Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hi All,
I've not been on here to much, wow lots of new threads, thats too bad
(guess that means lots of pain)
I can't really stay on here long enough to read thru all of these to see how you guys are doing, so I thought I would just start a new thread to find out.
I'm ok I guess I started slowly increasing my activity since the loud POP a few weeks ago. I did my first neighborhood walk yesterday with our walking club, well I'm very sore today. Unfortunatly that spot that was hurting started to flare up a bit. I'm gonna keep s-l-o-w-l-y building back to where I was before the POP and see how it goes. It really is beginning to scare me since it feels so much like the lose screws I had a few yrs. ago. I sure hope it's not!
Well I really wanted to see how all you guys are doing. I hope very well. I'll be looking for ya.
God Bless
Carol
__________________
"Thru every dark corner is a door to a new light"
(Dana Reeve)
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hey Carol, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q & Sheri!
Tammy here! Glad to see you post Carol! I've been flared up myself. I went for my 8 week check. Explained I have been having sciatic pain on both sides and it was really bad when I was seeing him last week. He said that it could be the bulging disc L5 which he chose to leave alone since it didnt seem to be bothering me at all then. BUT, he said "do not throw in the towel yet", as it it is way too early to tell if it's the bulging disc or the fusion recovery causing the pain. He wants to give it time, make me comfy as I can be (insisting that I stay coherent) put me back on Celebrex (1st time post surgery), which works well for me, and I start PT on monday. He said if the nerve pain really gets to me, he could be put me on some of the anti-depressant meds.. to try and see if they help, but would make me very tired and out of it. Which I can not afford.. so I told him NO to those. It's bad enough my body is hurting like this right now, I can't afford for my mind to be off too. I go for my polygraph exam this Monday..and I would imagine.. it won't be long after that.. my secret clearance will be done..and they bring me on board, full-time. I am hoping my body will cooperate with this. I mapped out where my new job will be and get this... less than 9 miles door to door! My current commute one way is 63 miles. So, I am hoping thisw therapy works and reduces the pain, so I can work my new job. My new job is fully aware that I have had back surgery.. so I am sure they wont be asking me to move stuff around.. cuz then I have to say.. sorry I can't do that right now.. remember.. back surgery..
Other than the butt pain, things have been pretty good for me. Nerve pain in legs is pretty tolerable most of the time. And since I got on calcium/magnesium tablet once a day.. leg cramps have really gone. Getting in and out of bed is alot easier these last few weeks (like before surgery), including rolling over. Before it was a bit of a chore for me. I still have no flexibility, as the leg swelling episodes really slowed down progress there and now the sciatic butt pain.. is damperin it too. So the PT should help a great deal with that. I use the lidoderm patches mostly for my upper back muscles.. that are overworked these days.. it's helped there. I also use biofreeze.. for anything that is sore.. it works pretty good and lasting, and the campho/menthol odor.. leaves once it dries.
I have noticed I have to sit more erect than before and I have always had good posture to begin with. But I noticed that probably at L1 maybe.. I get pains there if I don't sit completely straight. And when standing and walking, too feel least strain on my back.. i feel like I am arching myself back a bit.. and that doesn't seem normal to me. I will talk with the PT about this and see what her thoughts are on this. Heck, maybe I have been standing crooked all these years and didnt know it. hahaha. ANY OF YOU HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THIS GOIN ON?
Well enough of my babbling ladies.. I will make room for all of you and sign off for now.
Please let me know how you are all doing.. and I look forward to hearing from all of you. I wish everyone a painfree day.. take care. Tammy
Last edited by Justoneofus; 06-17-2006 at 09:24 PM.
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Carol.. I hope that the screws aren't loose and that is what the doc thought it was.. scar tissue breaking loose a bit. Do you only go back if you don't improve? When's your next appointment.
