2nd Major back Surgey Log Blog and Expeirence

[grantwb1]

Hello fellow spinys, my name is Grant. I am lying in a hospital bed in Anaheim memorial hospital. It is day 4 after my l5-s1 revision from a bi-lateral pars fracture repair attempt. Story will bounce around a bit but hopefully some questions will guide me to the things people need to know first. For those that don't know like I didn't look, up the pars fractures then look up pars fracture repair you can tell what my previous problems where.

I will be updating this as I go for others to benefit from this one cause I sure did benefit from this site tremendously. Without this site I would have really made some of the most regrettable decisions of my life. Without this site I would not have found Mark Mintzer who for me is one the most important persons in my entire life. I will try and cover my whole story and hopefully people will ask questions and I can fill it in as I go.

I am 4 days post op from a l5-s1 PILF by Dr.Frank Coufal. Who I absolutely love and trust, he is and absolutely great doc to deal with.Takes all the time you need to answer all your questions, and my Moms and Girlfriend. They really like the guy too. He is sincere and genuinely cares to take his time. I am now off the IV meds and just receive injections and a boat load of narcotic pills with some antibiotics for a fever that they still have no real definite answer for. They say that people coming out of major surgery like this often have fevers for various reasons.

The pain that I had in my right leg felt like heavy pressure that started form my upper butt ran down the back of my thigh then out the side of my calf around to my big toe . My left leg had random pain in the same areas as well. Rarely did I have burning or tingling or numbness. I did have some hellish lower back pain. I was aggravated by sitting and not as much by moving but both could both get just as bad.

Well after this surgery I have found out that my l5 neural canals were absolutely crushed and that I had a ton of scar tissue build up from the hardware that was supposed to hold l5 together while it was supposed to grow back together but did not. It took Dr. Coufal 7.5 hours to due the total surgery, I tell you what it sure felt like he did seven hours of connoisseur bone carpentry on me the days following. It was hardware removal and fusion. The good thing is that Doc said that he thinks that he found and eliminated all of my pain generators which was the instability of the l5 vertebral body and the scar tissue/bone growth from the failed pars repair. OH YA BABY! The first surgery had a scar of about 6-7 inches top to bottom, I think this one is two inches. I have not seen this one but i can tell you the surgeon can make a big difference on how you muscle tissue feels following the surgery. It is only day four and I can tell you my muscles didn't feel this good till like 6 weeks after the last one.

My pain levels coming out the first day were controlled okay I was anywhere from 6-10. Day two was crazy good cause it was the day when I knew I made the right move cause my pain was 7 highest all day. Then that night till all the way to day 4 I was hitting 9-10 a lot. The nurses let my meds lapse and run out at least 3 times for more than an hour plus, which let the pain skyrocket and then the muscles tighten, well yall know the drill.(dilaudid pc pump). I was also on 60 mg of avinza and 3-4 norcos a day for about a year before hand so pain was hard to tackle. I also too was on lyrica which was a god send cause that help with the nerve pain in my legs better than anything else i was taking or had tried.

Getting tired and loopy so I will ramble more and answer more tomorrow

I REALLY DO HAVE LOVE AND COMPASSION FOR ALL OF THE SPINYS I MEET SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE ASK IM IF YOU NEED TO!!!!!

till next entry.. and please if you have advice I would live to hear it!!! I am really scared and hopeful as well!!!

[dshobbies]

Welcome Grant,

I'm glad you found this site and more so that it was a help to you. Many agree with your assessment of Mark. Can't say where my journey would have taken me without him.

You're still in the hospital and under careful supervision. At this time, the only advise I offer is to take is slow and careful. Back surgeries heal better when not pushed too much. Our mantra - slow and steady wins the race.

Good luck in your recovery and please keep us posted.

Dale

[Maria]

Welcome to the forum!
I met Dr.Coufal back in 2006 when the State of CA.appointed him to be my 2nd surgical opinion thru WC and Mark accompanied me to this super important visit re WC.

I too thought Dr.Coufal really nice and very thorough. Mark hit it off with him and I actually feel like this appointment totally went in my favor and largely thanks to Mark ~ and this was really one of the most important recent WC decisions that could be made for me.

