Two weeks - Post Op Check-up

     Other than my newest accessory, the orthopedic back brace, I got my freedom, discharged from the hospital out to the open road... the bumpy road (tried to support myself on the door handles and arm rest to take pressure off my back)... to the pharmacy waiting area, to my apartment which, thank the Lord, is ground level!  I quickly learned my first mistake in preparation for recovery.  I bought a lift chair off craigslist, I was careful enough to inspect it for bugs, and I work for a cleaning company so I brought home a truck to clean the chair before I even took it into the house.  It is mechanically sound but what I didn't know about lift chairs were the different levels in reclining.  Check this page out before you get one Everything you need to know about lift chairs.  I ended up with one that only reclined a little bit and had to put some pillows on it to get comfortable.  I would have liked to have had one I could fully recline in and sleep in, but at the same time it's lack of comfort has made me get up and walk around more.  I'm not sure if I would have used a bed if I could have slept in my chair, but I'm pretty sure sleeping in a good bed is better for recovery.
     Sleep naked.  I don't know if it was from the medication, stress, or something else but I would wake up soaked in sweat and it was so painful changing clothes that I quickly learned to sleep naked and kept a towel by the bed and an extra dry sheet I could throw over myself.  I had gone to Big Lots before the surgery and purchased these little bed lifters that you put under your frame which brought my bed up to hip level so getting in and out was very easy on my back.  I was also using a small twin bed in a separate room from my wife as I didn't want to disturb her sleep because she would need it having to take care of me and our 3 boys during the day while I was recovering.
     Incision pain is high for the first week, I tried to find the clothes with the softest waistline and I either pulled them up over the incision line, or I sagged them down below it.  The brace doesn't hurt the incisions unless the clothes under it are wrinkled up and irritating them.
     While in the hospital I purchased a pack of tools called a "hip kit" to help with daily tasks.  The pack included a extended trigger grabber tool, a sponge on a long stick to help bathe, a little contraption that helps put socks on without bending over, and an extended shoe horn.  You can find these kits, some even have an elevated toilet seat included (which I already have and highly recommend) just google "hip kit".  I paid $25.00 at the hospital which is actually cheaper than most I've found on the internet.  I have 2 trigger grippers luckily because they do lose their strength and you have to tighten the rope on the trigger.  I was using a lighter to melt the rope and accidentally burned through the rope on one.  That grabber is your best friend I would get a couple of them and even take one with you to surgery just in case they don't offer those at your hospital.
     I was also walking with a cane for the first week home.  For showers I was using a plastic lawn chair in the tub, I recommend getting a bath chair with a back rest on it.  I am at two weeks right now and I still don't stand up for my whole shower (I do take longer showers, I shave in there too as it is easier to rinse without bending over the sink.)
    Another big milestone upon returning home is the bowel movement.  Some hospitals want you to have one there before you are discharged but they were happy with me just passing gas.  The pain medication will constipate you, (in my case where they also did surgery from the front, anterior, and had to manipulate my intestine this causes your body to shut down that system temporarily) so they prescribe stool softeners.  With the fear of pain and the incision I'm sure there is also a mental block on pushing.  For me it came to a point where I had to get into enough pain from being backed up (gas) to where it outweighed how much it was going to hurt to push to get it all out.  I think it was late in the second day of me being home when it happened.  Wiping is also a challenge, I recommend getting some flush-able moist wipes as they seem to clean up down there a little better.  I got it done but I could see where someone a little larger or with shorter arms might really have trouble, they didn't offer a tool for that but if you foresee that being a problem I would find some kind of handle where you could wrap toilet paper around a little extended arm.  It got easier to "go" within about 4 days and I was having regular daily movements at 10 days.
     Also at ten days my wife and I were walking my 3 sons down to the apartment pool.  I was able to sit in the pool chair with my back brace fairly comfortably, and I could lay on the chase lounge without my brace.  we would stay there for a 2 or 3 hours and I didn't have any problems other than water envy!
     I also wanted an easy way to keep track of my medications as they sent me home with a lot and I wanted to stay in control of my dosages and slowly wean myself off the narcotics so I do not become dependent on them.  I made this simple spreadsheet on excel to track what I was taking and when.  I used to be much better at using excel but I have forgotten most the formulas to make a really fancy easy to use spreadsheet but this worked.  It also let me know when i would run out of each medication and that I needed to ask for refills at my first post op check-up two weeks after discharge.

    

     I had my 2 week checkup today and everything is good with my progress in recovery, I do have a slight bulge in my back along the incision which my doctor says is normal and should go down in time.  I was starting to get a little nervous because I allowed myself to get on the internet and start looking up some different symptoms I was having and of course I found and read all kinds of horror stories about spinal fusions.  I would be aware of the potential dangers, but I wouldn't dwell on them as I believe like anything else you hear way more about the negative experiences as the people with positive experiences aren't online documenting them. 
    As for my pain level and general feeling right now at two weeks.  I am alternating every 4 hours with Vicodin and Tramadol which is keeping my pain under control, I can feel the pressure at the incision and across my lower back right along the top of my tailbone.  If I do not wear my brace that pressure increases a lot.  I am not waking up to take medications through the night and I am sleeping 8 to 10 hours so when I wake up I am in some pain.  I can still get up and function but I definitely cannot stay on my feet for long.  I take my medicine and usually that eases the pressure within about 45 minutes.  Throughout the day I am walking a lot just picking up random toys and clothes with my extended grabber thing.  I have tweaked it a couple times, one from walking off my sons bed to fast and landing too hard.  The other I slipped on a set of keys in the kitchen and while I didn't fall, catching myself using my back muscles sent pain thru me.  I have no leg pain, no muscle spasms (although I am taking flexeril, one in the morning on before bed.) I only had leg pain rarely before the surgery and that was only after really overworking my back.  The pain is still worse than my worse days before surgery but I expected as much this early in recovery.
     Riding in a car for the first time today, the bumps did increase that pressure/pain, I can drive short distances now according to the doctor, but I have yet to drive.  I have to tomorrow so I'll document how that goes.   My incisions are scabbed up, the steri strips have all come off, I gently wash over them in the shower, but no scrubbing.  I have been pulling the glue off around the incisions as they used stitches inside the wound and glue on the surface.  The doctor said I should be able to get into the bath/pool after a couple more weeks once all the scabbing has come off and the wounds are totally closed with new skin.  My main mode of exercise is walking at this point.  Haven't broke out the Tens/EMS just yet but I might be doing that tomorrow.  The doctor said the muscles are still healing in my abdomen so I won't be doing anything to strengthen my core for another 3-4 weeks probably.  I can't wait to work out again but that's 3 months away.
     I have worked my way down to 30 mg of hydrocodone from 90 mg of roxicodone when I first was discharged.  I am taking 300 mg of tramadol  and the flexeril in the morning and before bed.  My next checkup is in 1 month I hope to be off narcotic and the muscle relaxers.  I was only using tramadol before the surgery so I will feel good to get down to just that again. 
     In the mornings after no meds for 8-10 hours I swear I can feel the screws and instrumentation in my back, it is a different feeling.  When I lay on my side my lower back feels out of whack so I have to have a pillow in between my legs. 
     So far I can't predict whether the surgery was successful in relieving pain but I do feel much better knowing that my spine is secured and that vertebrae cannot shift out of place anymore.  I think I had an excellent team of doctors and surgeon.