at incision site

What a morning! Got woken up with a sudden shot of intense pain on the left side incision site at around 4 am. Could not really get back to sleep, because I kept getting shots of pain – burning, searing, shooting pain that lasted for 5-10 seconds and then abated - almost every half an hour.

Went for a 2 km walk and had a couple of bouts of pain. When I came back, showered and tried to lie on my back, the shots of pain were every 20 minutes, and got aggravated every time I turned or stretched a bit.

I had a physio session scheduled at 1140am, but I also called the clinic and booked a doctor's appointment because I was really afraid of the sudden onset of pain. At the physiotherapy session, my fantastic therapist, immediately pin pointed the pain a s a severe muscle cramp, and treated me to several pain management techniques which included extended sessions of electro-impulse with infrared, laser therapy, and ultrasound. Felt better immediately afterwards when I went in to meet the doctor (my surgeon Dr Shim), and he said not to panic. This was, as the PT had said, a severe muscle spasm.

I tried to figure out, why, suddenly, after three exact weeks I suddenly had a muscle spasm. It was the first time, since my surgery, that I actually sat down on my sofa in the living room (soft cushions, unvomfortable, unsupportive for best of folks, forget spinal patients) and literally fell asleep! I must have slept in that silly sitting (leaning) back position for around an hour, and that, I believe, is what caused the pain and spasm.

Remember No BLT and No sitting beyond 1/2 hour, no real stretching...

How soon  we forget the No BLT rule : No Bending. No Lifting. No Twisting. While I have, as much as possible, tried to adhere to the No BLT rule, I have sometimes forgotten and tried to bend. Or twist. The Lifting I have consciously avoided (easy), but the no bending, no twisting is difficult. And last evening, when I fell asleep on the sofa, I was twisted. And a soft cusihon is the last thing you need. Both bad, both my bad. Avoid this. Learn from the intense pain lesson I had today,  

TLIF Lumbar Spinal Fusion Back Surgery in Dubai: 3 weeks post op

Today is exactly three weeks since I had my MIS-TLIF surgery. The quick update is I am feeling better every day, my pain at the incisions sites has reduced a lot, I feel less tired and exhausted, I have no sciatic pain, tingling, numbness that I had pre-surgery, so overall – I am doing just fine.

So, yes, my surgery related pain is actually much less than say, the first two weeks. I am sleeping better, am on medication, my tummy seems to have settled (somewhat – meaning less constipation), I am walking around comfortably – clocking around 3 kms every day at a fairly good pace, and I am going up and down the stairs easily.

Wearing the brace

Overall, my mobility is a lot better, but I wear my brace most of the time. I was given two different braces. One is fairly large, it is stiff and it is the one I wear when I go walking, or am in the car. The other light one, I wear at home, going up and down the stairs, sitting etc. My doctors are very clear – I need to wear the brace for three months.

Walking, Physiotherapy

First things first. I have to attend 15 sessions of physiotherapy post surgery. This is part of the recovery process and mandated by the doctors who operated on my spine. In fact, these sessions are part and parcel of the surgery. I have had three sessions so far – and each 40 minute session is conducted at the Wooridul Spine Centre here in Dubai. The sessions so far have been a mix of light core strengthening exercises using special machines (not like what you see in a gym), and of pain healing therapies including electro stimulation, infrared and ultrasound.

I have also been told to walk. I walk every morning at a pace of around 4kms/hr for around 2 or 3 kms depending on how tired I feel. It's pretty easy to feel tired quickly after the surgery, so its a good idea to walk close to home rather than go off to unmanageable distances on your own. I walk around the block. 

I also go up and down the stairs in my home around 12-15 times a day. I have to do it slowly, and sometimes, I do it one single step at a time, then the other, but I am in no discomfort at all doing the stairs. I have also checked with my physiotherapist who thinks I am fine doing it as long as I on't get pain or discomfort.

Sleeping, Sitting, Driving

Over the last three or four days and nights, I am now able to sleep on either of my sides. It feels a lot more comfortable having a pillow between m legs when I am on my side or under my knees when I am lying flat on my back. I must admit, sleeping on my back is a lot less painful than it was, say, even a week ago, so it is getting better by the day.

