Diane's surgery blog

[Cheryl]

Glad to hear it went well!!! Thinking of you both.

[mmglobal]

For the "Friends and Family" reading this; in the online patient community, we discuss many details that may seem to be too personal. However, for the spine patient that is about to go through the same thing... reading about all the various scenarios can be VERY helpful.
_______________________________________

We are both breathing a big sigh of relief. Things are going very well. Diane's surgery ended late yesterday afternoon... it's just after noon now... less than 24 hours out. She had some nausea in the recovery room that was nicely handled in 2 ways. An anti-emetic was effective, AND since her pain levels were lower than average, they were able to reduce the opiates that were probably causing the nausea. They stepped it down by 2/3 and she still had very low levels of post-op pain and slept comfortably most of the night. When she would wake up, she would use phrases like, "I can't get comfortable", or "yes, I have a little back pain." She could roll over without distress. She NEVER took opiates on a daily basis, so the pain meds were way more effective for her... unlike me... I had 3 years on large doses of opiates... so the amount of medication that they gave her, would have been like an aspirin to me. She's the opposite of that. The (relatively) small flow of opiates was like an elephant tranquilizer to her.

The down-side of this was some lower blood pressure readings that had me a bit nervous... by the 3 or 4 in the morning, it had stabilized with more appropriate readings and I finally got a nap at 6:30. When I went to check on her at 8, things were still good and we talked about moving her to the ortho ward instead of the unit she was on. (She was not in the ICU, but was an a ward adjacent to the ICU. Telemetry? Step-down unit? All the beds have full monitors that are tied into the station.)

They moved her to the regular ward at about 9am and she continued to rest comfortably. She made me promise that I wouldn't let her stay down too long, so I wouldn't accept her, "I want to sleep some more", and I insisted that she get up and move around. We put the brace on her and called the nurse for help. (Always... for the first time up, or if the patient is unsteady at all... have the staff help.) I was so pleased that she could sit up just like she could roll over. Yes, there is some back pain and some incision pain, but she sat up... sat there for a while... walked across the room and back... sat on the bedside and ate a bowl of soup (after the nurse verified that she has bowel sounds).

We talked about what she is feeling now and the great news is that she has no hip or leg pain at all. (These were her dominant complaints, pre-op.) She had some LBP when laying down, but when she got up and moved around, it went away and she was left with only incision pain. She is still on the pump... AND... she's been in bed for a couple of days, so we can be faked out regarding pain levels, but this is all so very encouraging.

It snowed enough on Monday night, Tuesday, and much of Wednesday (yesterday), so there was still some snow on the ground last night. It's all gone now. It's been a bit of a gray morning, but the sun is coming out now. Diane is back to sleeping, listening to my iPod with a peaceful look on her face. We are so much more relaxed now... the days leading up to the surgery were tough.... even with our extensive experience with spine surgery, Munich, Straubing, Bogen, friendship with Dr. Bertagnoli... there were so many stressors that most people have, but were absent for us... it was still amazingly stressful.

It's still early... we are not out of the woods yet... but only good news so far!

All the best... love to everyone...

Mark

[martyusa]

Awesome new Mark. I'm glad you are both doing well and spirits are high. Before ya know it, you with both be home watching re-runs of Marcus Welby M.D.

[Cheryl]

Awesome news. You are doing a great job of putting the whole experience into words. The preop stress was more debilitating than the pain at that point.

So glad its going so well!!

cheryl

[ans]

Hoping for continued success for D and an end to her back and radicular (wow, so fast!) pain. - ans

[fuzzy]

I am glad to hear that all went well. I wish Dianne an excellent recovery. It sounds that due to your experience Dianne made the decision at the right time to go ahead and have this surgery.

[Hucky :)]

Thankyou Mark and Diane for sharing your experiences with us.

I'm sooo happy things are progressing so quickly and positively for you Diane. I hope and pray that this will continue and that your days as a Spiney will be well and truly over.

Take care and I'm looking forward to the next update.

Hucky

[Jim M2]

Diane and Mark,
I'm so relieved to hear these good reports. Lot's of sleeping with minimal meds seems to say a lot about pain and anxiety reduction. Take care and I'll see you soon (I hope).

[mmglobal]

Friday after lunch in Bogen.

Diane continues to do well. Still moving slowly, but gets up on own... seems to be pretty functional. She's off the pump and on oral meds... feeling more alert...

All systems are go, so she can eat again.... mmmmmmm all that good hospital food!

While she's relatively long of step, we are still only going up and down the hall... every few hours... not a lot of walking, but a reasonable amount at this stage.

Everything still looks good. We are holding steady... recovery seems normal... above average from my perspective.

All the best... more later,

Mark

[chasswen]

dianne
i am so pleased to hear you are doing well.
i guess you have allready been told this but slow and steady wins the race. and please listen to your body very important.
and one more thing recovery from adr surgery can be roller coaster ride. so please remember this STAY POSITIVE!!!!
i can't stress that enough. all will be well very soon.
heal well
chuck

[Maria]

Hey Diane and Mark,
Glad to hear surgery is over and you're recovering nicely Diane! At least it sounds like the norm re recoveries as I remember the first few days after my open L5S1 discectomy and going in and out of sleep.

