POST-OP: WEEK ONE.

The first four weeks after the spinal fusion are a little fuzzy due to the large volume of medications I was taking - Percoset, Tylenol, Soma, Lunesta and antibiotics - but I will do my best to describe those brutal weeks. (This picture is the abdominal incision that was required to perform the anterior fusion - the scars on my back in the picture below are from the posterior fusion. Take note: the abdominal incision develops significant scar tissue and leaves a solid bumpy ridge down the belly that will eliminate the possibility of that flat, sexy stomach for the rest of eternity. Sigh.)

My first week home was miserable, but I was so happy to be out of the hospital. I am so fortunate to have a mother who is a registered nurse, a father who is a physician, a sister who would do anything for me (and is also a therapist - score!) and Bolted Bionic Husband, who takes no prisoners when it comes to solving a problem. While I was assigned a home health nurse to perform daily evaluations of my incisions (all four of them) and the area on my neck where three catheters were inserted and removed, my mother and sister were truly the ones who took over my daily care. I could not do anything on my own - I needed help showering, getting dressed, brushing my hair, using the bathroom. I needed all sorts of tools to make these taken-for-granted activities possible including a raised toilet seat, shower chair, a grabber tool and a walker. I needed the walker to move anywhere, and anytime I was not showering, I was required to wear the brace. I owe my family a debt of gratitude for all their help in my recovery.

The first week was difficult. The pain was constant and often kept me awake at night despite the medication and sleeping pill. I could NEVER get comfortable, and every couple of hours I would elbow Bolted Bionic Husband who, without really even waking up, would bring me more medication.

I spent most of my days sleeping after having a shower because that minimal amount of activity was exhausting. My mother would change my dressings, which were weepy and draining the entire first week, and then I would fall asleep until mid afternoon when my home health nurse would visit to examine my sutures. After that I stayed awake enough to visit with my family in the evening, and was usually asleep again by 7pm. There was never a comfortable position to be in that first week, and everything hurt. I had dropped 15 pounds and all my clothes sagged, although the up side was having more room for the back brace which was worn almost 24 hours a day. I was generally very weepy alot of the time, but hopeful I would feel better soon.