Sitting, I hardly do. I have been told by the doctors and by the physiotherapist that I should not sit in one position for more than 1/2 an hour. I hardly do that, unless I forget. It is not comfortable any way, and I have been told to wear the light brace when sitting.

Yes, I have driven on a couple of occasions. A couple of them were short drives, and I was extremely careful going over bumps and turning corners. You have to be very careful, because you can't really do 'shoulder checks' when changing lanes, so you are totally dependent on your rear view and side mirrors. Getting in to the car is quite painful, getting out seems easier. But wearing the large clamshell brace and driving is a painful experience.

On one occasion I drove my son to school and back. This was a 1/2 hour up and 45 minutes down trip, and it absolutely took the mickey out of me. I was exhausted, and in pain. Wouldn't do that long trip again in a hurry.

Medication and Supplements

I am not taking any medication at all. Not even like a tylenol or panadol (acitomenophen). Yes, occasionally, and particularly in the evenings, I do feel bouts of pain around my surgery site, and my legs feel tired, but I have not resorted to popping a pain killer.

Just to help the healing process along, the following are supplements that I have ordered from Amazon...

Nature's Way Alive Calcium Bone Formula Tablets, 120 Count
Alive Calcium Bone Formula by Nature's Way 120 Tablet Alive Calcium Bone Formula 120 Tablet 100 whole food calcium vitamin C plus vitamin D3 vitamin K2 magnesium boron and synergistic minerals. All of the calcium in Alive Calcium is from plant sources Lithothamnion (calcified red algae seaweed) sustainably harvested from pristine Icelandic waters plus organic kale spinach and collard greens.

NOW Foods Vitamin D3 5000 Iu, 240 Softgels,

NOW® Vitamin D softgels supply this key vitamin in a highly absorbable liquid softgel form.  Vitamin D is normally obtained from the diet or produced by the skin from the ultraviolet energy of the sun.  However, it is not abundant in food.  As more people avoid sun exposure, Vitamin D supplementation becomes even more necessary to ensure that your body receives an adequate supply.

Now Foods B-12 2000mcg, 100-Count

Nervous System Health 3 Forms of B-12 including Co-enzyme Forms Essential for DNA Synthesis* Vegetarian Formula Vitamin B-12 (Cyanocobalamin) is a water soluble vitamin necessary for the maintenance of a healthy nervous system and for the metabolic utilization of fats and proteins. Vitamin B-12 is also essential for the synthesis of DNA during cell division and therefore is especially important for rapidly multiplying cells, such as blood cells.

TLIF Spinal Fusion Surgery. The third weekend after surgery...

It's been a pretty positive weekend – this being the third one after my surgery. The first one was the one that I was released from hospital – and that was really a bit of a blur.

Before I go further, for those reading this post from outside the Middle East, the weekends here in the region are Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday is your Monday – meaning our work week is Sunday through Thursday.

So, this Friday and Saturday have been good to me. I have not just improved my walking targets but my pace is better and I have clocked around 4-5kms each day on walks, plus of course all the walking around inside the house, the mltiple number of times I go up and down the stairs. So, mobility wise I am doing good, I hope.

Pain? Well, yes, I do still have a significant amount of pain on and around the incision site, and this is to be expected, of course. Lying on my side with a pillow between my legs (as shown by my physiotherapists) was pretty useful.

Activity wise, I did of course went for my walks both mornings. It was such a wonderful feeling to be able to walk to the beach, just stand there on the stand, and look out on the distant ships in the horizon.  On Saturday, I went with my wife for our weekly grocery shipping expedition, and did my bit. Grocery shopping with the cart is actually quite OK – you can use the cart as a walker. But it did tire me out, wiped me out completely. I was exhausted towards the end. Be careful how long you do these things, I suspect I over did it, and I will pay...?

Still having problems sleeping, still have problems with a bit of constipation (huh? why?) but other than that, I am doing just fine...

TLIF Spinal Fusion Surgery. Day 15 Post Op

Feeling much better.

Today was a much better day overall. I felt better today. I had a long walking session today, and even though my pace is still quite slow, I am feeling confident about my strides and my gait.