Ok, the low BP.. not sure what you were receiving re opiate medication however Methadone seems to yield a very low BP for me in the a.m. like 74/54 and so forth, and comes up as I've been awake. It's a bit scary as the diastolic has actually been in the low 40's before and I was afraid if I passed gas I'd bottom out!

I'm holding steady, needing an ESI to travel and not even getting an appt. with my Primary Treating Doc as WC is taking on a new technique to try to force me to surgery w Dr.D "right now"... I grow so tired of this and of course, want to have surgery there~

Walking already Diane?? Whoohooo! Well, take it easy and glad all systems are go~ wishing you a continued excellent recovery and thanks Mark for updating us~ Get some sleep!!!!

take care both~ Maria

[KL Aguilar]

What wonderful news! You go, girl! I am still fighting WC, but ADR no longer looks like a possibility for me due to facet issues.

[dshobbies]

Diane,

I'm so happy for you... for your uncomplicated recovery and for making it to the other side. The apprehension can be stiffling and yet, here you are, 2 days out! You made it and hopefully, the worst is over.

Please take care, my thoughts are with you, Dale

[fortitudine]

I've been thinking of you, Diane, and I'm so happy that things seem to be going well. I'll continue to send healing thoughts your way.
Hope

[Boodlebtl]

Hi Mark,
Thank you so much for sending me the link to this thread. I am sorry to hear of Diane's back problems...but happy that she will be pain-free soon (said in faith)!
I don't think I have talked to you since you were so kind to call me from Germany when I had my surgery 2 years ago. Just wanted to let you know that I am doing GREAT after my 20 years of back pain.
I will keep Diane in my prayers for a quick, complete recovery.

[JeffreyD]

Mark & Diane,
Pauline and I are so glad that the surgery went well with "no surprises".
We are praying for a wonderful recovery and a strong peace to see you through this physically trying time.

Now, when we go out for that oft put-off dinner together, the four of us will represent 10 artificial discs!

God Bless,
Jeff & Pauline

[marijo]

I do so hope that your wife's recovery continues as it has started. You are both such an inspiration to us all, and I hope you don't mind me barging in like this to say so.
Mary.

[ellecincos1]

Diane and Mark,

Slowly but surely things start falling into place in every which way!!! I hope your feeling better and better....Zoey is so cute she's a baby doll!

See ya!
Myriam

[mmglobal]

OK folks... we are here. It's day 3 and Diane is not yet 72 hour post-op. It's about 3:30 pm here in Straubing and Diane is taking a nap. We checked out of the hospital this morning.... got the full treatment. Control x-ray looks good... incision looks good... Diane is feeling good. Peter Hoch drove us from Bogen to Straubing. He's such a great guy, it's always a pleasure to see him.

I'm always worried about the get out of the hospital day, because just the process of packing up and moving is 1,000 times the activity level the patient has experienced since the surgery. We don't know if her pain levels are artificially reduced because she's been mostly in bed for several days, or if the higher than usual pain meds (which are being decreased) are keeping things at bay. But she's still doing great... It may be tough keeping her down as she loves to be outside and really enjoys everything about Straubing. I may have to handcuff her to the bed!

For those of you who had trouble re-mobilizing your bowels after abdominal surgery, or if you are a little squeamish... you might not want to read this. Yesterday morning, 1.5 days out, it was clear that all systems were OK, so last night when the hospital dinner was delivered, we decided that it was OK to substitute our own food. I went to Giovanni's and got some pasta, bread and salad. (Remember... we are cleared to eat... don't do this without clearance from the docs... ileus is serious.)

Today, after I got Diane settled in the room, I went out hunting and gathering. Fresh strawberries... pears... bread... several types of cheese... smoked salmon. Diane didn't touch the sausage and sauerkraut.

It would be a beautiful day here even if we were in a blizzard. This is all so wonderful. I was hoping to be able to post something like this... and I'm so pleased that Diane is doing so well.



All sunshine and smiles from Straubing.

Love to all,

Mark

PS... I know that less than 1/2 of us have such an easy time with the surgical experience. This is great, but it's not what matters... this is all about long-term success... and not all of us will achieve that either. While this is great, we are still only cautiously optimistic. I wish we could bottle this and give it away... nobody deserves to suffer the way so many of us do.

[mwmc76]

Hi Mark, it was good to hear from you the other day. I have been praying for Dianes quick and successful recovery. Its great to read the updates. Your description of Bogen and the hospital brings back great memories! My wife stayed in my room also, it's the only way to go. The room had a huge sliding glass door with a beautiful view of the hillside.
Diane, you had the best (Dr. B) , now just let your body heal and enjoy the new back!