I go back in 4 weeks for my follow-up. Chat agan soon. Take care Carol! Tammy
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hello every one! Well, I am still being really careful. I started getting the Sciatica in my Butt adn asked if I could go back on the Neurontin (since i did ok on it prior to surgery). So, the sciatica hasn't been a problem since I went back on it. My Ortho. said the XRays look good so he really wanted me to see the Neuro. I'll be seeing her on the 26th.
I am able to walk just under a mile and I am going to have my daughter drive me to wallmart, to se if I can walk farther if it's in air conditioning and on flat ground. I really want to walk more than I am able to and it's a bit frustating...but I am taking it slow.
I am aiming to go back to P/T work in 2 weeks. (10 wks post op). I guess that is when I am going to attemt driving .
Thanks for the thread...It has made it easy to find out how everyone is doing w/o having to read a lot of seperate threads
Well, can't sit any more, so I will check back later today to see how others are doing.
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hi Lorie,
The neurontin has been a life saver for me, I think(can't remember too much) rofl!!! no really it has been my salvation, I can't imagine what I would be feeling with out it. We(dr. and I ) discussed me coming off it, thats way down the road still, but at least it's being brought up.
Glad to hear you seem to moving along well. Your welcome about the thread, I can't sit at puter too very long either right now, I thought this was the best way to see how all of you are doing. Our walking club walks about a mile twice a week, I'm not the slowest one there now, I can pass the 83 yr old with a hip replacement now! rofl!!! I'm not kidding either.
Good luck with PT, I have to go ahead to start my exercises as soon as the new pain quiets down for good. I'm not going to a therapist due to the countless times I have been in the past, I can teach them by now. Just need to get a new swiss ball (cats!!!).
I do miss driving so much, I have not driven at all since before Nov. I understand you wanting to get back to that.
Good Luck & God Bless
Carol
__________________
"Thru every dark corner is a door to a new light"
(Dana Reeve)
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hiya Ladies:
Glad to hear everyone is at least in good spirits here. Thanks for starting the thread, Carol, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that that POP you felt was just Snap and Crackle looking for their buddy.
I am doing okay considering, but have also noticed I started upping the meds again because the pain is coming back. I think sometimes I forget to be as careful as I should be -- or, perhaps, I have just been more active lately. In any event, I am spending more time in the car, which is not a good thing. My folks are staying with me now because my dad is sick and came to NY for treatment. It's over an hour's drive there and even though I am the passenger it still takes it toll. Needless to say, I have mom, ailing dad and my bro living with me now and it's been a tad ... er ... stressful. I return to work right after the 4th of July and look forward to that.
I've lost around 10 more lbs since the surgery, and am being so conscious of my posture and pulling in my belly/standing stratight at all times. I stand so straight now, I have shoulders I didn't know I had.
I am frustrated that the pain is not completely gone yet, but thankful that I feel so much better. Here's wishing you all a pain-free (one can hope!) week ahead. G'night ladies, Schragie
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Evening All.
Schragie, you are so loving to open your home for your family in their time of need. I hope that your dad's treatment goes well and that it works for him.
I am wondering when you say your pain is coming back.. is it like the sciatic buttock pain? Cuz that is what I am having.. though it's not the tight hamstring pull as before.. the pain in on the extreme lower back and buttock area (& progressively getting worse it seems). I have the nerve pains on/off in legs.. but it's a different pain from before the surgery.. so I assume that is the nerves being a bit angry, but I was wondering if my pain symptoms are similar to yours. We are hoping PT will help and that L5 isn't on it's way out. (Doc thinks it's too early to do an MRI). So I hope PT will be the answer.
Take care, hang in there with the home adjustment thing, and that traveling in the car and being tired.. might be good thing.. help condition you a tad for going back to work. I worked last week tues/thurs 1/2 days. Was quite sore from that. This week gonna do the 1/2 days again, but together, wed/thurs and see how that goes. I have a very full week so it will be interesting to see how the body copes with it all. I will let you know, and I look forward to hearing whether or not we are having similar issues with pain right now. Schrag.. don't forget to take care of you with your family being there.