While gaining strength to do the small things around the house that I wasn't able to earlier after surgery, I am slowly coming around. I have lost weight – around 7 kg over the last two weeks, and I feel tired and exhausted every day. Not passing out tired per se, but weary.

So, if Day 15 post surgery is a marker, I must note that I am quite pleasantly and positively surprised at how far I have come so quickly. After having googled myself into a state of near frenzy pre-surgery (there are so many negative comments and posts in forums), I feel that part of the angst was unnecessary, and that putting all those fears aside and being positive has really helped.

The break from insomnia

The main reason I felt so much better today is that after two whole weeks of incessant, relentless insomnia, last night I slept like a log. I caught around six to seven hours of sleep – blissful, REM sleep, and woke up very early (5am) but feeling right on top. Sleep is magic, and I finally got a dose of it. 

Had second Post Op Physiotherapy session today.

The second session of post surgery physiotherapy happened at Wooridul Spine Center today. Their PT facility looks pretty high tech and has a lot of equipment you might see in a sci-fi movie. I went through a couple of interesting core-strengthening exercises on a weird-contraption machine, followed by ultrasound, electrical pulse and infrared sessions. 

Overall, I can sense I am doing better now every day. Making progress, and I can feel it. I feel more able, more adept, better equipped at handling the small daily challenges, but more importantly feeling better both mentally and emotionally. And, I believe, that feeling positive, having a positive attitude is the key to unlock the door to a successive recovery.

TLIF Spinal fusion surgery. 2 weeks after the operation.

Today is Wednesday December 9th. It has been exactly two weeks now that I've had my TLIF spinal fusion surgery done here in Dubai and I have to say that today I feel good.

First things first. The pain. The pain is much better today. Over the last two weeks I have had up and down days but I have to be honest to say that overall it has been improving everyday. Yes I do have quite a lot of pain on the surgery site and around it but at the same time it is such an important thing to note that I have no remaining pain from my pre-operation days and that all the symptoms that I went in with for the surgery are now all gone.

A lot of spinal fusion surgery patients complain about new emerging areas of pain symptoms, and how they feel that there have been no, or very little improvement in their situation for post-surgery. I am therefore very fortunate, blessed, and naturally very grateful that I have come out feeling much better and that I have been able to get rid of all the symptoms of severe lower back pain, the sciatic pain down my thighs and legs, and the early symptoms of tingling and numbness.

Just to be fair I just want to mention in a couple of issues that I've post surgery. I have had incessant insomnia ever since I walked out of hospital. I have had to hear constipation issues even though I have not being on any narcotic painkillers at all. But other than that two weeks on, I have to say I am doing fine.

Insomnia after spinal fusion surgery

Am exactly gone 2 weeks since my MIS TLIF Surgery on my L4/L5 . I have not being able to sleep more than a couple of hours each night since the I came home from hospital the second day after surgery.

Immediately post op I was given a mild pain reliever via IV drip, a Voltaren injection twice a day, and had access to a PCA (Patient Activated ) morphine drip -but only during the first night post op.

On discharge from hospital I was sent home with a simple pain management regimen of two Tylenol or panadol tablets three times a day. 

Additionally I was taking a wide spectrum antibiotic twice a day for 7 days. I just want to clarify again, that my entire pain management medication was to the extent of Tylenol or panadol tablets three times a day. I'm not talking about extra codeine mixed Tylenol 3 but the simple acetaminophen tablets that you get over the counter anywhere in the world.

Which is why, now two weeks after my surgery, I am quite surprised that I am still suffering from a prolonged bout of insomnia. I have read elsewhere on this forum that post surgery patients do suffer from insomnia but that is usually as a result of exposure to narcotic pain relievers. 

Because I did not have a single dose of narcotic pain reliever such as tramadol or oxycodone since I've been home I do not see a reason why I cannot sleep at all. It is also worth noting is that I have a fairly committed walking routine everyday, I am moving around as much as possible, I do not catch up on sleep during the day, so I am quite bewildered that I have this insomnia.

TLIF surgery in Dubai. And getting no sleep post op day 13!

Spinal Fusion surgery: Is today a step back? 

One of those up and down days, but mostly down?

Well. Starting the day (Day 13 post op) with near zero sleep. I wonder if other surgery patients go through this severe insomnia that I am suffering. I am somehow getting by with just a couple of hours of sleep a night – and it is not like I am compensating for this during the day.

