Spine surgery - AIBU to ask if this gets better?

[Fancyacuppaluv]

Shamelessly posting here for traffic as I’m climbing the walls!

I’m 5th day post op following interbody fusion with cage and screws at two levels to remove two prolapsed discs. Came home from hospital yesterday and although I’ve got a myriad of drugs, I’m in so much pain constantly and terrified I’ll do something to dislodge the metalwork and make it even worse.

AIBU to ask if anyone has had this done and can tell me at what point the pain starts to lessen?

I can’t sit, at all. I can lie down on my side for up to 30 minutes at a time. Standing, and kind of rocking from side to side is the only half comfortable position. I’ve not had more than half an hours sleep since last Tuesday night. And I can’t stop crying, which I believe is a side affect of the anaesthetic.

Please tell me this gets better?!

Bless you. I have no experience of this. I just saw your message and don't want you to be lonely and in pain. Are you due any painkillers?

Thank you Donajimena...this time of night is horrible! Painkillers not due for another 3hrs 26 minutes 😳

Not quite the same but I had t2 to t9 fused after an accident. 2 rods and 12 screws. I also used to worry about the metal work popping out.

4am was always my worst time. Lonely and in pain. I used to lie on the sofa, and the only thing that made me feel better was a cheeky Sambuca! Somehow that helped me through the night.

It will get better. Don't push yourself too hard as you'll make it worse afterwards.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

I’m day 6 post op from a massive bowel resection. The op did not go according to plan and I’ve been really quite poorly.

I know they are completely different operations but they are both scary and difficult and degrading and so so god damn uncomfortable, BUT you can do this. Take each day at a time, and be kind to yourself. This is the hardest thing I have ever done and it has almost broken me mentally. But you’re getting there, ok? Each 5 minutes you’re getting better and stronger. See, we both made those 20 mins, right?

Please be kind to yourself. Even when people are screaming at you to walk around the world 30 seconds before you’re awake and you’ve had no painkillers yet.

Also, have you looked for recovery videos on YouTube? I was looking on post-op moving in bed as my tummy muscles are shot to shit, and that helped.

Hi sorry to hear about your pain levels.
5 days is still really early days. Are you setting a timer to make sure you take your medication as soon as it is allowed?
That is the main thing I've found after my L5/S1 microdiscectomy 2 weeks ago.
Anticipate the pain and get ahead of it if you can. Try to rotate your medications if you can so that you don't get to a place of having nothing in your system.
The first few days I was just exhausted and just needed to sleep. That was couoled with a dose of D&V which made me feel so weak. The only thing that helped was making sure my medication was taken bang on time. I am still waking up between 4:00-5:00am as my midnight dose runs out. It can then take a while to kick in again.
The pain i have experienced is a sort of healing pain and I can feel myself getting better it is just so important to do what your Dr has told you and rest.
Hope you feel better soon.

My sister has had several rounds of surgery for prolapsed discs. Don't panic! Your nerves may be irritated from the surgery and if so it will take time for them to calm down. I say this not to dishearten you but it took a good few months for my sis to start feeling better. It will be worth it in the end - just take it really easy.

And yes anesthetic can knock you around a bit too. Last time I had a GA I woke up bawling my eyes out - apparently quite common.

Oh man I don't miss those days. I had my surgery last year for prolapsed disc that was squashing my sciatic nerve so badly that I lost feeling in my leg and couldn't move my foot at all. It made me disabled and I had to wear a foot contraption to hold my foot up, it was truly awful. They said that I only had 10% chance of ever moving it again with surgery and 0% chance without surgery. After 6 weeks it started to move slightly and very slowly moved again. The pain was unbearable. All I can say is give it time and really take it easy. Move about as much as you can but no heavy lifting

I hope you managed to get some sleep and that today is a bit easier.

My mum had something similar - she slept a lot in the first few days and was well supplied with pain killers - have you got enough of what you need? Does your surgery have a district nurse service - will they send someone to you? My mum had very little support in her area and I had to nag the doctors to send someone, but other areas are much better. I think it took her about 6 months to recover properly (but she is (probably) a lot older than you.

And you won't dislodge the metalwork. However, after someone ran into the back of my mum in a supermarket with a trolley, she started wearing a small rucksack on her back every time she went out as she was scared that it might get dislodged. And try not to slip and fall down some steps, as she did, as she has dislodged it very slightly and now needs a (small) op to reset something - cancelled twice so far so she is still waiting. So be careful once you are recovered.

Also - you won't feel like it but try to eat stuff to keep your bowels moving. The last thing you want is to be constipated as well.

Big hug.

I’ve had similar surgery and yes it does get better!! it was only successful on one side in my case, though, so although my png term pain in my right side was eased it had no real effect on my left side, so I’m still on a huge cocktail of meds. The initial pain from the surgery does ease, though. Sending you my best wishes.