Night ladies. Have a good monday.. mine starts bright and early with PT and I am a night owl.. ughh!!! See ya! Tammy
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Schragie, congrats on the weight loss, how....are you doing it? I am trying but having a very rough time getting the scale to go down, any tips that might help? Thanks,
brenwill
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hi,
Schragie, what a wonderful thing your doing by taking in your family. I second the advice that tammy gave about taking care of yourself too. It's nce to hear your doijng better, but I am so sorry that your still in pain too. I do hope your dad gets well soon. Great news about the weight loss, it's a hard thing to accomplish with pain.
So glad that you all have replied to this thread. It's nice to hear how you are all doing.
Good Luck & God Bless
Carol
__________________
"Thru every dark corner is a door to a new light"
(Dana Reeve)
Last edited by mamakitkat; 06-19-2006 at 10:33 AM.
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hi Ladies!
Had my first PT session bright and early this morning. The Therapist looked about my son's age.. boy im getting old!! He looked like a kid!! hehehe. Anyway.. he definitely knows his craft. He showed me some exercises to do at home each day to start out which I will do starting upon waking in the morning. And then again before bed. He found a way to easily exercise the lower stomach muscles.. that I used to another way before I hurt myself. I like this guy!! He is hoping this will help strengthen things and get me on the road to a faster recovery and keeping all body parts crossed that I can.. that it's not the L5 crapping out now.
Then I went for my polygraph today! I have never had one.. so it was weird and cool all at the same time. None of the questions were odd in nature at all, but at the end.. he said that he did see a few things, but nothing they would lose any sleep over. I didn't question the guy, as I knew it wouldn't do me any good, but I answered all the questions truthfully, so I guess some of the questions.. maybe my body was reacting to in questioning them. Dunno, but I still was totally honest through the whole thing.. no reason to not be. The process was still really cool! And I think that is the end of my processing, though there may still be some background stuff to do. Now I am scared they will want me on the job SOON! I would like to have 2 more months or more to get better, but when they say.. now.. I have to take it. It's too wonderful an opportunity to pass up.
I have tomorrow day to unwind a tad.. then off to take my boyfriend to Washington DC to see Monty Pythons Spamalot! We love plays.. but that is quite a ride from here.. and then I work on Wed/Thu. Then PT again on Friday.. BUSY BUSY. hope the body holds up and a good trial for the back. I will let you know how things go.
How is everyone doing? Carol.. the walking.. any more popping or pain? Lorie.. you go back to work soon..full/part time.. are you ready? how's your pain level? Waiting for a follow up from Schragie. Has anyone seen SuzyQ lately.. wonderin how she is doing too?
Take care.. and maybe each week, one of us can start a new thread.. so we don't bung up the server and can easily keep up with each other. Thanks Carol for starting this.. I have yet to start one of these and was contemplating doing so.. but I am so glad you beat me to it!
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hello,
I am checking in. I found out that my burning hot dry feet are a result of damage to my sympethetic nerve chain during surgery. my feet cant sweat anymore and this will be permanent. My back is doing well. It does get tired by evening though. I am to start back to work in about a week for 4 hours a day. I am off all meds. The horrible sunburned feeling in my feet has left. I am very upset about my sympethetic nerve damaga as I have not found anyone that has had that happen. I am told that I am fused. It doesnt hurt when I sneeze or cough so I would have to say that I am better but the foot issues were not a good trade off. I do still read a lot here. I hope you will get some good news from your doc and relief from the nerve pain soon.