As I look back on today... It has been a fairly tired kind of a day. While I did my early morning walk routine – and my pace is improving every day – I did feel kind of exhausted all day. 

Bad news is that the surgery site pain is back in a big way today. But why?

The pain is back! And it is pretty much up there on that dreaded scale. I feel that changing the dressing (may be the fresh one is back on too tight), the physio session and the taxi rides to and from the clinic in combination did me in. I am in pain. Again. My back (surgery incision site) hurts a lot today. And, I am guessing that's not hugely out of sorts. As I have read in many of the forum posts – every time you over do a day, you pay for it the next. 

Lying on my back has been a bother all day. I hope tomorrow will be better.

Here's a forum post on recovery...

TLIF surgery – what can I expect during recovery?

Recovery at 2 months

I had a diskectomy,PLIF L5 - S1 and decompression with Autograft, rods and screws, 2 months ago. The first couple of weeks were awful- severe pain and I could barely move. But the sciatic pain that was incapacitating me before surgery was completely gone. 

At 1 month, the pain was reducing unless I bent my body even slightly or sat up in a chair completely straight. I found that leaning back a little or lying down reduced the pain a lot. I am not using a brace. At 3 weeks I tried to drive but had difficulty getting in and out of the car, but more pain just trying to sit upright in the car seat. 1 week later, pain reduced enough that I could drive. Most of my pain is in the area where the bone was taken from my illeum (bone top of the pelvis). At week 7, the pain majorly diminished. I take pain medication only about once or twice a day (tylenol arthritis) only if I need it. 

I have really felt a major change this past week which completes my 2 months.

The most difficult thing now is since I am not in a brace, remembering not to bend. It does take about 4-6 months for the graft to complete. It is frustrating that I still can't do physical things that I want to do, but it is so much better being able to walk and be free of that severe sciatic pain that went all of the way down my leg. Glad I had the surgery.



TLIF and new too

I am new to the site as well. I had a TLIF on L4,5,&S1 25 days ago. I will try to tell you what my experiences have been so far. I did come home too early, 2 days after surgery.

 I think the 5 hour ride home and my intolerance to many pain meds did make it difficult the first couple of days home. I used a walker for during that time and then used it to help get myself standing after lying down. 

The first 2 weeks, I played musical chairs and beds. I found that chairs or beds too soft were extremely painful. I am happy to report that I am now back in my bed after my kids tried 6 other ways for me to sleep. 

I have found pillows to be invaluable and I sleep on my back or right side. I am having the nerve pain in the sides of my thighs with the left at times radiating to my foot. 

The nerve pain in right thigh is just about gone and my feeling returned so I am optimistic. Within a week, I was outside walking in the yard. Shortly after that I started 1 mile and today I added about another 1/4 mile. I find the initial getting out of bed to be the toughest as far as pain but that goes away pretty quick when I get to moving. 

Saudi German Hospital Dubai - where I had my spine fusion surgery

You will hear a lot of stories about where you should be having your surgery.The most common way of deciding is to figure out who you trust and have your surgery done where they practise.

That's pretty much how I ended up having my spinal fusion surgery at Saudi German Hospital in Dubai. Because the doctors who I absolutely trusted somehow only operated at that particular hospital.

Stories. You will hear a lot of negatives about Saudi German.The staff don't know about caring, the rooms are just about a 2-star hotel. And "attention" is a word that's entirely missing from the vocabulary there...

Do NOT go with this stuck in your head.  I went in with a fair amount of negatire preconception and I was totally wrong.

It is a hospital. It is part Saudi, part German - and that is a combination that isn't what I would call the most delightful! But?

It's not all that bad at all. For the most part, every attending nurse was courteous and caring. They were attentive, and most always there when needed. And they did their job both efficiently and with a smile. Of course I would be lacking in grace if I wasn't thankful to everyone there, yet I must mention one of them by name. A male nurse named Manuel. Just The best there is out there

Overall, after all the long, sad, and disturbing negatives one hears about the hospital, you lactually come out feeling pretty much ok.

