2019-Back-Surgery-Recovery

Post surgery I was groggy but could tell the pain in my hip and leg were gone. The nurses and medical staff at Parkview Hospital were amazing.

Thanks for all of your encouragement and prayers regarding my back injury and follow-up surgery. On October 9th, I had an left L4-L5 laminectomy, which successfully removed the pain in my hip and left leg. I am a bit sore and stiff at the surgery location while my back recovers, but I am able to walk upright again and lay flat without debilitating pain.

So, what are next steps for Angie and me?

First, I have to recover. For the next week or so, Angie and I are staying with her parents so she receives the care she needs with her multiple sclerosis, and I can recover from the surgery. Once my pain and stiffness decrease enough, I can return home and to work. Surgery repaired the damage in a way that my recovery period will NOT be as long as originally predicted with the steroid option I discussed before. For this first week, no major lifting, but lots of walking to stretch out my back muscles and get my body used to standing and walking again after weeks of pain and being hunched over. For the next month, I can only lift 15 to 20 pounds and that limitation will be eased as the months progress. After one month of walking and healing, I can start physical therapy and strength training again.

Look! I can stand upright without pain post surgery.

During this recovery, Angie and I are continuing to research and make changes to our home and lifestyle so she can return home and I can resume caregiving for her. We already have a contractor, Aging at Home Gracefully, scheduled to remodel our bathroom with a roll-in shower. We are currently in process of purchasing other accessibility items so I can assist Angie without impacting my back, like a Dodge Grand Caravan GT Accessibility Conversion from Autofarm Mobility, patient lift from James Medical, and mobility scooter. Once I return home in a week or so, with the help of friends and family, I will be rearranging our home and prepping these new accessibility tools. Once everything is ready, then Angie can return home from her parents’ home.

We are so thankful for Angie’s parents opening their home to us as went through the diagnosis period, surgery, and post-surgery recovery. They have cared for Angie when I could not, and give me a safe and heartfelt place to recover. We are also very grateful to my parents for providing rides to appointments, spending time with me when I was home on my own between diagnosis and surgery, moving a lift chair from our home to Angie’s parents’ house, and being there the day of my surgery to support me. We also want to thank everyone who has volunteered with meals and to help around the house, and those continuing to volunteer for when we return home together. With my limitations for the next few months, I will be needing assistance with winterizing our home and other projects around the house. Asking for help is not easy for me, so when people volunteer for specific things, it is so much easier for me to accept the help. The generic offer to help is appreciated, but not always something I know how to respond to.

Continue scrolling if you want to see pictures of my post-surgery incision with steristrips. If you do not, just close this window now.

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1″ surgical incision for L4-L5 Laminectomy covered with steri-strips
Personal Note – Recovery from Back Surgery

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