Take Care
Sheri
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hi Sheri, Sorry to hear about the nerve damage you sustained. Hopefully the hot foot will stay away and It's wonderful news that you are fused. Off all meds.. that is fantastic to hear! Going back to work is an adjustment and I started back last week 2 days part-time. But unfortunately.. I am having problems with L5 we think and L4 was fused 9 weeks ago & will need to go back full-time real soon and with a new job too (I hope I can do the job.. I want/need it very badly). Hope it gets better, cuz it's like dejavue all over again with the sciatic region pain, just haven't gotten the tight hamstring pull yet. It is somewhat of a never ending story, but I have had bouts since age 18 and am now 44.
Please let us know how you do going back to work. Take care. Tammy
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hello everyone,
I will let you all know how going back to work goes. I also forgot to tell you that I started PT and have extremely tight hamstrings and am working very hard on this. At this point I dont feel I am getting anywhere with them but I keep trying. I didnt have tight strings before surgery. I do have a desk job for the most part with traveling and some field work but will be on light duty for 4 hours a day and then I will increase by 1 hour per week till I get to 8 hours a day.
justoneofus,
I had L4-S1 fused, and my L4 was not that bad and I went round and round on whether to do it or wait. I decided the morning of surgery to just do it and be done. I am so glad that I did because, I think I would be in the same boat as you with your L5. I do not want to go through this again. I mentally couldnt take it. Maybe pt would help you.
Take Care
Sheri
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hiya Ladies.
Glad to hear your sunburned feet are better Sheri. I still have burning at my ankle and some pain, but I don't think it is worsening so that's good. I have been quite active with my family staying with me so am glad not to be driving around today. Tammy -- you sound incredibly busy and I'm glad you're going to have some fun -- I heard Spamalot was great.
I am finally able to shave my legs without straining so that's good for everyone around me!
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hey Carol,
i was so glad to hear your update!!!!!
Sed rate still high rhumy still working on cotail mix for me. I now see a pain management doc ( nurologist) and he is great. He accepts all the labs from all the other docs and manages the pain stuff . My activites are still very limited but i have pretty much accepted what i can and can't do.
Sometimes i pop in here when i feel as if i can contribute, otherwise off doing other things .
/wave
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hi Carol...
Been busy trying to get into school fighting with the gov about student financing and have to appeal my SSD claim. Having leg and lower back pain ( new) and ab muscles been spasusiming ( any clues anybody why_) Ab pain too. The tropical storm put me under all week could feel it comming new but expected. Poor hubby was needed at home and all over OrlandoLOL. Hoping we get no hurricanes this year. I'm unhapy with my dr seems he thinks I can work going to get a second oppinion..thinking he wants to do sergery weather I want to or not and hurt me with SSD. Love to you all
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hi all--Well I've been having an up and down type of day. I am nervous about going back to work, although they have told me to take my time and when I come back I can do just what ever I can do. But I am afraid that I am going to feel good and the over do it. Plus, once my office workers see me doing something, they will expect me to do it all the time. So, I just have to be really careful. My P/T is ending next week and I am a bit nervous about that too. I have made a lot of progress but I still have far to go. I am having to retrain my right leg muscles to take a step...it is just like learning to walk all over again.
On the up side of things, I went all day without any meds. I felt bearable pain around 1pm and by 7 I went ahead and took one of my night pills. That is really good. And as for P/T..I started out not being able to lift either foot on my own to climb up the steps that get me outside of my house and now I can climb the 2 flights and walk a mile.
Zoey1-I'm glad you have a pain Dr. that you like. I wish I could get to the point of accepting what I can and can not do. I was at that point after my last surgery, but this time I'm still asking is this it for me or is it going to get a little better. I don't want to accept that this is it
Bunnytrail-we are a lot alike. I am also taking classes and am working w/ my fin. aid. person. Luckly the FAFSA that you have to fill out, I had already done that when my dauhter went to college. So I already had a pass word to do it and that sped up the process a little.
Sheri-Just for your info. my hamstrings were so very tight, that it was really painful. I've been doing P/T for 3 weeks (3 days a wk.) and they are no longer tight. So, good luck with the P/T and I hope you have a good therapist.