While the decision rendered was for a hybrid surgery with fusion at L5S1 and ADR at L4 I was hesitant as I had suffered a failed surgery back in '92 that left me much much worse than I was before the surgery so I've long been scared off of more surgery.

However in the hands of a most excellent surgeon and I do believe that Dr.Coufal is one of them perhaps I might have had a very good chance at excellence with surgery/recovery.

Well, I still have time for more surgeries if the spine still warrents it.. so never say never.

Back to you~ wishing you the absolute best with recovery and take it slow and steady as mentioned and bombs away!!! Hope you do wonderfully!!!

[grantwb1]

Well I am finally home and on the couch as I write this. I did not get to speak with the doc today. I always like the assurance of speaking with him. Making it home was quite a journey. Thank God that I have family helping me, the first surgery i had no idea how disabled I was going to be. I still have only been to one doctor that has actually conveyed to me how bad this was really going to be. I really think that these docs have really taken the cliche its all relative and ran with it when they tell you the effects and the possible outcomes. I almost jumped at one doctor cause the answers he was giving me were just so much more negative that what the rest of the other docs I had seen were saying. This is one of those areas where I really used Mark almost endlessly. He really did help me fish through all the bullshit some of these money collecting doctors were saying.
Well I am waking up really stiff. some meds coffee and a small stroll takes care of that though(not completely). I am now in the all day hunt in trying to find the best resting/sitting/tv/video game position I can find. Man there are a lot of variables to adjust back there to make happy, and ooohhh weee let me tell you that if you twitch wrong it almost feels like you just had a major muscle group removed instantly. The most difficult thing for me is the nerves supposedly waking back up. Well how do I make them filet mignon and eggs with cinnamon rolls? WOW this can eat your brain with the thoughts of what did I do or Is that permanent, or is this going to stay like this and then get worse?!!!!!!!?!!!?!! The doc opened me up quite a bit so I am tryiny to fight off the the tyrannosaurus of runaway paranoia. I am having a pulling nerve pain on the outside back part of my thigh that was not there pre op right now that I am going to ask the doc about. It only happens when I am moving strangely to try and not move the way I am not supposed to

I am now on just oral meds and will call the pain doc first thing Monday morning to re-access. I thought I hated moving up on meds, lol they asked me to move down and I am still cussing them about it. I really wish I could carry around 5 minutes of my pain in pills, would probably get a lot more communicated but would also probably have to carry around diapers and tissue paper for the babies!!!!!!

[dshobbies]

Hey Grant, give yourself a break. After 5 days out, you want to decrease your meds???? The best thing you can do for yourself right now is to stay comfortable. Your recovery is in the infancy stage and you have quite a long way to go. This is not a 6 week and you're good to go surgery Give yourself the time to get there and you'll be grateful. Trying to deal with the pain serves no purpose.

Take the drugs, be grateful for them and try not to be impatient. This can take more time than you're willing to give it which will only create more anxiety. Try to relax.

Be sure to tell you pm doctor everything you're experiencing and try to be open to the recommended drugs.

Dale

[grantwb1]

No, Dale I am not wanting to decrease on my meds. I am still wondering why they first take me off IV meds after two days, then at five days the doctor is sending me home on about the same amount of meds as the day I went in the hospital. I do not understand this. Honestly I am going to have to listen to my PM doc cause she really has taken wonderful care of me for the last year. I was able to work the whole time up to surgery.

Here is a questions for the vets, they gave me these compression leggings that seem to be like wearing steel wool jock strap. They are cold always and do not dry and itch like a MF. Are there any alternatives or remedies to help with these sheeths from hell???? Please help?!?!

[Maria]

Grant,
RE post surgery I wish I had a forum such as this or any other to have posted on because many of my feelngs were exactly what you've written.. Vent away man because what you're saying is totally understood.

Re the compression stockings it sounds like the nerves invovled are really feeling beat up by the pressure or at least feel that way. Have you put in a call to your doctor to let him know how the legs feel w/the stockings on?

I realize what they are for and trying to prevent however torturous they may be tho just want to make sure that your surgeon is aware of your level of discomfort and response to the pressure.

I didn't wear compression stockings long post op first surgery or at all for 2nd so back to the Vet's who has fusion and can tell you all about it.

