Length of hospital stay after fusion - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

Backinthesaddle · 09-30-2005, 07:20 AM

It has been 9 months since I have been on this site, I was off having my darling little boy. Now it is time to think again about having my surgery. I have spinal stenosis at C4-5 (severe cord compression to 6.5 mm) and had a posterior laminectomy in 8/02 for C6-7 and still having all the tricep pain and forearm spasms and cramping. C1-2 rotate and sometimes take awhile to rotate back causing major headaches (can they do anything about that). I also showed a bone spur C7-T1. I need to have a new MRI soon as that one was last October and I am doubting much has changed. I have been feeling better since I had the baby in August and lost 27 of the pounds I gained as I was in complete pain for months. Now since I have been off on FML I have not done anything besides play with my baby and the pain is much less. I do know as soon as I go back to work, try to work out or even think of riding my horses the pain is back as well as the fear of the cord compression. That said here is my question: How long do you stay in the hospital after a single or double fusion? I am breadfeeding and do not want to be away from my baby. This will decide if I put it off until he is 4 mo or I dry up. I stayed only one night after my C6-7 operation because I had to leave and the doc let me. Also how much will I be able to lift? I hate for my boy to be 4 mo and so big I can't lift him for ????? I have a lot of hand and finger pain and arm pain. My neck along the sides of it and to my rotator cuff and then around my shoulder blade hurt. My neck hurts from the top to the big knotted bone of T1. Decisions decisions....If I get it done soon I can stay home with my wee one longer.............Thanks....Kelly

dennisgb · 09-30-2005, 09:46 AM

Hi Back,

I remember you from back before you had the baby. Congratulations!

And you made it without having the surgery.

If you do have surgery, it is like everything else, they kick you out as fast as they can.

I was in for 22 hours for 2 level ACDF.

I think you may want to wait for a while tho, as this will put you down for 2-4 weeks, plus you have to take some heavy duty pain killers for a while...can you breast feed if your on drugs?

Dennis

Backinthesaddle · 10-01-2005, 07:17 AM

Hi Dennis and thanks for responding...yes I can breadfeed on pain meds. I had a c-section and was on a fentanal (sp) pain pump and percocet both OK. I can use a form of Opiate just not a synthetic. I didn't use much pain meds after my laminectomy so I figure I won't here either. I did take hydrocode and flexiril my entire pregnancy due to the pain all approved by doc of course and the baby is perfect.

I hate to wait for two reasons, when he gets heavier I won't be able to lift him and now he is 10 lbs and could lift him after the surgery. Also I can stay off work longer during the early months on injury leave since this is work related. Also I have two years after the injury until they will want some sort of impairment rating. That would be July. And I want more time to find out how I will feel. I was to quick the first time around and now have to dispute the rating from the first surgery with an attorney.

I am thinking since C6-7 still cause me tons of issues that the laminectomy didn't solve the problem and he may need to fuse it too. What do you think? I am also afraid of another car accident and I can't ride my horses since if I get tossed and it has been a year since I rode them last and that may happen I could get permanent damage due to the severe bone spur stenosis.

Strange though I go through days when I think it doesn't hurt bad and I can go longer and then it rears its ugly head again. I still have post pg hormones and figure when they are all gone I am going to really hurt like I did pre pg and during the pg. I hate to have another cervical headache.

kelly

wimpette · 10-01-2005, 08:19 AM

Congratulations! I remember your earlier posts, amazing how quickly the time has passed.

A couple of things you might want to consider if you have a new born. To my way of thinking the hospital stay is a minor consideration - it's usually no more than a day unless you're having a multilevel fusion from the posterior side. However anesthesia medications do affect breast feeding - they can use meds which have less of an effect but the longer the procedure the more is likely to get into the breast milk. Many of the newer and better agents cannot be used if you want to breast feed. Also you might need meds other than simple pain meds post op which could cause a problem.

The other consideration is that for a period of time depending on what you have done, number of levels, fusion or not, you have a definite weight restriction which varies from 5-10lbs initially up to 25lbs for a longer period of time (some of us up to a year). So you'll need to have plenty of help around post operatively.

Good luck in your decision,
W

Backinthesaddle · 10-01-2005, 09:10 PM

Thanks W...I will have to look into the anesthetic part. I didn't even think of that. I wonder how long it stays in your system. This surgery is supposed to be anterior. I am not sure if it will be a single or double fusion until another MRI and my doc gets in to see what is going on with the old surgical area. If I wait then my baby will be bigger and heavier so harder to hold. If I do not sooner he will be under 12 lbs and I can handle that. I know that after my posterior surgery I had to take dh to his drill center two days after as he was deploying overseas for a year. I did all I wasn't supposed to since I was alone like drive, mow, weedeat etc....I felt OK. I figure this one supposedly hurts less and dh is home so I don't need to do anything besides spend my time with the wee one. My MIL is planning on coming to help me out during that time as well as dh taking some time off of work.

I noticed tonight while I was pushing the stroller to church my arms,back and neck really hurt. I just am caught in the middle of pain now or later. I guess I will get the MRI and find out what it looks like a year later.