Yes, they did have a few hiccups when they first started the Wooridul -and Saudi German tie-up. But, asDr Shim had assured me, things had improved, considerably, and overall I have nothing to complain about at all.

In fact, it was much better than I expected.

Just a note of advice regarding pain meds (spinal surgery experience)

I wrote this in response to a specific query from a prospective surgery patient at Wooridul. She had asked me (via email) about pain meds... This is in specific reference to spinal fusion surgery conducted by the Wooridul surgeons at Saudi German Hospital in Dubai, and is based entirely on personal experience

All information, comments and references are purely my opinion, and not meant to be taken in any form as medical advice in any way.

Regarding which pain medication you need to take with you to hospital, you do not need to take any at all. The hospital will fill out your prescription to take home.

Immediately after your surgery you will be put on a morphine drip which is called PCA. This stands for patient-controlled activation which means that you can press a button to get a dose of morphine whenever you need it. Most people out of North America tend to rely a lot on the PCA and they will end up usually using a lot of this morphine during their initial recovery. I used this pump perhaps 3 - 4x max during my entire a night after the operation. The nurses will remove the pump and access to morphine as soon as possible because they say that you can get used to it very very quickly.

You are also given a IV drip pain medication which is mild but in combination with the morphine and later on the water and injection that they will give you you should be ok for pain during your two day stay at the hospital. When you're ready to go home the doctor will write out a prescription with the nurse will fill for you and bring up to you with instructions. This has a full course of antibiotics and the red panadol. I think this is called panadol extra it is really an over the counter pain reliever and is nothing really special to handle your pain at home.

Because you mentioned that you have a low pain threshold I suspect that you will want to have access to Voltaren and 75 milligram slow release dosage. I don't think that you should be taking anything stronger than that and I will explain why in the next paragraph. 

As far as you're taking proxen 500 which is a NSAID you should not be taking any nsaid or any medication that thins your blood before your surgery. This includes aspirin and sadly also includes ibuprofen so you really cannot take Advil either. Obviously anything that is your blood causes excessive and additional bleeding during surgery and that's not something that the doctors like to see. So if you can please stop taking proxen before your surgery at least this is what I have read in at least a dozen different references.

Again I would have a box of voltaren 75 at home because that will help you take the edge of your pain if you feel that panadol is not sufficient. By the way, panadol and Tylenol are both the same medicine meaning they are both acetaminophen family. Extra strength tylenol is something that has worked for me over the years and I like it a little bit better than I like panadol extra or exercise or any of the other panadol versions but that's me.

 

Here is why the Korean doctors do not like to give you strong medication for your pain and I believe that once you really understand why - you too wouldn't really want to mask your pain with heavy duty pain meds. When you take strong pain medication you are actually unable to realistically respond to any queries by your doctors as to how your pain is. Essentially this means that you are unable to give a proper evaluation of how you're really feeling from a pain perspective. So if someone asks you as to how is your pain today - and you were under pain medication - your answer would be not accurate because your pain could be less because of the heavy medication or because it is actually getting better. All heavy pain medication such as tramadol oxycodone etcetera are narcotic blockers which actually stop the pain message from reaching your brain. In that sense your body is no longer able to signal to your brain what is your real pain situation is. Trust me I too am not a huge fan of pain but I have learned from this experience that one can really do without all those heavy duty drugs.

TLIF Surgery in Dubai. Day 12 post op. And I am so much better.

Feeling much better, seeing the doctor (first time post op) and my first session of post op Physio

Well. It's been a dozen days since I had my TLIF spinal fusion surgery, and today, I must admit I do genuinely feel better.

My op site pain is less today. Sure there's soreness, sure it still hurts to lie on my back, but it is far better than it was a couple of days ago.

I am on no meds at all. Not even panadol. Honestly? Don't really need any.

I went in to Wooridul Clinic to have my first post operation appointment with the doctor, and met Dr Patrick Choi. He shared my post op xray, pointed out in detail how he felt it was a text book case of success – comparing the before's and after's. Sure was reassuring talking to him, as he went in to detail on the prognosis. He removed my post op dressing, cleaned my incision site and gave me a very small new cover up.

I also had my first PT (Physio Therapy) session. My therapist was Archana – and she is one of those calm, collected folks at Wooridul. The session was mostly about pain management, rather than physical exercises, and I did feel better after.