To everyone else I wish you all a good night sleep, or the best that you can
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Greetings To You, Good People!
Goodness but I have missed chatting. I will be heading off to Boston by noon time today. Surgery at noon tomorrow. I have had a very difficult past 2 weeks and it all added up to a hell of a sprint at the end of a very long race.
My back has been its usual. Thank Godfrey for that because I haven't had any pain meds but Tylenol! And that is because I decided I wanted to quit the Ultram since I just never felt good on it and it wasn't helping the pain too much. Well, I stopped it on a Wed and by Thursday I was most miserable! Found out I shouldn't stop so sbruptly so I went back and started to taper off. Meanwhile I have been taking iron supplements and it amounted to a fierce 'ICK'. I saw my PCP who took blood samples for a full panel but the intial finger stick looked real good so I stopped the iron pills. None the less, my surgeon put my surgery on hold pending the blood work up results. Monday morning I got a call that all was good and all set to go. Less than an hour later they called back to say a mistake had been made and my anemia was still 'a problem'. So I am back on the iron supplement. Finally, yesterday I got the OK again and the surgeon said they'll take care of any issues 'thru a line'. Transfuse? IV therapy?
Mixed in with this has been a mounting anxiety. This is much worse than what I have ever experienced pre-surgery. Maybe part of the Ultram withdrawal, I don't know, but it has made sleeping very difficult and I hardly can eat a thing. We all have gone over various med that I might be Rx'ed for pain or sleep but I declined because I really didn't want to throw another wild card into the mix this close to surgery. So, I have been white-knuckling it, as the saying goes.
I have always been pretty 'sensitive' to meds and this cetainly underscores that. Not a pleasant 2 weeks. But it is over now. No work and all else is just about in order. Once I get to the hospital, I think I'll finally be able to relax.
Say, I have already received my electronic bone growth stimulator! It was a bit of a tommyshaw! Late Monday, a young man called to try to set up a meeting for Tuesday. It was sure easier for him to come to my office so we set that up. I was, of course, booked to the rafters for my last day so I was thinging 'Good grief, this ought to be a hoot'! And it was. Five minutes before he arrived, my husband called to tell me he was in town and the windshied of his truck had just cracked in half! He had to leave the truck to get fixed so he'd walk over to my office and, oh, you'd better call the dog-sitter cuz they'll need a walk!" The moment I hung up I was paged to the lobby because a very dear friend had arrived for a farewell lunch visit.
But the really exciting thing was meeting the medical equipment dude. The unit was not anything like I expected. Imagine two empty picture frames. Empty, no glass. Then turn them into a flexible, fabric covered medical looking device connected to each other with adjustable straps. One frame goes against the lower back and the other across the tummy. They clip together and that's the whole of it. Oh, there is a control on the front and it has smart memory. But no electrodes! No non-remote control that has to be put in a pocket. It is going to attract attention - for sure, but it will be so much less work than I anticipated.
The funny part is great though. You know I work in the State labs? Well, we have very strict rules about lab coats and other protective equipment (scrubs) and so on. Lab coats are not allowed in common areas - at all. I have been properly horrified during my trips to Boston to see people in surgical scrubs (masks hanging down and booties still on) walking the streets and eating lunch! I have been assured that this is typical of major medical areas. I have assurred all that it is outrageously unsanitary a practice and one we wouldn't tolerate for a second! I specifically and generously told my surgeon how I feel about this. So I go to meet my guy in the lobby and isn't he wearing full scrubs? !!!! To walk him down the hallways of my lab was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I'll never hear the end of it from my co-workers, either!
I must go. You are all in my heart. Please take good care of yourselves and keep making those steady investments in your own health and recovery. I'll see you on the other side of this ordeal. Till then -Suzy-Q
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you?
Hey, Ya'll.
