Life in the straight(er) lane

13 days have gone by since surgery and most of them are a blur. I do feel like although I am still on plenty of pain meds, I am emerging from the narcotic haze that follows surgery. I'm not home yet and oh how I long to be there. I was doing pretty well at the hospital towards the end of the first week and was scheduled to go home but ended up having a crisis day of pain that was uncontrolled and they ultimately decided that I needed to move to the Rehab Hospital instead of being discharged home. I went kicking and screaming (really just sobbing in a wheelchair transport van) and arrived 9 days after the surgery. Its a great place and they are doing really good work at getting me strong enough to go home but oh how I long to be there. I am pushing for early next week and intend to be the squeakiest wheel around here till they get so sick of me asking they'll gladly let me go. 

The surgery and recovery itself has been way more than I could have ever imagined it was going to be. I have had a fusion before and had a longer recovery but that was nothing at all compared to this. They wanted to do this bigger surgery on me 14 years ago but I wanted the less involved action then. In hindsight I should have done this in my 30's vs my 50's but it's over now and I am only focused on getting better.

My brace.........while I love that it is literally a shield of armor to protect this very new fragile spine of mine i equally hate it with a passion. I lay in bed and fantazise about ways I will destroy it when it's time has run its course. (about three months). Burning, smashing, running over with a tractor trailer....so far dynamite seems to be the most popular fantasy. Perhaps we will have a destroy the brace party this fall.

The very hardest part of this for me has been being dependent on others for all of my needs. I am not allowed to get out of bed, transfer to chair or bathroom, or walk independently.  It's incredibly frustrating to be lying in bed and not be able to get to something that is only a few feet away. I hate calling the nurses and rarely put my call on. I know thats what they are here for but I hate bothering them, especially with things that are not super important. This morning for the first time I asked my nurses aid to put me in my w/c so that I could get up and do some things independently. I was able to roll into the bathroom and bathe and dress independently (with the help of my reacher which is a godsend). It felt good to be able to do things for myself, I even rolled myself to the dining room for breakfast for the first time.

 There is no therapy at all on Sundays so it's going to be a long boring day. I think my hubby and some of my kids are coming later so that will help. Last night Ed brought me Pasta Con Broccoli from Rich and Charlies. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I am just starting to get my appetite back and can only eat small portions at a time but it was wonderful. The brace makes things difficult when eating too as its very restricting. Might turn out to be a good diet aid. ;-)

On a very personal note and only for those that are reading this as they may have to go through it themselves. I still am reliant on a foley catheter for my poor lazy bladder. They tried removing it in the hospital but I was unable to go on my own. After a day or so of being in and out catheterized they consulted a urologist who suggested they put it in and let my bladder rest for another week or so. I am hoping they remove it tomorrow for another voiding trial. Please pray for success as I really don't want to go home with a catheter in place. Although I will say not having to get up at night and pee is a lazy benefit.

So, thats where things stand at day 13. I'll post more when I have anything exciting to add, like going home!! I belong to a support group on Facebook for adults with scoliosis. I thought by writing this blog it might help someone else who is facing this surgery kind of know what to expect. I know I researched like crazy ahead of time looking for advice and support so I hope this is helpful. Thanks for hanging in there if you made it this far and I apologize if you glance at the photos and find they make you a bit ill. HAHA not my intent i promise.

My new much longer hardware and much straighter spine

this however looks like one hot mess to me. Kind of like they dumped the toolbox over into me and then sewed me up? LOL

the section with the screws facing to the left is the original hardware from 13 years ago. 

and this........what can I say. Luckily I am a person that typically scars very well so hopefully it will bit just a thin line running down my back. I have no idea what the two smaller incisions are from and I am anxious to hear the surgical details to see what those areas were used for.