L4/L5, L5/L6 (S1) Prodisc-L - treefrog (aka Cathy)

[treefrog]

Well, this coming Tuesday will be 4 weeks post-op, and I still can't believe how well I am doing . That aching I had in my legs is gone, I now think it might have been a side effect of the lorazepam. I haven't taken it, and I have slept on my side, which were two things I thought might have been causing it, and that pain is gone.

I still sleep more than normal, but I figure that is par for the course. I go to sleep around 11, and don't wake up until 9 or 9:30. Though I don't typically take a nap, today was an exception, and it was only a slight bit of dozing really.

I really don't have pain, though I was more uncomfortable yesterday afternoon, and last night. Even this morning I was still feeling it, but this evening I am feeling better. I took amitiptyline last night, to help me sleep. I am still taking pain meds, 20 mg Opana-ER 2xday and ~7.5 mg oxycodone 3xday, but I've already cut down my gabapentin to 300 mg 1xday (from 4xday pre-op). I am only waiting to see my PM doc on Monday to start tapering off the pain meds. I will need a lower dose Opana-ER, and find out how long to stay at each reduced dose. I don't think the oxycodone will be as difficult, and I think that will be after the Opana, but I'll see what the PM says.

Before surgery, I thought that my day would be spent sleeping a lot, or at least laying down a lot. With short walks to break up my day. I did not think I would be sitting at all. But, since getting back from Germany, I pretty much only sleep at night. I sit at the computer, and I lay down on the futon in the living room, but I get up much more than I every would have thought to be doing. I can walk farther than I ever thought I would be doing post-op, and that was something I did a lot of in the days post-op in Germany. I am just super amazed.

I am not concerned about my ability to go back to work. But I still plan on waiting, to let my body heal. Because even though I am feeling great, I know that my body still has a lot of work to do. Now, I am hoping that the job I want will be there when I am ready to go back to work. I guess I do worry a little bit, will I be able to sit all day (well with short breaks to get up and walk around), since I do break up my sitting now with laying down or walking. But, it isn't even 4 weeks yet, I'm sure I will be feeling even better in the weeks ahead.