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Old 03-21-2009, 03:33 PM
Cindylou Cindylou is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Wayzata, Minnesota
Posts: 238
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Kathy, soooo glad you are moving around and, at least, turning the corner on controlling your post-op pain. Love the pictures. I still don't know how to do that yet. Will have to figure that one out. Did you get two discs replaced Kathy? Sorry. I should know this. Just remember to take it really slow, even when you feel like you can do a lot more. Believe me, most of us here have paid the consequences for "overdoing." Learn from our mistakes. I thought I would address Katie's question here on your thread, if you don't mind. About having the epidural along with the general to control the pain when you wake up.....my surgeon definitely did that for me. Huge difference. Don't know why Dr. B didn't do that with my 3 levels. My post-op pain was stupid, out of control those first few days. Would have driven myself off a cliff if I could have. It just seems so unnecessary to suffer so, in this day and age. But I do believe, given this last one was much less invasive, was a life saver of "managed pain." This is a roller coaster recovery, as you have heard us oldies say many times. Oh, and yes, the swollen feet is very common. I remember freaking out about that and good ole' Chuck here calmed my concerns right away. When do you head for home? Pain free days are around the corner for you Kathy.

Cindylou
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bicycle accident 6/01: 2 compression fractures @ T12-L1; vertibroplasty; 4/06: right hip labral tear & arthroscopic repair; 4/07: lumbar prodiscs @ 3 levels, L3-6 by Dr. Bertagnoli; 7/02/08: ALIF L6-S1; 7/30/08: reopened to remove bone cement, leaked onto S1 nerve root; 8/08: pulmonary embolism, double pneumonia, collapsed left lung, pleurisy, pleural effusion; ALIF fusion complete; 3/10/09: SI Joint Fusion by Dr. Stark; Jury still out.
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