Will I ever be back to somewhat normal?
 

I understand this is an extensive surgery. My Dad had 5 levels done and prior to that he was highly active. I worry now as he is seemingly giving up. He is in more pain now than he was before the surgery. His symptoms are as Kim desribes. He starts PT tomorrow. Is there any hope of improvement? He is 65, but extremely healthy. I am freaking out for him. I wish he had come to where I live to have his surgery. He didn't as he wanted to be closer to home. I think had he come here, he would have had a better outcome given the caliber of our surgeons. His doc seems to be giving him the run around. "You had five levels, it takes time to recover." What do you all think and what have your experiences been?

As you can see I moved your post to a forum where you would be more likely to receive replies.

I note you didn't link to the comments you referred to by Kim but if you can find that post, I'll be happy to link this thread to that one.

Welcome to NeuroTalk rkeith.

There is a lot to be said in that he had five level surgery. You don't bounce back as fast as you would if it were a simple one level surgery. If the pain isn't properly controlled, it will be hard for him to move and that is very important in the healing process. I am assuming he will be getting physical therapy. It might be time to request a referral to a pain mgt. specialist. A certain amount of depression is not unusual after that kind of surgery. It might be helpful for him to be evaluated by his primary doc and see if this might be part of the problem. An antidepressant might be called for in the time being. BTW, some of the anti-bs actually also help to lower pain levels.

The fact that your father is a vital man is encouraging but chances are that he will need additional medical support to overcome this one. His vitality has taken a big hit. Hang in there and we are here for you. Have a good day.

Duh, I forgot you mentioned he was starting PT. That's a good start. If you want to move, you have to move. As he is able to be more active, his pain levels and depressive symptoms should start to come down. Do keep an eye on him and trust your gut. No question is should go unanswered. Be his cheerleader as well as his advocate. He has his work cut out for him but if the surgery was a success and he gets proper post op care, this is not the time to throw in the towel.