Wishing you the best even tho it's slo go re recovery here's hoping it gets better soon!

[mmglobal]

Grant, I have some important advice for you....

You'd best be practicing your fade away... nobody drives on me...

(At least not 30 years ago... before you were alive!)

Practice up buddy...

Mark

[grantwb1]

Well I am a few days shy of the one month mark. I still have nerve pain in my right foot/leg that is slow to leave me, and starting to worry me. I also have a clicking/popping sound coming from the right part of my pelvis when I move my right leg a certain way. I am wondering if the screws that the doc replaced in my L5 were big enough to fill the holes that were widened from the last screws slowly coming loose. How can they tell if the screws were big enough? How long can my nerves stay mad and irritated? I am still walking about 10-20 minutes a day. If I did not have the nerve pain I would be out and about and doing so much more. This really does have me frozen with fear of being this way forever. I hope that this is just part of the process.

[dshobbies]

Nerves heal slowly and yes, sometimes not at all but one month out is so early in the nerve department. I am 4 1/2 years out and still see improvment.

It took me 5 months before I could walk without crutches and 6 months before I could give up narcotics. It took a year before I could walk 1 block without my leg giving out. It took 2 years before my life was 'back' and I still have daily, albeit doable, pain. I took Neurontin for 2 years.

Just a few nights ago, I noticed my foot wasn't burning which coincided with a couple of down days but a first.

So while I understand your fears of the possibility of a lifetime of pain, 1 month is not a very practical guide. The B vitamins are supposedly helpful with the nerve healing process but I'm sorry to report that in all probability, you'll have to wait. However, this doesn't mean you should live with pain. Take Neurontin or Lyrica - take whatever helps with the pain. Stay as comfortable as you can.

Unfortunately our minds are very dark. Instead of waiting and seeing, they immediately take us to 'OMG'. I can't assure you your nerve pain will subside with time but experience and reading other's posts have told me time is your friend and your fear is a waste of your energies. Easy to say for me, hard to do for you.

If you want to talk, pm me with your phone number or I'll give you mine. Hearing a pain-free voice might help.

Sending you worry free vibes, Dale

[grantwb1]

I drove to see Avatar with my girlfriend and got dinner afterward, I was out for a total of five hours. Almost all relatively pain free!!!!! I took my normal pain meds but still I felt better than I did two days ago before this. It is so weird how on Friday I hurt so bad I wondered about life. Today was needed!!.

My walking is still the same. My nerve pain is still in my right leg and not consistent on location or intensity. One minute it is bad then the next I almost do not feel it at all. It is mainly in my foot now. The back pain now feels as though the surgery has addressed the problem. I am waking with achy hips. I am still having a general pain in my legs from time to time where both of my legs and lower spine just ache. The right side of my lumbar area is still sore. When I move sometimes my spine feels bruised and some movements are greeted with a weird mental NO! from my body. I am having some pops and clicks which the doc says is normal, I personaly shit myself when I hear these pops, I really do not like them! I really feel like I have taken a large step forward this weekend though. I was feeling really dark for a while, not good.

Avatar is one of the top entertainment events I have ever seen. Go see this in IMAX 3D. It is absolutely awesome! Mcormick and Schmick has awesome oysters too!!!

[dshobbies]

Grant,

Feeling 'normal' is what this whole thing is all about and you were able to pull it off for a short while.

I hope this shows you that you are improving. Your nerves, sometimes good sometimes bad is probably a sign they are calming down, even if only slightly.

Patience is the name of this game and keeping yourself comfortable is the way to get through this - but I'm not telling you something you don't already know - just reminding you

Keep up the good work, Dale

[grantwb1]

I cannot believe how far I have come. I can live with my current condition. I have been working without hindrance and long hours. Been taking an hour lay down session reading a book in the middle of the day and that is now really helping and making more of a difference than before. The nerve pain in my leg/foot is slowly fading away. I am loving my physical therapy, the therapist is awesome. Dr. Mark Cheng, he is working me good, mild workout and message/ stretching. I have been sore in the muscles bad, I actually love being sore like this!!!! I really think I have a shot at playing sports again if the recovery keeps moving at the pace it is!!! I still am not very happy with the pace but hey it is still improving right. I am slowly coming off the meds as well. I cannot wait for the coming days again and I am smiling more and joking again. Thank you all for your support. Mark you are a life saver!!!

