Diane's surgery blog

[mmglobal]

It's 10:30am, Wednesday morning in Bogen. Diane's surgery will happen this afternoon. It'll be a 2-level ProDisc. We've been in Germany since last Thursday. I'm sorry that we weren't posting more... it's been VERY busy here and internet availabilty and the time to post were never aligned.

I'll do my best to keep everyone up to date over the next few weeks. Our room in KKH Bogen is very nice and has high speed wired interned. We are paying the extra 85 Euro for a private room, plus another 45 Euro for a bed and meals for me, as I'll be staying with Diane until she gets out of the hospital.

I'll fill in the blanks as best I can. I'm going to post things out of sync. so there will be a lack of continuity, you'll have to look for the filled out 'placeholders' if you want to get the full story. Much more to come...

All the best..

Mark

[mmglobal]

Those of you who have been following Diane's story will remember that she did great after the July discectomy for about 2.5 months, then started having symptoms on the other side. By early November, we knew that the disc was too severely compromised, but it took her quite a while to come to grips with having more surgery. If she did nothing, she did not hurt very much. However, she learned that the threshold was quite low and a quite innocuous activity level generated substantial symptoms. It was hard to watch her progress as a spine patient. There is such a huge difference between someone who's new to this and someone who's suffered for years with chronic pain, but watching her discover what it's like has been quite difficult for me.

The role reversal we are doing is pretty amazing. As I went through this as a patient, I was discovering it all for the first time. Now that I've been through the surgical ordeal remotely with hundreds of clients and have been through it, up close and personal with about 50; I see things from a different perspective. Diane watched me through years of disability and everything that goes along with it, and she's watched what I do from afar... getting to know many of my clients very well. So now that she's learning first-hand what it's like to head down this road, we are both surprised by what we are discovering. I thought I understood caregiver issues better than I really do. She's learning things from the patient's perspective that give her a more thorough understanding as well.

As we approach this, I find it shocking that we consider her to be a 'newbie'. She's so far removed from the difficult cases and in such better shape than many of us who've had years of suffering with chronic pain. How horrible is it that being unable to work or function normally for almost a full year now, makes her a newbie? How horrible is it that a year of suffering and disability only qualifies her as 'not that bad'? It's an amazing perspective that we get when we live in the world of spine patients.

In November and December, Diane could not get used to the idea of coming for surgery. I had a trip to Pro-Spine with a client in late January and I thought she'd go then, but she was still having the typical doubts about surgery. When her pain would subside for a day or two, she'd think that she'd get away without surgery... then a simple walk on the beach would flare her up and she'd know that she'd be there sooner rather than later. With the severe collapse at L5-S1, it seems unlikely that she'll just be OK, and sooner, rather than later would seem to give her a better chance for a good outcome... before other elements of her spine degenerate further. (See other discussion about "auto adjacent segment disease.")

By late-January, she was ready to go. We ultimately decided on the late March date that was offered by Pro-Spine. We've both been to Munich, Straubing, and Bogen many times, so preparations were easy. Fast-forward to the night before we leave and there was such a poignant moment... Diane says it's OK to share. Tuesday night before we left, Diane asked Susan (our daughter) to take some pictures of her with Zoey (our grandaughter) so she'd have some pictures of them together to take on the trip. I knew that the pictures were for Zoey... not for Diane. It really brought home the depth of feelings that so many have at this stage.



More later... gotta run... surgery starting now... wish us luck!

Mark

[mmglobal]

Placeholder

[mmglobal]

placeholder

[mmglobal]

It's over... Diane is in recovery room now. All went well. Details later.

[sahuaro]

Mark :
(I hope it's okay to post on here--if not, please delete)

I am so glad the surgery went well. Please give Diane a hug for me.
And thank you for those eloquent posts.

Barbara

[dshobbies]

I'm so relieved to hear that Diane is out of surgery and not in too much pain. Please tell her my thoughts are with both of you and I wish her the best.

Dale

[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.

[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.

[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

[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

[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!

