Dascor Nucleus Replacement

[nurse4kids02]

well i am 16 weeks post op now... i go back to dr. regan in 2 weeks for my follow up.
i am back to work as a nurse for 4 hours a day... and right now that is enough. i come home and take a nap!! after being off work for 2 years, and surgery only 16 weeks ago... its tough!!! but its getting better.

leg pain is gone most of the time.. i got new shoes, and they have alleviated almmost all my back pain, knee, hip, feet pain......(see my posting under shoes).

still have numbness on my left leg, top area, groin, and bladder... but that is still left over from surgery... just hope it goes away soon!!!

standing is what is really bothering me. sitting has became WAY better, and walking is better than it was... but that standing is horrible!!!!!!

overall... i am pleased. now if i can just get work comp issues taken care of, then things will be well.

i do only have 40 more calendar days to get back to full time job which for me is 12 hour shifts... so not sure if i can hit that goal... i have to come back with no restrictions..and lifting is so hard!!!! Dr regan has me on a 30lb limit right now... not sure if that is gonna be forever or what.

anyone have insite on that? i think most ba ck surgeries have lifting restrictions?

i would love to hear from anyone with the dascor replacement....

[Maria]

After my initial back injury in '82 I went from working in Neurosurgery to Preemie Nursery because it was all I could tolerate in terms of lifting. I couldn't even handle the NICU shifts so stayed in Level II nursery as they were 8 hours but couldn't work in well nursery since that was normal weight infants which at 8 lbs plus were too heavy for me on a consistant basis!

I was in a MSN program (Family Practice NP) at the same time because I knew I had to get out of staff nursing/hospitals into ambulatory care in which I lasted another 10 plus years and two spine surgeries....

I don't know if you'll get released entirely off your lifting restrictions but for myself, after my first discectomy when I felt good to go and able bodied, that didn't last long in terms of what I thought I could lift in comparison to what I could safely lift w/o consequences.. and I think I was predisposed to this additional weakness because of the L5S1 discectomy. L4 went nearly 2 years later. L3 has been disrupted for many years/annular tear and troublesome supposedly tho not concordant for pain on discograms.

I never made it back to 12 hour shifts after my original injury. Can't stand long enough in one place, be on my feet that long, walk that long, sit that long or even combine all 3 to be able to hang with that many hours.

Seems like from many of the spinal success stories post op though I may be rare dinosaur~ maybe my next spine surgery (#3) will be the charm!!!

You will start with a part time re entry won't you? That is how I returned to work after each of my surgeries and the first time it was part time for 3 months and WC paid the remainder of my hours, then the 2nd surgery it was part time for several months as well but that surgery failed so I never returned to full time after that~

As I recall, after the first surgery I was eventually released with no restrictions. The second surgery not turning out so well, I had continuing restrictions but eventually had to beg the doctor to take off all restrictions so I could even keep my part time hours~

[mmglobal]

Hey Melissa... I'm so glad to hear that you are improving and can even work some now. My wife is a nurse and works on a surgical floor with many ortho patients and also gastric bypass patients. I know how physically demanding being a nurse can be.

Regarding standing... you've seen the videos of me skiing and playing tennis. Although I could not sit for 10 minutes before my surgery, I can now sit for hours. However, even at my high functioning level, I still hate to stand still or do the 'museum stroll'. I can do it... I just don't like it. I had 2 posterior surgeries prior to my ADR, so I don't know if I have damage from my DDD, collateral damage from prior surgeries, collateral damage from ADR surgery, or other pain generators that were not addressed by my surgeries.... it does not matter to me. My pain is still so very low compared to what it was. My point in this is that you don't know how good you are going to get... hopefully, you'll keep improving. If you must return to 12 hour shifts, can it be to a position that does not include the intense physical demands of working the floor? If doing so will be too much, I hope that you are in a position to put your spine-health first.

I'll be interested to hear what Dr. Regan says.

Thanks for posting.... I'm excited about many of these new technologies and it's great to have some first-hand experiences here.

Talk to you soon. All the best,

Mark

[ans]

Dr. Regan told me that after a two-level surgery, I should never lift more than 30 lbs. He told me that he used to lift heavy but after seeing so much damage, now he lifts light, many reps for tone/endurance.

ans