Sending pain free vibes to my fellow spiney's!!!

[grantwb1]

Hello all, I am doing really well. My biggest issue now is still the nerve pain in my right leg. It is just a fraction of what it used to be, but still there. I would say it is less than half what it used to be. I still have soreness in the low back but really I think this is due my therapy being torture specialists!! Really though therapy is working me to death and I am loving it!! I ran on a treadmill for a good while this week twice and besides the normal soreness that you get when you have not exercise for while I had no pain or problems from it!! I thought I would never enjoy the sun, a basketball goal and ball again but with my PT's consent I AM SHOOTING HOOPS AGAIN!!! I am not playing games with others just shooting but I am an athlete and this is one of the most important things in life to me. I have a friend doing a lot of the running/chasing/bending for the ball but I am shooting!!!

I am starting to have a lot of real positive things happen for me again. I feel life coming back to me again slowly. This is really a long slow road out of hell. I don't think anyone can be prepared for the metal and physical test that spinal fusion is. The one thing that I can say has helped me is that I have been pretty steady at improvement. I have had a set back in therapy that set me back about two weeks in pain and progress. I got so down about it, I am talking real bad!! IT IS KEY TO REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE HAS SET BACKS!! I am back on track now. I feel like a turtle in a rabbit race for sure, but I am going to get to the finish!!

I am still taking my meds but am still slowly coming down on them. I am at less than I was pre op so I think that my tolerance form being on heavy meds for two years is the reason that I am not all the way off now. I would probably still need them daily just not that much medication.

Sorry for not updating for a while, I had that set back and was down pretty bad. I know that that is the time when I should be writing! I am still here for pm's and questions. I wish all my spiney friends good days. I really do think about you guys a lot!!

Grant

[dshobbies]

Grant,

Shooting hoops - a small step but a huge milestone. It took me two years before I felt 'normal' again and I'm still improving almost 5 years out. I'm still quite aware of my nerve damage and me leg resents being pushed which I do on daily basis but is something I've learned to live with. But I too, after 5 years, still have ups and downs.

At times my downs take me to a one woman pity party but then everything starts to feel better and I get on with it again. I've also been getting a lot better at taking whatever meds I need whenever but admitting I needed them was the difficult part. Basically I know my limitations and work around them.

Message; nerve pain takes a long time to resolve, if ever. Just deal with it and you'll do fine. If you get down to that pity party, ride it out and know that when it comes again, it's short lived. We've all been through it but it's still unsettling.

Keep up the good work, Dale

[mmglobal]

Grant, thanks so much for keeping us updated.

I watched another BIG fusion recently... it's no surprise to hear you say, "I don't think anyone can be prepared for the metal and physical test that spinal fusion is!"

Please stay focused on not doing too much too soon. When you feel you are ready for some 1 v 1... I'm here!

Mark

[Maria]

Grant,
so good to hear your progress is fairly steady and good even with a flare up that made you wonder about things. Thanks so much for the update. Nice to hear good things re multi level fusion and Dr.Coufal too (having seen him once 4 years ago and hearing him raved about by a multilevel fusion patient in the waiting room who had driven himself 2 hours for a postop check. I want to say he did that at the 6 week mark but I might be off on recalling that part).

[mack macky]

Originally Posted by grantwb1

Hello fellow spinys, my name is Grant. I am lying in a hospital bed in Anaheim memorial hospital. It is day 4 after my l5-s1 revision from a bi-lateral pars fracture repair attempt. Story will bounce around a bit but hopefully some questions will guide me to the things people need to know first. For those that don't know like I didn't look, up the pars fractures then look up pars fracture repair you can tell what my previous problems where.

I will be updating this as I go for others to benefit from this one cause I sure did benefit from this site tremendously. Without this site I would have really made some of the most regrettable decisions of my life. Without this site I would not have found Mark Mintzer who for me is one the most important persons in my entire life. I will try and cover my whole story and hopefully people will ask questions and I can fill it in as I go.

