Here I go, my 3 level Activ-L story begins

[joemonfl]

Good morning. Guess what? I made it!!!! Wew wew! Cut just like a melon.

I felt at 50 and a athlete for so many years, that this was a good time for the surgery. I think that has helped my recovery.

Fri of surgery was rough, Dr Zeegers replaced 3 levels or discs and I'm now about 3 cm taller.

Sat wasn't much better and up til Sunday afternoon I was in pretty bad shape. The back pain is basically gone. But having the new found height is stretching my body up and I have to get used to that so other parts are sore, hips, etc.

Under the TMI heading but good advice, The belly gas was horrible, when they moved my insides to get to the discs,it shuts down the bowel action, so as I recover, parts start working at different times and gas builds up. They were going to give me a laxitive overnight but I couldn't make that, so I asked for a supository and viola, the gas went down and things started working again. Big wew wew! :0) Once the belly got better my pain level went down a lot. Those tummy urges shortened Marks visit when he came by to check on me, but nice seeing a friendly face.

Sunday I even got to listen to the jags game against the steelers on the radio via the Internet from 7-10:30 at night my time. I was able to concentrate on the game for that long and felt that was progress. It was a good game and made me feel a little closer to home.

But how do I feel? Really pretty good. I get surprised when I get up from a chair and my low back doesn't hurt, it has for so long. Mornings before took me about 1-2 hours to straighten up, not now. I'm a little sore in the hips but overall pretty good. Yesterday I walked to Dr Bohm's (sp)offiice upstairs. Oh the meds and procedure I think blurs your memory so taking some notes on names is a good idea.

It's cold here, about 29 today. A far cry from the 80's in florida that I left.
Sunrise is around 8:30am and sunset is around 3:30pm, also way different than Florida.

I should be here in hospital today and perhaps Tues or by Tues they may move me to the hotel, I haven't heard yet.

am I happy? oh heck yea. Is this major surgery? Oh yea, and Dr Zeegers is one outstanding surgeon. With this result, even though it is early,I wouldn't have gone anywhere else.

[dshobbies]

Joe,

How wonderful for you. I'm so glad you're pleased with your decision and even more so that you're feeling so good. Please remember that as you feel better day by day to take it slowly. Pushing yourself serves the opposite purpose during this healing period.

Happy holidays to you and to all. What a happy holiday for you!

Dale

[joemonfl]

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for all your good wishes. The last few days have really flown bye. (thankfully) And I hate to say this, because it is early and everyone will react differently to surgery, but it really has not been bad at all. Especially when I remember the pain I was in at times, just laying on the couch with the tv on, hoping the night would be over soon.

Certainly everyone is incredibly pleased with my 3 level progress and there is no one else to thank other than Dr Z.

Sorry Laura we missed each other, I'll be here til the 26th, so if you'd like PM me for contact info. But I'm pretty ok thank you for offering. My ex wife and daughter are coming thursday to make this into a more memorable experience. Kind of strange not being home for xmas.

Thanks also to Mark for checking up on me (I'm not one of his clients either) and I really have much more personality Mark than what you've seen

Well I was discharged today from the AK to the sheraton arabellapark (very nice btw though no wifi in the rooms and they charge 17 euro's a day for hi speed internet access ). It has been a long day and I haven't gotten to rest all day so I am very worn out.

Today was physical therapy, massage and checkout. (The girls are still very pretty) That is only 4 days from a late Friday surgery, I'm still amazed.

Still no real back pains other than my my body adjusting to being 3cm taller, which is uncomfortable in the hips. I did as much preop stretching as i could.

This has not been pain free so here is an idea of meds, the first couple of days was the depro drip I think it was, followed later by 3 morphine shots. Then I saw Dr Blome who changed my meds to 100mg of tramadol 3x a day, voltaren a nsaid 2x, nexum 1x, to calm the stomach and one with codene 3x I'm not familiar with. I function fine and as things calm down I'll back off the meds. I was never on some of the real heavy duty pain killers at home but was lucky in that i work from the house and could lay down as needed but of course my work & personal life really did suffer.

I know this is a small private clinic (maybe 10 rooms in the spine section I was in) and is by no means inexpensive, but to the very last person, everyone has been so nice and helpful.

Fuzzy it was funny because after chating with you, during my consult with Dr Z, I asked him how he decides to use adr or cage and mentioned a patient he just worked on. He was surprised I knew you and was very happy about your outcome

Tonight is my first night back in the hotel which will be great, but I certainly will miss that buzzer and the nurses that walk in.

[mmglobal]

Hey Joe... glad you are still doing great. I was hoping to stop by Tuesday on my way out of Munich, but I had a problem with the car and wound up in a mad dash to the airport.

Keep it up... be smart about your activities... ramp them up slowly. Don't go hog wild because you feel good... if you were at home, you would not go to Disneyland!

Take care... all the best...

Mark

[joemonfl]

Thanks Mark, I did pay for it the day after discharge and am letting my daughter and her mom do the touring (and they are beat).

Unlike others the more I walked the more sore my muscles got. My hamstrings are soooo tight due to the new height and as i'm stretching post op, I'm doing better. Laying on my back pre op, I could get to 90 degrees, post op, just 35. massage helps.

Last 2 nights sleep have been great, no more tossing and turning and walking up from pain, either pre or post op. pre op, 6 hrs sleep was a great night, the day my daughter flew in, I slept for, I'm embarrassed to say, 12 hours.

[ans]

Good luck to you as you're progress sounds great. Btw, Dr. Carl Lauryssen in LA really liked the Active-L disc.

Take care - Allan

[joemonfl]

Hi Everyone, hope you all had a merry xmas.
I'm back in Florida and today I am 2 weeks post op. I never thought I'd feel this good again.

The trip from Munich to Philly on US Air was pure hell. About a 10 hour flight which is hard enough, but US Air does not have fully reclining seats in business/first class such as the ones on Lufthansa. That would have made it much easier. (US Air cancelled my flight at the gate from Jacksonville, Fl to Philly so they rebooked me the next day on Lufthansa through Charlotte)

I would STRONGLY suggest: finding the shortest flights, avoiding airports with long delays, and fly at least Business class with an international carrier like Lufthansa, it will cost you more but on the way back, will be worth every penny.

I got home Wed at midnight after being up for about 23 hours and it was so nice to be back in my own bed. (But would not mind seeing those german nurses again.)Still getting over the jetlag but back is feeling great.

Before I left a could manage a walk with my German Shepherd of about an 1/8 mile with pain. This morning he got his first mile walk, in over 3 years, and was very surprised. That was two of us. The back muscles are getting much more used to the new implants and soreness is getting less.

Pain meds are tramadol 50, arthritis formula tylenol and flexeril.

**Oh one negative about the operation.** I got in my car to drive to the grocery store when I got back and since I am now 3cm taller, my head hits the roof, looks like I better go truck shopping next.

Happy New year everyone.
Joe