i will spare u guys the agonizing tale of pain . if you r here , then u already know.

i had L4-L5-S1 fused--plates ,rod,cage. my back pain at the spine is GONE . apparently my doc used material from my left hip along with the piece of s1 floating around in there . my left hip is now my nemesis . i did not expect to go thru this without pain and recovery time , but i'm here to say my left hip hurts like hell !!! i'm a pretty tough guy and was blessed/cursed with a very high threshold for pain . oddly though i have a higher resistance to pain meds , sedatives etc...
so when i say i'm in pain....the average person would be screaming . i've done some of that since the op as well as been in tears .
i'm active and stubborn . right away , post op , i would take advantage of feeling way better a particular morning and push myself....no walker or cane and enjoy the day . BIG mistake .i payed dearly . all it took was my shoe catching something , causing me to twist and i had to jerk my body to catch myself from falling . my hip especially let me know about my poor judgement .

so now i use the walker almost every time i get up , no matter if i'm only going 6 feet away . i started taking it easy and now i can walk 1/8 mile in my driveway . still sore but walking seems to be the best exercise .
its humbling that my 4 yr. old daughter puts my socks on for me but just be prepared to take things slow . i now have been streching and i have put my own socks on 4 times now . lol .
i would like to point out a few things . the side of my left leg still feels bruised and has areas that are numb . i see the doc today , so ima ask about that . going to the bathroom is still a great chore , trying to turn to wipe(if u know what i mean ). i recommend a raised toilet seat (handicap retail store), but be SURE its one that will touch the floor . mine doesnt and i fell . soaking in epsom salt as soon as u r able was great for me . after a 2 hr soak i was feeling great .
my spine is still feeling great and no pain in my right hip AT ALL since the op .
getting this done lifted my spirits tremendously . if u r thinking about having this procedure done , maybe dont put it off for 4 yrs like i did . you r already in pain so u may as well get it over with . although my doc suggests not racing mountain bikes and hitting trees any more i think ima be just fine .
good luck to evreyone .
BY THE WAY--coughing and especially sneezing , even laughing hurt pretty badly . i had muscle spasms due to that . for me , diazapam/valium works well . so try to get your doc to prescribe those now(before u leave hospital) just in case .

Hi Bak To Bak You mentioned your surgeon was in Seattle. Who did you see? Was it at Swedish? Thanks! You can PM me if you want. Diane

Oh yes, I sympathize with the pain issue. The first two weeks in bed miserable, the third barely better. I put it off too, because they said at first they could do no better. I had C6-7, then redone C3-7. Hope you continue to get better. I had good results, and yes it was worth it, as there are no more shocks in my arms. That was an ouch I don't want to repete for sure! Ginnie Keep on moving....good luck in your recovery.

WAS DONE ON 2-24-11

still quite a bit of pain from the left hip which never hurt to begin with .
when i went in for a followup of my choosing , the pain and numbness in the left hip were dismissed as " nerves waking up , and muscles being used that wern't b4 " . i am a very intuitive person . that being said , i think it's more a case of side affects that cannot b governed or accounted for while doing surgery .
dr. rooney was honest and told me that the numb areas on my left thigh (which never hurt b4) could possibly be permanent . small price to pay if my back is fixed .
I still have not started PT , because there's stil so much pain to the left hip . i have been stretching on my own ...and had a brweak through . I JUST CUT MY TOE NAILS BY MY SELF !
i still have quite a bit of trouble in the bathroom (#2) , but there's no way i will ask my wife to help .
i have found that 2 things feel great ! however should b avoided in my opinion .
1-heating pad all day and night .
2-sitting in your normal " favorite chair " as you normally would .
i suggest an almost hot epsom salt soak ...minimum 1 hr. no heating pads , especially during the night
stretch a bit while n the tub .
updates to follow . it sounds like i'm still n a lotta pain , but i think it's the healing process .

i reccommend dr rooney . as i am very intuitive , i know he is telling it like it is .
he has a great "bedside manner" , and his staff helped greatly thus far .
i will note that i told everyone b4 surgery that if i wake up with an aspiration tube down my throat .....i'd probably hurt someone as that ia a great fear of mine .

woke up ....no tube !
private rooms , great response time by staff on everything . btw....the food is great there , lol .

i am still on the learning curve as to what to do & not . still quite a bit of pain since the op 2-24-11 .....my original pain area no longer hurts . new ones have replaced those . lol .gavity sux in the course of healing lol , laying flat is king . good luck .

I had C5-7 fused with titanium discs, cadaver bone n screws on march 2, 2011... So at 4 weeks post up I'm still learning like you what my personal limitations are. I never thought I would still be hurting a month after surgery, but I am. I am able to do more on my own each day ( I can shower all by myself like a big girl now, lol, have to laugh...) my biggest issue is the cervical collar I have to wear 24/7 which creates the worst back n neck spasms, omg, and muscle relaxers knock me out, so it's a trade off, be a slug or be in more pain. Like you my original pain seems better, but has been replaced by new pain, irritated nerves, and terrible sore neck. But on the mend. Gravity sucks, you're right, but don't stay in one spot too ling, vary your positions often, and I find alternating my beloved heating pad with ice and biofreeze does take the edge off.

Take care, here is to a fast pain free recovery for us both!
Thanks for sharing your progress it's nice to know one is not alone in this.
Cathie

Dear bak2bak,

I have not had spine surgery but my husband has had 3 the last just 2/25/11. When he had his first lumbar l4-l5 in 2003 they did take bone from the hip and inserted a bone stimulator in the hip area and like you that was the worst pain. Do you have a bone stimulator in the hip area? In 2006 in went to a different doctor because the surgery from 2003 was not working well. In 2006 when he had the complete revision everything removed and all new put in and they took out that bone stimulator that gave him such problems. Once they took out that bone stimulator in 2006 he had great relieve but he still says to this day it's still tender to the touch around that hip area. In 2006 and 2011 they used cadaver bone instead of taking from the hip.

You sound like your doing great. I'll tell you the same thing I tell my husband "do what you can don't push it". My husbands second lumbar was a great success and miracle he really suffered prior. Hope you continue to recovery so well.

Gabbycakes

as it turns out , they did not need material from my hip at all . the pieces of broken vertebrae were sufficient i guess . doc's explanation of severe hip pain was that ....as required certain nerve roots are detatched so they dont get pulled when they decompress with the titanium . that can lend itself to waking up nerves and maybe killing others . i got the feeling they really dont know y my hip hurts so badly . it was just a generic answer that they give every1 . i am walking mostly now without the walker , but use the cane later in the day as the pain increases due to my being vertical now . my doc did tell me that the large area at my hip along the side could be a permanent problem ....spots that feel like a very bad bruise if slightly touched and numb areas . I am ok with that as long as the rest of the pain goes away . i still recommend epsom salt bath soaks 1-2 hrs . i think the buoyancy of the body , allows enough opposition to gravity's affects , if i had a hot tub i'd b n it every day ..lol oh yeah...if you cough , sneeze , or laugh . try to bend to a half fetal position , doing so seems to prevent the spasms for me anyway . I sneezed once when i layed flat n bed (after feeling great all day ) and the pain in my hip brought me to tears ...which takes a lot of pain for me to have tears ! so i keep a body pillow under my knees ...just n case . hope your hubby is doing better .

i just noticed i wrote "gavity"---i meant gravity .