Sure glad I found this thread so I could catch up on everyone. I've been blowin' and goin' with various doctors' appointments lately. My primary care on the Wcomp lumbar injury (Aug.'05) finally took x-rays of my neck (that began bothering me a few weeks after the lumbar injury (Sept'05)) and found that I have severe DDD in my cervical spine and upper thoracic spine (what should on the x-rays, along with the original lumbar DDD, spondy at L2-3 and herniation(s), esp. L5-S1. So he added my neck to my chart saying I had strained it as well and he sent me back to PT and I got a few sessions in before WC pulled the plug.
On the advice of the WC Designated Doctor from last February, I've tried everything a monkey could do to a coconut to get into a neurologist here in Houston, even Baylor and UT, but no go. WC won't accept responsibility. No one here wants to take my insurance.
Anyway, where a door closes, God will always open a bigger and better door. Next month, the 12th, I'm going to up-state New York (the insurance is out of New York) to see a neurologist and have the tests to determine if I have MS or some other neurological problem in addition to the spinal injury and DDD, etc. The really good thing is that this neurologist is part of a medical group of specialists from various fields and he can draw on their expertice if needed to make a dx and tell me why the head tremors, etc., that aren't accounted for by the spinal problems and the Chronic Fatigue & Fibromaylgia that another doctor recently dx "in addition to whatever [I'm] facing neurologically."
The e-stim unit, Topomax, Ultram, Zanaflex, Lidoderm patches, Wellbutrin and Trazadone combination is working well to manage my pain most of the time as long as I pace myself and get plenty of rest. At least it keeps it down to a dull roar. When I go overboard or flare, I have other things in my "toolbox" that usually help keep me out of the ER.
I pray that none of us will have to be here much longer; that someone will come up with a miracle cure for all spinal disorders and chronic pain.
By the way, has anyone heard from Moonlight? I pray she is doing well as she was so down the last time I heard from her.
Suzy, best wishes for a good surgical outcome and a speedy recovery, even if you don't see this until later. The rest of you, take care and remember, don't let anybody or anything steel your joy. It's all in the attitude. These tough situations may knock us down, but they cannot knock us out!
I started slowly increasing my activity since the loud POP a few weeks ago. I did my first neighborhood walk yesterday with our walking club, well I'm very sore today. Unfortunatly that spot that was hurting started to flare up a bit. I'm gonna keep s-l-o-w-l-y building back to where I was before the POP and see how it goes. It really is beginning to scare me since it feels so much like the lose screws I had a few yrs. ago. I sure hope it's not!
I've been flared up myself. I went for my 8 week check. Explained I have been having sciatic pain on both sides and it was really bad when I was seeing him last week. He said that it could be the bulging disc L5 which he chose to leave alone since it didnt seem to be bothering me at all then. BUT, he said "do not throw in the towel yet", as it it is way too early to tell if it's the bulging disc or the fusion recovery causing the pain. He wants to give it time, make me comfy as I can be (insisting that I stay coherent) put me back on Celebrex (1st time post surgery), which works well for me, and I start PT on monday. He said if the nerve pain really gets to me, he could be put me on some of the anti-depressant meds.. to try and see if they help, but would make me very tired and out of it. Which I can not afford.. so I told him NO to those. It's bad enough my body is hurting like this right now, I can't afford for my mind to be off too. I go for my polygraph exam this Monday..and I would imagine.. it won't be long after that.. my secret clearance will be done..and they bring me on board, full-time. I am hoping my body will cooperate with this. I mapped out where my new job will be and get this... less than 9 miles door to door! My current commute one way is 63 miles. So, I am hoping thisw therapy works and reduces the pain, so I can work my new job. My new job is fully aware that I have had back surgery.. so I am sure they wont be asking me to move stuff around.. cuz then I have to say.. sorry I can't do that right now.. remember.. back surgery.. 
Re: Tammy, Sheri, Schragie, Lorie, Suzy-Q and anyone I may have missed: How are you? 
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