It is clear that the entire team at Wooridul is professional and the physiotherapists really know what they were doing. Part of the physiotherapy process included ultrasound treatment, electrical pulse therapy which i think is called tense, and infrared heat. At the end I did a couple of simple leg muscle exercises which did cause a little bit of an exertion and stretched me quite a bit. These were simple leg bending and raising exercises that I could do prior to the surgery without even thinking. Obviously, all those muscles that worked towards my core as well as my lower part of the body have been affected and I am now, post surgery, pretty much out of shape.

Also she advised me that a comfortable sleeping position would be on my side, knees drawn up and a pillow between my legs. Tried it. Works.

I was told, incidentally, that going up and down the stairs, the 8-12 times a day I am now doing it is not right. It is excessive and it is a main cause of continuing pain and fatigue.

So here is my end of day late evening summary. Day 12 has been pretty good. My pain is far more manageable. I am tired and exhausted but that is because I have walked in the morning, I have taken a cab for my doctors and physio appointment. I'm going to physio therapy. I have then walked quite a bit to try and find a cab to come back home. And of course getting in and out of the cab has not been easy. Add to this, the stair climbing at home and i have overdone that and it's again something that I really need to watch out for. Overall? A good day.

TLIF surgery Day 11 post op

Yes, its Day 11.Had a rough night with little sleep and I feel pretty tired this morning.I can't really say that the pain is any better today, but I feel that the pain status maybe because I may have overdid it all day yesterday.

This morning I have walked, around 1.5 Kms and on a couple of occasions I felt stabbing localizedpain at the incision site. Overall the walk was slow but not uncomfortable.

Getting past the 10-day mark as of yesterday was a small milestone and today seems like the start of a new period in this saga.

TLIF surgery Day 10 Post op. A milestone?

Day 10 post op and no real change in pain status.

Day 10 is usually a day that most post-op spinal surgery patients mark on their calendars as an important watershed day. For me, it doesn't seem very different at all. Pain-wise I am the same, with no real improvement, and overall I don't think I feel any much better. 

I had a MIS TLIF surgery on my spine at L4/L5 where three procedures happened. First they fixed my spondylosthesis my fusing the L4 and L5 using titanium rods and screws. They removed the degenerated disc in between and replaced it with an artificial one called a cage made of a carbon fiber material called PEEK. Finally this helped open up the stenosis - the constriction of the spinal canal and surrounding nerve roots.

The surgery was a success as far as my pre op symptoms go. My sciatica pain totally disappeared and I did not have those numbing and tingling sensations either. Post op what I did have from the very moment I gained consciousness was a lot of surgery site pain. Particularly at the left of the two incisions they made to get in there.

And while the pain has varied some what over the last few days it has never abated to a point where I don't feel like its there.

TLIF surgery day 9 post op

Today is day 9 post op for my TLIF surgery. It has been an average day with just average pain again just on the incision site and around it. I have a decent appetite feel well overall, and I must admit that the pain is a little bit less today than it was yesterday.

I still have not had a full-on shower and this means that I am just being able to sponge and wash myself with hand towels and hot water etc without really running the shower.

I have been doing better today. Medication while I have been on paracetamol and antibiotics and probably today is my last day before my antibiotics course is complete. I have stomach pain and constipation issues but I guess that's part of not being able to exercise like I do normally and also because of the medication I'm on.

End of day review: OK day. Rather bad constipation and resultant pain

TLIF surgery 8 Days post office op. Feeling better today

Today is the eighth day post my MIS TLIF  surgery. Last week this time Thursday I was reeling with after surgery pain and feeling absolutely in the dumps. I was in hospital and had no idea when I was going to go home or when I was going to feel better.

One week later on day 8 post op . I'm actually feeling much better today than I did say yesterday. My pain is actually less today and I have no new complaints really other than the incision site pain which of course is bound to be there for the next couple of days. It's mostly the left side of my l4 l5 operation site that is painful, the right side is actually almost pain free to be really honest.

Up medication wise I am on antibiotics and paracetamol which is the same as acetaminophen in the US or Tylenol. I am taking around 1000 milligrams which is two extra strength tylenol or two panadol three times a day that's my dosage and that all the pain medication that I'm taking.

