A Surgery Journal
While preparing for my back surgery, I’ve been connecting with other people who’ve had the same (or similar) procedure. I’ve connected with several great people on Instagram, and I’ve even found some journal-style blogs where people wrote daily updates about their post-surgery recovery.
This has been tremendously helpful to me, both in deciding whether to have the surgery and in preparing myself for what’s to come. So I’ve decided to do the same. In addition to my usual posts (and maybe some guest posts while I’m out of commission), I’m going to do my very best to post regular updates before and after my surgery.
My hope is that:
- Someone in my position will come across these posts in the future and will find them useful, supportive, encouraging, or whatever.
- It will be another way for me to connect with people who’ve had (or will be having) a spinal fusion. (If this is YOU, please feel free to get in touch with me!!! Leave a comment here, or if you want to contact me privately, you can reach me at sharon{at}mommyrunsit{dot}com or via DM on Instagram.)
Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion
So first, let me explain the actual procedure that I’ll be having. I’ve touched on this in other posts, but here’s a quick summary.
The procedure is called a Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF). You can read a complete explanation about it HERE and HERE. But the short version (in my own non-medical words) is this:
I will be put under general anesthesia for the surgery. It’s a “minimally invasive” procedure, which basically means that I’m not going to be cut open – rather the surgeon will perform the surgery via two small incisions on my back. He will remove the discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1, and he will put a synthetic spacer in their place. The spacer will be filled with dust & chips of my own bone (this is called a bone graft), which will eventually produce new bones that will fuse my spine in those two spots.
The spacer and my spine will be held together with titanium rods and screws, which will probably remain in my back for the rest of my life. Once the bones fuse, the hardware will be extraneous. It’s possible to have it removed, but most people choose to avoid a second surgical procedure and just let it be.
Most things I’ve read say that patients spend 3-4 nights in the hospital post-surgery, but my surgeon expects that I will only be there for two nights. He also said that he will want me up and moving the same day as my surgery. Some people have asked whether I’ll have to use a walker or wear a back brace, and my surgeon doesn’t think I’ll need either. He does say that I will be in quite a lot of pain after the surgery and that the first 1-2 weeks will be particularly rough. He estimates that with physical therapy, I’ll be able to resume normal functioning about 6 weeks after the surgery, although it will be a minimum of 3 months before I can even think about running again (and that’s probably being optimistic).
A photo posted by Sharon 💕 run | yoga | joy (@mommyrunsit) on
Current Mood
Physically, I’m doing better than I was a couple of weeks ago. I saw my primary care doctor, and she gave me some anti-inflammatories that don’t seem to upset my stomach too much. I’m sleeping better and my overall mobility has improved, although anything but the gentlest of stretching is still out of the question.
A photo posted by Sharon 💕 run | yoga | joy (@mommyrunsit) on
Emotionally, I have good days and bad days. Running, yoga, and going to the gym were big parts of my life and key to my self-care. Without those things, it’s been hard not to slip into self-pity or depression. I really have to push myself to get outside, stay active, and avoid becoming socially isolated. My husband has been a great help with this. This weekend, for example, he planned a hike for the while family. And he also somehow convinced me to play frisbee with him and the girls, which I actually enjoyed a lot. I’m glad he’s on my team.
I’m also anxious, but for right now my anxiety is directed more toward taking care of my family than the surgery itself. My surgery is on the girls’ last day of school, so there are plans to be made. They will spend some or all of the first week with my parents, and they’ll be in day camp the second week. My husband will be telecommuting for a few weeks so that he can take care of all of us.
Meanwhile, I’m busy scheduling all of our doctor & dentist appointments during the next 3 weeks, in between all of the end of the school year activities. And of course I have big plans for all the cleaning and organizing I’m going to do beforehand in order to simplify life for the rest of the family. We’ll see how that goes. My husband held down the fort twice last year, both for a 9-10 day stretch, so I have no doubt that he’ll manage just fine without me.
So the countdown begins. 23 days and counting.