I have to admit one of the things I wondered about most before my surgery was, what it would feel like to have a steel rod and screws in my back. I didn't like the idea of having something foreign in my body. I know it is a very common thing with pacemakers,artificial joints, and and so much more. I have to admit it made me feel a little uneasy. Not enough to not want to have the surgery but I did wonder how it would feel. Well let me tell you. In the last two weeks I have been having feelings of sensation in my lower back. Up until that time I was not feeling much of anything other than pain, though not near as much I had anticipated. Well all the other concerns with AD, the pain was well controlled by a pain management team to help keep the AD under control.
It was only after transferring to Bridge Point and at my request that we start to lessen the amount of pain killers that my back let me know what was going on there. It hurt. I was doing a lot more physical activity; and seeing more people, so I was naturally going to feel more pain. I didn't want to mask it completely,but I had to be comfortable enough to get through an hour of Physio and all my exercises through the day. I had added leaving the floor every day, then leaving the building daily. Those outings were exhausting and often painful. There is a fine balance in pain management and it includes anticipating pain and staying ahead of it. So before and after Physio I took pain medication and then I judged every other time day by day. The exception is always through the night. If I went through the night without pain medication I would be in too much pain to go to morning Physio, I am woken at night for pain meds. I have cut in half the amount I am taking now compared to the first week here. That was totally my own plan nobody discouraged or encouraged me either way.
As far as the success of the surgery time will tell. I have to say that the minute I woke from surgery the very first thing I noticed before I tried to wiggle my toes was my leg no longer hurt. My right leg was so incredibly painful when I went into hospital the morning of my surgery that I likeY would have agreed to amputation. It was nerve pain and it had gotten increasingly worse, to the point that I never knew what to expect when I put my foot on the floor. There were times when I would cry out in pain, no matter where I was, or who I was with. That nerve pain was gone. For that I am truly grateful. My back hurts I have to be very careful with movement and not to do too much. That I think is only fair this close to a major surgery. I cannot judge what kind of pain and movement yet it is too soon; but I feel very hopeful. My right foot has lost some feeling in parts of it. It feels like a solid brick at times and it was very difficult to trust it when I was learning to walk again. If I hadn't experienced the lack of feeling with mobility in the past I doubt I would have been able to walk as quickly as I did.
I am walking with a walker now for the most part and for longer trips I'm in a wheel chair. I have starting to be able to walk for a short period of time with a cane as long as I have supervision.
There's a feeling of perseverance for sure but allowing yourself to feel vulnerable is also important. I knew from experience it was scary but pushing through the fear would have to happen at some point.
I have done well with Physio, I have a great young female physiotherapist who has a great understanding of balance. She encourages me to go as far as I can, but won't push me past my comfort level. She allows me to do that for myself. Megan is her name and she and I have a great cooperative relationship.
Mayleen is my occupational therapist. She is a little Dynamo. She has a smile every time I see her and we hit it off the minute I met her. The funny thing is, I never really understood the role of an occupational therapist, even though I had one for two months while at Lyndhurst. She has restores my faith in the occupation. She has helped me from getting a spinal gel bed the day I realized the bed I was in was causing me problems, to helping me learn to dress without bending and everything in between. We have a great time together and always have lots to talk about.
The third person who is a part of my team that has really impressed me was another young woman. She is an intern working with the physiatrist. Her name is Dr. cavalier. She is a very down to earth doctor who believes in treating the whole person. She, and her mentor, Dr.mcNeil were the only two who knew what Autonomic Desrefleaxia is,and how to treat it. Without them I wouldn't have been able to remain at this facility. Besides that, Dr. Caliber has a wonderful personality and comes across always, as caring about a good outcome. I would say she has been the cornerstone to my treatment here.
I will know more about the outcome of the surgery as time goes on. Right now my focus is and has been walking and walking independently again. As time goes by we will see the benefits of the fusion. I see my Neurosurgeon and his team on July 20th. At that time I will have tested to see if the bone as started to fuse. It is early days but they can start as early as six weeks.
I feel confident that when I get through the rehab period I will be far better off than before the surgery.
It was only after transferring to Bridge Point and at my request that we start to lessen the amount of pain killers that my back let me know what was going on there. It hurt. I was doing a lot more physical activity; and seeing more people, so I was naturally going to feel more pain. I didn't want to mask it completely,but I had to be comfortable enough to get through an hour of Physio and all my exercises through the day. I had added leaving the floor every day, then leaving the building daily. Those outings were exhausting and often painful. There is a fine balance in pain management and it includes anticipating pain and staying ahead of it. So before and after Physio I took pain medication and then I judged every other time day by day. The exception is always through the night. If I went through the night without pain medication I would be in too much pain to go to morning Physio, I am woken at night for pain meds. I have cut in half the amount I am taking now compared to the first week here. That was totally my own plan nobody discouraged or encouraged me either way.
As far as the success of the surgery time will tell. I have to say that the minute I woke from surgery the very first thing I noticed before I tried to wiggle my toes was my leg no longer hurt. My right leg was so incredibly painful when I went into hospital the morning of my surgery that I likeY would have agreed to amputation. It was nerve pain and it had gotten increasingly worse, to the point that I never knew what to expect when I put my foot on the floor. There were times when I would cry out in pain, no matter where I was, or who I was with. That nerve pain was gone. For that I am truly grateful. My back hurts I have to be very careful with movement and not to do too much. That I think is only fair this close to a major surgery. I cannot judge what kind of pain and movement yet it is too soon; but I feel very hopeful. My right foot has lost some feeling in parts of it. It feels like a solid brick at times and it was very difficult to trust it when I was learning to walk again. If I hadn't experienced the lack of feeling with mobility in the past I doubt I would have been able to walk as quickly as I did.
I am walking with a walker now for the most part and for longer trips I'm in a wheel chair. I have starting to be able to walk for a short period of time with a cane as long as I have supervision.
There's a feeling of perseverance for sure but allowing yourself to feel vulnerable is also important. I knew from experience it was scary but pushing through the fear would have to happen at some point.
I have done well with Physio, I have a great young female physiotherapist who has a great understanding of balance. She encourages me to go as far as I can, but won't push me past my comfort level. She allows me to do that for myself. Megan is her name and she and I have a great cooperative relationship.
Mayleen is my occupational therapist. She is a little Dynamo. She has a smile every time I see her and we hit it off the minute I met her. The funny thing is, I never really understood the role of an occupational therapist, even though I had one for two months while at Lyndhurst. She has restores my faith in the occupation. She has helped me from getting a spinal gel bed the day I realized the bed I was in was causing me problems, to helping me learn to dress without bending and everything in between. We have a great time together and always have lots to talk about.
The third person who is a part of my team that has really impressed me was another young woman. She is an intern working with the physiatrist. Her name is Dr. cavalier. She is a very down to earth doctor who believes in treating the whole person. She, and her mentor, Dr.mcNeil were the only two who knew what Autonomic Desrefleaxia is,and how to treat it. Without them I wouldn't have been able to remain at this facility. Besides that, Dr. Caliber has a wonderful personality and comes across always, as caring about a good outcome. I would say she has been the cornerstone to my treatment here.
I will know more about the outcome of the surgery as time goes on. Right now my focus is and has been walking and walking independently again. As time goes by we will see the benefits of the fusion. I see my Neurosurgeon and his team on July 20th. At that time I will have tested to see if the bone as started to fuse. It is early days but they can start as early as six weeks.
I feel confident that when I get through the rehab period I will be far better off than before the surgery.
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