Diane's surgery blog

[ellecincos1]

Diane its nice to hear from you it must feel kind of a relief to be on the other side Now its time to heal I'm glad you mentiond the discogram I've read how so many people have a big fear about having it done.

To all of you out there discograms only hurt for a few seconds just imagine being very uncomfortable for a little while before and afterwards and thats it.... its over!!! Don't let other people scare you

Take care,
Myriam

[mwmc76]

Mark and Diane, you sound a little "cautiously optimistic" like things are almost going toooo well ! Your description of how well Diane is doing is an exact duplicate of my experience. I actually can't remember any pain and they only gave me something like tramadol after I came off the pump. I had gone over mentally prepared for a few days of recovery pain, but it never came. I contribute that to Dr. B and the great care given there in Bogen hospital.
I only share this so you can rest in the fact that someone else has been there too. So relax and enjoy the recovery walks around Straubing. Thanks for keeping us updated.
Mark (Tennessee)

[Todd W]

Hi Diane and Mark as well as the rest of the iSpine community.

Diane, I'm very happy your surgery went well and I'm wishing you all the best to a speedy recovery. Don't let your coach experiment with you. Mark's been hinting about bungee jumping as a work-up for the two of you to be the first tandem ADR husband/wife parachute team. As for the Brat and Kraut, you know the dangers of going there.

Get well soon and keep us informed when the opportunity is available.

[Cheryl]

Great to hear from you Diane. I had the same experience with with you on the discogram pain. As soon as I felt the pain it was over. (I had 10mg diazepam prior).

Walking half the platz is a big deal!!! Good for you.

Cheryl

[Hucky :)]

Diane,

I am so glad things are still progressing well. Thank you for posting about the discogram. I too am absolutely terrified at the thought of (maybe) having one done and your experience is very reassuring, should this ever be necessary.

What a beautiful town to be recovering in. It looks wonderful from the photos that have been posted. If you do some more trips out, I'd love to see more of you recovering with the lovely scenery as a backdrop.

Keep on smiling

Hucky

[Diane]

My day started early with a spectacular sunrise. I wasn't really ready to wake up, but when I opened my eyes and saw the the sky, I had to get out of bed and take a closer look.


I guess I didn't overdo yesterday because I'm still moving pretty well. At breakfast I was amazed by how much more comfortable I was than yesterday. I didn't need to rest after breakfast, so we went out and walked the entire stadtplatz. I napped most of the afternoon, not because I was uncomfortable, but I just feel the need for more sleep since the surgery. It was warm and sunny today and it felt so good with the windows open and a cool breeze blowing through the room. In the late afternoon, we went out again and walked about twice the length of the stadtplatz and wound up having to walk up a hill.

My incision has been hurting a bit more today. I guess it's partly because of the brace, partly because of my increased activity and also because I'm wearing regular clothes again. I think I'll go back to warm-up pants! I don't know how everyone is wearing jeans after their lumbar surgeries.

I made it out to Zum Geiss for another Zander special. Mark went down and ordered so I wouldn't have to sit for so long. Meals out here can take all night and half the next day! By the end of the meal, I was starting to get some minor low back pain; nothing bad. After the busiest day we've had so far, I'm pleased that I've stayed within my limits and am making such good progress every day.

Time for another nap!

Diane

[danab]

I'm glad you are both doing well. I don't care if you are close to spine patients or not. It is different when it is someone you love. that is why surgeons are not supposed to work on someone they are close to even if they are the best surgeon for the job. It's been a while for you to be that close to someone.

[ans]

Wow, what a great picture. Diane, you do not look like patient! Best, Allan

[mmglobal]

Just a few notes...

In the discography, I did not yell - YOOHOO, she's a 2-level. I was not "happy that she'd get a 2-level"... it just that I was pleased that we would not be facing difficult decisions based on ambiguous test results. I the early days of ADR, we were very worried about multi-level procedures. While I'd rather face a smaller surgery if possible, being a 2-level does not generate the fear that it used to.



It's after noon on Tuesday. We slept late and had a pleasant breakfast. For 2 days now... Diane has wanted to walk down by the river. I would not let her try that because it's downhill there and uphill back. After breakfast, we walked a path down to the river that I thought she'd tolerate OK. Worst case is we'll call a cab for the ride back. We had a wonderful stroll... about an hour. Google earth says it's 1.5 miles... the loop down to the river... along the length of the stadtplatz... up the stairs next to the bridge... up to the gate opposite the Theresientor... then the full length of the town square.



Nice morning... she said her incision hurt a bit when we were done. No back, hip, leg pain now except for some hip soreness that may be remenant positioning on the table pain. Legs feel a bit tired and by the time we came back, she resisted the urge to window shop... save that for later... be smart and rest. She's in the process of reducing her meds too... so things are still going well.



All the best,

Mark

PS... see other post about lump on abdomen... nothing big, just an interesting discussion.
Egg shaped lump on abdomen after surgery?

[Cheryl]

Diane,

You look fabulous!!! I never saw the river post surgery - couldn't make it that far. I'm so happy this is going so well for you.

I still haven't been wearing jeans - although my incision is primarily healed there is a small part on the bottom of it that gets aggravated when I wear jeans if I don't cover it. So, sweats it is!!

Cheryl