[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

[Diane]

I just wanted to make a quick post in case any of you are facing a discogram. I know Mark has been keeping you updated and this may be disjointed. First, THANK YOU to everyone for your encouragement and well wishes; all were appreciated. THANK YOU to those who have posted and emailed in the past few days with success stories. It's great to hear the positive. It seems like before my surgery, all Mark's client's I heard about and posts I read were about complications. I've heard all sides of spine surgery and know the risks of general surgery, but of course, you hope it's not going to be you.

Back to the discogram. I think I was more apprehensive waiting for the discogram that I was for the surgery because of all the stories I've heard. It may just be my nature - one thing at a time - and the discogram was next. Honestly, it was easier than my epidural or CT Myelogram. Mark said he was going to tell me that it's like going to the dentist, but he remembered that I have not had good dental experiences!

I barely felt Dr. Bertagnoli insert the needle. When the disc was pressurized, I felt a sudden jolt of pain, but then it was gone instantly. Dr. Bertagnoli tested the level again and it was positive for pain and an annular tear. Mark gave a big, "YES!" when he saw the results, even before I jumped. He was happy that I'd get a 2-level disc replacement. The whole time, I'd been hoping for a single-level, thinking that the incision would be smaller and the recovery quicker. But, after the positive response, I was happy to be getting 2 levels done and some validation for my symptoms. Speaking with Dr. B before and after the procedure was so calming. I truly believe that he's a genius with the needles. No more thoughts like; "Should I do this now", "My pain isn't bad enough", etc... I was getting 2 levels done and in good hands, Mark's and Dr. B's.

Love,

Diane

[Poncho]

Diane,

Wow! Another Prodisc Poster Girl!!! It is so good to see you posting on the "other side". I know Mark has kept us well informed of your progress - but it is always a good sign to see the recovering spiney posting.

It seems like yesturday being over there getting this procedure done. It is an experience that you will never forget.

My impression of your recovery is that you are doing really well. Regardless of the activity level at this point. There may be some bumps in the road ahead, but I think you are in the best of hands to travel this journey of recovery.

I hope that your GI stuff is controlled well enough soon to sample the local beer (I'm not sure about brats/sausage) before returning home.

Welcome to the other side fellow "Prodisc Sis"
Poncho (I mean "Ponchita)

[dshobbies]

Diane,

It's good to 'hear' your voice. You have such a positive attitude and have every hope for an uncomplicated recovery. Getting meds right can take a little time but all in all, each day only gets better.

I'm glad you posted about the discography/discogram. I know I've posted this before but it warrants repeating. I too shared your apprehension while waiting for the test. In fact, I would catagorize my feelings as outright petrofying fear. It overshadowed my decision making processes. I agree that I barely felt the needles until my discs were pressurized. And then by the time you feel that jolt of pain, it's already over. The pain lasts for less than a second. My fears were based on posts from others and were a waste of my time and energies. For others about to undergo this test, or needing one in the future, fear not. The pains we get from slamming our limbs into things or stubbing toes or cutting fingers are livable (and no one fears opening envelopes) and so is this test. If it's needed, go for it.

Diane, my best to you and Mark, Dale

[Maria]

I've been thinking I will settle my case eventually and get this taken care of with Dr.B. vs. here in US.

I have my reasons but mostly it's because I just don't think I would get everything done here that I need to have done.

Vertebroplasty given I have lumbar osteopenia
My concerns re L3 annular tear
Just feel that if the best is abroad, then it's the best I want as I've settled before and live with results.

Anyway, since I've had 3 discograms I have been fearful of how I've heard they are done abroad.

Your explanation just allowed me a big sigh of relief~ thanks Diane.

Glad to hear you're doing as well as you are and best wishes for continued mimimally painfree recovery!

[chasswen]

Diane
just wanting to a big warm welcome to the other side.
my positive thoughts and prayers are heading your way for a speedy recover. and soon you will be able to play with your grand daughter again soon.
your adr buddy
chuck