I am 4 days post op from a l5-s1 PILF by Dr.Frank Coufal. Who I absolutely love and trust, he is and absolutely great doc to deal with.Takes all the time you need to answer all your questions, and my Moms and Girlfriend. They really like the guy too. He is sincere and genuinely cares to take his time. I am now off the IV meds and just receive injections and a boat load of narcotic pills with some antibiotics for a fever that they still have no real definite answer for. They say that people coming out of major surgery like this often have fevers for various reasons.

The pain that I had in my right leg felt like heavy pressure that started form my upper butt ran down the back of my thigh then out the side of my calf around to my big toe . My left leg had random pain in the same areas as well. Rarely did I have burning or tingling or numbness. I did have some hellish lower back pain. I was aggravated by sitting and not as much by moving but both could both get just as bad.

Well after this surgery I have found out that my l5 neural canals were absolutely crushed and that I had a ton of scar tissue build up from the hardware that was supposed to hold l5 together while it was supposed to grow back together but did not. It took Dr. Coufal 7.5 hours to due the total surgery, I tell you what it sure felt like he did seven hours of connoisseur bone carpentry on me the days following. It was hardware removal and fusion. The good thing is that Doc said that he thinks that he found and eliminated all of my pain generators which was the instability of the l5 vertebral body and the scar tissue/bone growth from the failed pars repair. OH YA BABY! The first surgery had a scar of about 6-7 inches top to bottom, I think this one is two inches. I have not seen this one but i can tell you the surgeon can make a big difference on how you muscle tissue feels following the surgery. It is only day four and I can tell you my muscles didn't feel this good till like 6 weeks after the last one.

My pain levels coming out the first day were controlled okay I was anywhere from 6-10. Day two was crazy good cause it was the day when I knew I made the right move cause my pain was 7 highest all day. Then that night till all the way to day 4 I was hitting 9-10 a lot. The nurses let my meds lapse and run out at least 3 times for more than an hour plus, which let the pain skyrocket and then the muscles tighten, well yall know the drill.(dilaudid pc pump). I was also on 60 mg of avinza and 3-4 norcos a day for about a year before hand so pain was hard to tackle. I also too was on lyrica which was a god send cause that help with the nerve pain in my legs better than anything else i was taking or had tried.

Getting tired and loopy so I will ramble more and answer more tomorrow

I REALLY DO HAVE LOVE AND COMPASSION FOR ALL OF THE SPINYS I MEET SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE ASK IM IF YOU NEED TO!!!!!

till next entry.. and please if you have advice I would live to hear it!!! I am really scared and hopeful as well!!!

hi i am mack .. sorry to hear the pain your going through .. well i am also like you and today( while i wrote this) is my 22nd day after my surgery on c4/5 and c6/7 ( two level adr) i am having pain on my right shoulders . Though the pain is what I would it as 3 -10 but i expected it to be 0 . I wont know weather the pain may excalate or subside . what i really wish is to be painless for all time ..
So just like you... i still remember after the 1st to 6days after surgery I had lots of pain and it just came down to almost 0 on the seventh day and remain there almost 18 days . And only 2 days ago I experience this 3 -10 pain . I am only on arcoxia 1/day .
I hope you soon will be pain free . tq

[mmglobal]

Mack... welcome to the forum. Just 3 weeks out... I hope to hear about more and more improvement. Please keep us posted.

All the best,

Mark

[dshobbies]

Grant,

The only drug I had problems getting off of was Lyrica, which I did over a span of 2-3 months - go figure! Everyone is different and yes, it can be a bitch but well worth it. I try looking ahead - e.g., tomorrow (or next week or ???) this will all be in the past.

I remember posting about constipation problems after my surgery that seemed never ending. The words of comfort and support from others did nothing to alleviate my problem. However, looking forward, I knew it wouldn't last forever so I tried concentrating on my tomorrows. Now, looking back, I hardly remember any of my post surgical plagues. Getting off drugs is just one more nuisance. What a wonderful problem to have!

Mack,

Welcome to the forum. You're on the other side but not doing as well as expected. What does your doctor say about your new pain? I wouldn't expect a 10 pain other than surgical pain but then again, there as so many ups and downs post surgery, perhaps it's only your body protesting the invasion. I do hope it subsides just as quickly as it appeared. Are you doing anything against doctor's orders? Are you taking it slow? Please let us know what your doctor is saying about this.

Dale