He says having just come in from a nice mountain bike ride on genlty zig zagged hill pathways and paved surfaces..... taking it easy you know. At least it felt good, but since my feet don't cooperate well, I had to adjust the pedals to keep the tread of my shoes on the pedals. Learning... still learning...
Laminectomy...... a surgery to remove the lamina or a portion thereof [rather as wing like structures to either side of your spinal column for the protection of that all fragile and tender spinal cord]. I experienced laminectomy BOTH for the sake of a much earlier fusion surgery and the 2010 implant surgery whereby the paddles were implanted at my T8-T9 position for the sake of enabling pain management regarding my lower body, waist down raging pain. No doubt, Maggie, in your shoulder care situation, a higher implant may have been made, but the pain profile will be similar.
I was sent home the same day as my implant surgery; now, this is major back surgery, mind you, but in the US with high medical expense balanced against miserly insurances cross referenced against highly increased risk of infection manifesting while in patient at most any hospital, I was urgerd, "will you PLEASE go home!" This after I was told, I would be kept overnight.... go figure.
Nevertheless, I determined my bed beckoning from home would be OH SO MUCH more comfortable than a hospital bed [I have experienced those so much, I want to avoid them forever]. The answer "Not so much." I hurt just as badly at home as though I had been in hospital. The first four nights were plain miserable, but at least I had my favorite body pillow over which to through my leg as I sleep better on my side, and the side which received the hip incision for the computer/battery unit was thusly elevated. A good fit..... although it still hurt.
I was sent home with surgeon prescribed surgical pain meds and sleep meds to ADD to my pre-surgery regimen of pain management meds. The effect was to KNOCK me OUT. Kinda hard to recognize the pain if one is drugged to sleep. Mind you, I was already on Morphine straight, Neurontin 3000mg, and Restoril 30 mg. Sleep, sleep, sleep [reminds me of the Wizard of Oz and the poppy scene].
Bottom line on bad surgical pain was about 5 days full on pain, but this did begin to abate at that time, and I began to consume less of the post-surgical pain meds until discontinuance altogether in the early second week post surgical as I continued the pre-surgical pain management meds. My unit went live with the programming session on the two week anniversary of my implant and I soared into heaven at the relief. Next was the complete withdrawal from my pain management meds over the course of the following two months, followed by a deep bout of depression [not unexpected totally given what I had accomplished], but it was handled promptly with counselling and anti-depressant and anti-anxiety meds.
REMEMBER BLAST [no bend, no lift, no Stretch, no twist] following surgery for as long as you can stand it...... your surgeon will prescribe physical therapy to assist in integrating those features of your body movement over time. Also make use of logroll to arise from bed, depending on where the computer unit was implanted. Since I am T8-T9 paddles, wires between, and another incision in right hip for the computer/battery unit, I HURT all down my back. Be kind to yourself, look for a week to notice pain abating, look for a couple of weeks for surgical pain to really become far less noticeable, and then probably only at the incision sites. Keep incisions clean once you are allowed to bathe so as to avoid infection [I had a NASTY infection at the implant site of the wire leads from my Trial surgery..... you know pus, the works right there at the on ramp to the spinal highway to my body- doc jumped on that right away].
You can do this. All will be well. While results are different for everyone, I manage my pain [lumbar and legs] fully with my stim unit and my trusty cushion. I am about to return to employed work. In the meantime I invented a cushion for folks like me and got it patented and now sell it bunches of places, I volunteer providing a caring presence to those around my community who either are ill, enfeebled, or jobless so as to help them find restorative self esteem in regaining meaningful work, and I LOVE to sing praises to my Lord in church [did a rendition of Amazing Grace yesterday]. The spirit is willing, the body is a lot different than it used to be, so my days alpine skiing are finished I am sure, but there are many other things one can do to bring benefit to the world about them [writing a book about my experiences...... that is taking a while].
In prayer and caring for you, Maggie,
Mark56