Mark (Tennessee)
L3/L4/L5 ProDisc 4/29/05
Dr. Bertagnoli

[dshobbies]

Wow, I'm so impressed! 3 days out and already out of the hospital. Diane, you're doing so well, it must be all the TLC from Mark. I wish you continued improvement and am really thrilled for you. I know that you're still anxious but the worst is over and in the past. What a great feeling.

Dale

[Cheryl]

I can't believe she's out, made the trip to Straubing and looks so great!!! The leave the hospital day (which was 3 days later than Diane) was SOOOOO hard for me. I know you'll make her take it easy - I was really awful the day after leaving the hospital - I think that you even called me that day after you read how bad it was.

Where'e Dianes back brace? I can't see it in the picture.

Cheryl

[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?

[ellecincos1]

Mark great picture, both of you look very happy. HOld on to Diane she might get super powers now with those brand new discs Keep up with the excellent progress. Thanks for posting

Take care,
Myriam

[Alastair]

Mark,
I`m sending you and Diane the "Best" from us in the UK and me personally for a good outcome.

I really cannot imagine what your feelings are seeing a "Loved One" go thro` ADR knowing all the "IF`s" that are involved.
Thinking of you both
Best
Alastair

[Eddie G]

Good Luck!!! Hope everything is OK!

[mmglobal]

It's Sunday morning here. 3.5 days out... 1 day back at Hotel Theresientor. We were pretty good yesterday... only taking one outing, walking 1/2 the stadtplatz, just to the clock tower and back. Yesterday afternoon, Diane started getting some minor hip pain and pain down the back of her leg. She had experienced a little of this on Friday, but that was in one of the med transitions. We are trying to get the meds right... adjusting from the pain pump from surgery Wednesday afternoon, to off it and on hospital dispensed meds Friday morning, to our own meds on Saturday... transition is not perfect, but all in all... I'd say it was pretty smooth.

The good news is that on Sunday morning, it's clear that the activity on Saturday did not knock her back. She still feels pretty good. Obviously, still moving very slowly and carfully... still some incision pain... still some back pain... again some radicular pain. However... all of this is at relatively low levels. We'll be venturing out again, being careful to ramp up carefully and we know that we may not be able to ramp up to much at all.

We'll keep everyone posted... all the best,

Mark

[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.

[nomorepain]

Dianne and Mark,
glad to hear the surgery went well, it's been such a long long time since we spoken i feel so out of it, as life seems to go on and on. but time to catch up, please call when you two are up to it, my thoughts and prayers are with you for a speedy recovery, look forward to hearing from you and setting up a meeting for lunch or dinner or anytime, i'm open!
gary
p.s. still cruising the hiways in my 73volvo with 4 on the floor

[mmglobal]

Sorry we haven't posted.... I'm back to running a marathon with clients... Diane has been mostly on her own for a couple of days. She's still doing well... able to take several outings per day with substantial walks. She walked all the way to Odeonsplatz yesterday... she sits through meals without difficulty.... spreading her meds out more. Hopefully, I'll get a breather in the next few days and can fill in the blanks...

Gary... nice to see that your back is still doing well... we need some photos of you in the sportster... one of the coolest cars ever.

(I never thought that I'd long for a VW Polo, but my reservation got messed up and I wound up in a Nissan Micra... Not fun on the autobahn in a driving rain and hail storm... not much tire on the road...)


More later...

Mark

[Maria]

I have to have surgery just to see if I can be part of the real world again and it has to be there.

Photos are GREAT!! Diane you are doing amazingly well~so glad to hear that you can walk, sit, and tolerate drives as well as you can so relatively shortly post op...

I dunno but I don't think surgery here would have yielded the same results ..some decisions are just so right on!!!!

Thanks for sharing your trip/experiences w/us. Absolutely gorgeous there and I miss traveling so much~ am wondering tho did that little car do havoc to you or Mark re some discomfort? it would be torture for me to sit in something that small for more than about 20 minutes while driving/riding. Bet it can sure dodge some traffic tho!

[fauraloster]

WOW...just W-O-W!!
Mark and Diane, I am so happy to hear that all is going so well!
I have to say that you, Mark, and Dr. B saved my life, and then returned me to the "land of the LIVING".
Thank you Diane, for sharing your amazing husband with all of us! Mark is my hero. I know all of this sounds quite dramatic and appropriately so. It's a BIG DEAL. All my best in your continuing recovery...and that grand-baby is gorgeous.

[annapurna]

Diane and Mark,

Congratulations on your big step toward spine health. It's wonderful that Diane has had a relatively smooth recovery. Your experience really reminds me of my single level Charite nearly six years ago.

Remember to be VERY patient. You may still have some big set-backs, but, don't let them shake you. I guess that motion preservation spine surgery is like investing in the stock market. You need to ride out the "bear" days and enjoy the "bull" days. In the long run, you'll get better and better.

You are both very brave to travel in that little car on the AutoBahn! I always use the train to get from Bogen/Straubing to Munich and Frankfurt.

If you're still in Germany, have a good and safe trip back. Don't be afraid to upgrade to business class if you feel like it.

Keep us posted on your recovery at home.

Best,
Laura