There were suppose to be 2 incisions on my left side!. As I'm reading & writing here, it just dawned on me (and I looked it up) that I have 3 incisions instead of 2. This is now startling me and causing me to question this part of my surgery.
Has anyone here, who's had lumbar fusions from the side experienced this???

What if something went wrong and the doctor didn't tell me?

Maybe I'm over reacting? Who wouldn't question this? Why didn't I think about this until now? Am I loosing my mind?
My surgeon told me everything went fine with the surgery when I asked him while I was in the hospital!

Wow, I'm not in a god place right now.

Please share with me your story if this happened to you or anything similar. Also, any advice would be appreciated too.
Thank you in advance.....

Well, I emailed my surgeons assistant late today about this. I read all the reports and only 2 incisions were noted. Now I'm even more curious!

Why in the world wouldn't that be on the reports? This is starting to make me angry and worried.

Doesn't anyone have any advise or any kind of encouraging words on this site?

Hello moonstar,
Hopefully someone will see your message who has had similar surgery.

I do know that sometimes this happens with laparoscopic surgery. My daughter had a kidney removed years ago and the surgeon told us how many scars she would need but in the end she had more and one of them was much larger and higher than he said it would be.

It does seem strange that you have 3 incisions and yet the actual report only mentioned the 2.

the third incision is for Dr. _____ thumb placement this way your bowel movements remain intact without being touch

This was the exact answer I got!

I am freaking out, what the heck is going on? A Dr cuts me during surgery to put his thumb inside my body?? I have Never heard of such a thing!

Please...if anyone here has ever heard of this, please let me know. Or if anyone has experienced this, please share with me.

I feel something is wrong & don't know what to do.

I seriously hope someone answers me here, I know no one is a doctor, just searching for any support.

Thank you

Patient Information for Laparoscopic Spine Surgery
This is about spinal surgery from the front and I know you mentioned the side but it might help you not worry so much.
It doesn't sound strange to me that there may be one extra incision.
How large are the incisions anyway?

All the truth about what went on during your surgery should be taken by notes and recorder by more than one person. That stuff is documented, and it isn't usual to make mistakes like how many incisions. I would question this also. Ask if there was a problem, and why it was done. No harm in asking. Get a copy of your records is always a good idea after surgery. Hope your recovery goes read well. ginnie

Thanks Lara, I'll check it out in a little while.

ginnie,
I have a patient portal and the reports (3 reports total) of what went on during my surgery are there, in great detail. I have read them over & over again and there is Not one single word about that incision or why. I did ask, the response I got is in my post at 2:32 today. Literally that is what the surgeon's assistant wrote me in her email. I did email her back with more questions but I won't hear back from her any time soon because of the weekend.

I am very concerned now because it's not even mentioned in the reports and because the explanation I was given is ridicules!!
Plus I'm having a bad recovery and I am disabled and by SS and am receiving SSDI.

Something just does not seem right.

A doctor makes a additional incision to put his thumb in my body & it having to be something to do with my bowel???

My surgeon has told me that the pain I'm having, he believes it's from a cyst in my thoracic and sent me to a neurosurgeon recently for it.

How can this happen to a person? I'm going to read the link Lara sent me.

I very much welcome any comments, suggestions or anything. Thanks

Hi Lara,
the link was not helpful unless I overlooked something you were trying to point out to me. Please tell me more.

The incision is almost 2" long

I'm very sorry the link I left isn't helpful.

I actually don't usually post here. I saw your worried msg and responded the best I could after your second post and saw you were online but had received no responses.

In the section on "complications" it mentions why there may be need for extra incisions. I was trying to point out that sometimes with these minimally invasive surgeries of any kind, there may be a need to make an extra incision. As I said earlier my daughter was only supposed to have a certain number of incisions with her kidney removal, but ended up with more.

I was not aware until you just posted that the incision is in fact 2 inches long, which is a long incision and not typical.

For a Surgeon assistant to respond to your query about the extra incision by saying

is unprofessional and doesn't make sense. Bowel movements?

Anyway,

I hope someone will see your posts that has similar surgery and can offer you more help.

All the best to you with your recovery.

I want to thank you for clarifying for me. I will take another look at the link.

You are right, it was a very unprofessional response from her.
Anyway, I'll have to wait & see what her response is to my next questions I sent to her.

Thanks again