Re: successful fusion

In Reply to: Re: successful fusion posted by marcy on February 08, 2000 at 20:32:33:

Marcy,
Hello again. My surgeon was Dr. Robert McLain at The Cleveland Clinic. After months of searching for a surgeon my mom and I felt comfortable with, we knew he was the one as soon as he walked into the exam room. Dr. McLain is more like a human being/friend than he is a stuck on himself, too busy to say mroe than 5 words to you, all about money doctors. He sat down with us and thoroughly explained EVERYTHING, answered question after question, and gave us reason to trust and believe in him. I am only 19 years old, so finding a good surgeon we respect was a very important thing to me. If at all possible, depending on your location, I would definitly suggest giving him a chance. I think you would be very please. The waiting list to see him is sometimes 2-3 months from when you call, so if possible, calling right away would be a good idea. The number to the Cleveland Clinic is 1-800-223-2273 and then just ask for Dr. McLain's appointment desk.
My surgery was 3 weeks and 2 days ago and I am doing wonderful. I was fused L2-L4. I am back at school, however I did have to withdraw from a few classes so I wouldn't be under too much pressure to get caught up which could slow down recovery. I work as a one on one therapist for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities and I am planning on returning to work March 7th.
I was on a PCP(patient controlled pump)filled with morphine. I could have 1 gram of morhpine every 6 minutes and this controlled my pain without a doubt. The only thing it didn't help was the occasional stinging felt at the site of my incision. After Morphine, I was put on Perkeset and now I am on Vicodin. Both of which have controlled my pain and kept it at an absolute minimum. The staff at The Cleveland Clinic is terrific. I would definintly feel comfortable going back there if need be. I was checked on every hour during the day, and every 2 hours during the night. During the night they would have to wake me up to take blood pressure and temerature.
I was only in the hospital for 4 days and since I've been home my recovery has been remarkable. My fusion was done with titanium cages and chips of bone from my hip, opposed to steel rods and screws. The new BAK cages as they are called are truely a blessing from God. They are an improvement in EVERY way possible. If you have any questions or comments, just respond on the board or you can e-mail me at Love2Flip@aol.com
God Bless~Sara