Walking is really really important and I am trying to walk around 45 minutes to 1 hour a day and it's all inside the house but nonetheless I am moving around I'm not sitting or just lying around. Because I'm not getting my regular routine of exercise and moving around I guess I still have are quite a bit of constipation which is making it very difficult for me nonetheless. Other than that I feel fine emotionally and mentally I am fine.

I decided to create this blog and post everyday if possible for me to share with everyone who is considering lumbar fusion surgery or any kind of spinal surgery for their back pain. I went through a lot of anxiety and was afraid of what the result of the surgery would be like, because there are so many negative forum posts and comments particularly on spinr-health.com. I must say that my surgery has been a success, I have no no pain I have been able to get over all the aches and pains that led me to consider surgery. So it's not all gloom and doom there are people who have positive experiences with their spinal surgery and particularly in my case where I had minimally invasive TLIF surgery I came out pretty much okay.

TLIF surgery - one week post-op in Dubai

A tough week post MIS TLIF surgery. Was worth it, really.

Today is one week out. And I am better, but tired.

It's a Wednesday and just last week Wednesday on November 25th that I had my surgery after much to and fro. It's been a tough week. I've had ups and downs but mostly the results of the surgery have been positive and it feels pretty good that I actually went through with it.

So last week like I said I had TLIF surgery on my l4 and l5 to correct spondylothesis spinal canal stenosis as well as degenerated disc at l4 l5. The surgery was done at Saudi German Hospital here in Dubai by a team of  Korean Doctors - Dr Shim and Dr Choi from Wooridul Spine Center on Shaikh Zayad Road. The surgery was about 5 hours and it happened using a nasal fiberoptic intubation for my anesthetics. I stayed in hospital until Friday afternoon when I was discharged and I have been home resting since then.

Medicine: I am on antibiotics which is wide spectrum as well as just panadol which is a paracetamol for my pain management. I walk around half an hour to forty minutes everyday just inside the house. My first appointment with the doctor post surgery will be on Monday which is around the 11th or 12th day post op.

The pain. The intense sciatic pain down my lower back my butt thighs and legs is completely gone. I do have a lot of surgery  related pain at the incision site and around it which is on a scale of 1 to 10 around seven or eight depending on which day it is. This pain I guess as to be expected because not only have they moved the muscle as I cut through it and then curved part of the phone off and then inserted pedicle screws as well as titanium rods to try and fuse the l4 and l5 vertebrae together so pain is to be expected

TLIF Surgery Day 6 Post Op

Today is day 6 post op. It is Tuesday and it is December one and just last week we were in a quandary as to whether to have the surgery or not and wondering whether it was a good thing to go to with it. Here we are almost a week later and things have changed drastically and dynamically.

So I had TLIF surgery on l4 and l5 to fix my stenosis fix the problem with the disks that had a generated and as well the spondylolisthesis which means the vertebrae had slipped. This happened last Wednesday which was the 25th of November.

I had a lot of pain yesterday and it was probably because I overdid it the day before as well as had a really tough and painful bowel movement after a bout of constipation the previous day. Woke up this morning with the pain almost where it was yesterday but probably slightly better.

The real problem is that I have not been able to sleep at night last night at all I've been listening to music on my earphones tossing and turning and just about doing everything possible to try and sleep and not being able to achieve it. This means that when I woke up this morning I had pain as well I was pretty exhausted from not sleeping. I had an early wash this morning brush my teeth shaved at Saturday but still not being able to have a full shower which is really bothering me but I guess I just have to follow the doctor's instructions.
Medications wise I am on antibiotics and paracetamol and that's it so well this is surprising to most people that's what my doctors have really put me on and they have a philosophy of not masking the pain that does not allow me to have any heavy duty pain medication.

So I have a lot of pain I'm at the actual surgery site. I do not have any pain from the early symptoms that I actually went into surgery for. This means that my sciatica pain, the pain down my thighs, my legs and my lower back and my butt are pretty much gone. This is consistent over the last 6 days. I should also add that I do not have any new pain any new tingling or numbness in my lower back or my legs at all. So as far as the surgery goes I have to say that it was a success as of date.