Spinal fusion surgery followed by DVT

[East Bay Rider]

I'd been suffering with pinched nerves, discs rubbing and arthritis for years so on April 24 I had the L4-L5 fusion complete with screws, rods, spacer, cadaver bone (hope the PO was cool) and arthritis removal. I stayed in the stepdown unit of the hospital until Saturday (4/27) when I was transferred to a nursing home for rehab. I came home the following Tuesday (4/30) after proving that I was very mobile and self reliant. I'd stopped taking any pain medication other than Tylenol while still in the hospital.
It seems almost immediately after arriving home I developed a DVT in my calf. In fact it may have even started in the rehab facility. Naturally I ignored the pain for a week (dumb) before going for an ultrasound and a trip to the ER where I was subsequently put on blood thinners. They've assured me the DVT is no longer dangerous, just annoying.
Now it's almost a month since the surgery and two weeks since treating the DVT and my leg still hurts if I'm mobile even though I'm elevating it at rest. I'm wearing the compression socks as directed.
I know this surgery is pretty common. Surely others have gone through this or more. What was your experience like? Timeline? I really thought I'd be feeling pretty good by now.

[RW16610]

I'm very sorry to hear what you've been going through, Bill. I've got no experience with this but just hope that you're able to get things resolved and be back to normal, ASAP.

[Boothroyd]

Bill, I hope you get some relief and recover soon! Can't comment on the experience. But get well!

[TheVTCGuy]

Bill, I don’t know a thing about it but hope you are fully recovered very soon. It makes my surgery last week seem like a hangnail in comparison (and I had 20% of my colon removed!).

Best of luck friend.

[JMtimes5]

Get well soon.
I’d say follow the exercise and activity recommendations of your physical therapist....

[superdog]

Sorry to hear about this.

Ive had a few tough and painful injuries along with some painful medical conditions.

Nothing was worse than back pain. I had the least intrusive kind of discetomy. It was a nightmare, until it wasn’t.

I’ve always heard that a fusion is the toughest most difficult recovery. And I’ve been instructed that it takes a lot of time. A lot.

Stay patient. Keep doing what the docs say. Best of luck and I wish you the speediest the recovery.

[sokoloka]

Been selling spine implants / hardware approaching 12 years now, in the OR almost every day. Out of curiosity - have any of your pre-op images?

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by sokoloka

Been selling spine implants / hardware approaching 12 years now, in the OR almost every day. Out of curiosity - have any of your pre-op images?

Unfortunately I don't. The image pictured is from a quick x-ray done in the hospital before I was sent off to rehab.

[Coopdog]

Hey bud. I’m an acute care / rehab physical therapist. At one point I evaluated probably 3-4 people who had one type of spinal fusion or another every day. I’ve seen a lot of people recover from this surgery. If you want to talk about any of the specifics I’d be happy to, shoot me a PM.



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[Ferdelious]

Did the rehab facility have you on a pneumatic compression device for DVT prevention? They should have if you were fairly immobile. If you developed the DVT under their care they are responsible for your ongoing treatment. My company manufactures DVT prophylaxis compression devices.

[JasoninDenver]

That sucks.

Hopefully the road to recovery will be getting much better for you now.

[BDL]

I needed surgery for a disc that ruptured into my spinal cord C5-C6 in my neck. I was given the option of fusion or total disc replacement. I opted for disc replacement (with an artificial disc called Mobi-c) after tons of research and visits to multiple specialists. Instant relief from Spinal cord issues. This was back in October of last year, I’m back on the golf course but I will say I am stiff a bit each morning and after a big exercise. You can see my issue was cutting off spinal flow, my hands and legs were numb and I walked like I had had a few too many cocktails.

Best of luck with yours.



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[BDL]

My MRI.


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[droptopman]

Get well soon Bill. May the Gods bless you with a speedy recovery.

They have suggested surgery for my lower back but I have put if off as long as possible. Trying alternative methods--yoga, heat, cold, weight training and so on. Still have a lot of pain but able to work and play for the most part. When I can no longer do those things, then I will look at surgery. Mine is lower than yours but they suggest a similar procedure.

Good luck man. Back pain sucks.

[ltmgeller]

Get well soon. I've had 3 work related spinal fusions (L5-S1, L4-L5, L3-L4) and 1 traumatic motorcycle one (T10-L2). I had a DVT with the last one which was caught while I was in the hospital (3 month stay). They put in an IVC filter and I was on my way to recovery. My first 3 surgeries I almost fully recovered and was able to return to work after the first 2 as a firefighter. The last one it will be 2 years next month and I'm still getting better. I spent 5 months in a wheel chair and now walk with a cane. Everyones recovery is different but prayers and positive determined mental attitude was what helped me the most. My recommendation is to get off the pain meds as soon as you can because I found it slowed down my recovery. I wish you the best and advise you to keep moving. I hurt more when I don't move so moving is the best thing for me. Good luck

[dba]

Wow! That is some serious hardware in your neck! Fully recover soon!

[joeychitwood]

I had an L4-5 diskectomy in 2010. The pain in my back improved, but the numbness in my leg and foot remains. This is an x-ray of my lumbar spine done three years ago. It's worse now. (For non-medical TRFers, it looks like the film of an 85 year-old with severe disk disease and arthritis.) But I've decided to stay active despite the pain. I ski, ride mountain bike, lift weights and cut trees on my property. I find that I have more back pain if I lay around than if I push myself hard.

[East Bay Rider]

I think I'm going to start keeping some kind of diary of my recovery. Two weeks ago at my last appointment they asked about numbness (previous condition) in my leg and today I had that symptom but hadn't before. It's passed now. I also seem to be experiencing something resembling restless leg which is interesting. Not sure if it's related.
Topics to discuss at my next appointment.

[THC]

Originally Posted by Coopdog

Hey bud. I’m an acute care / rehab physical therapist. At one point I evaluated probably 3-4 people who had one type of spinal fusion or another every day. I’ve seen a lot of people recover from this surgery. If you want to talk about any of the specifics I’d be happy to, shoot me a PM.



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Extremely nice of you Coop :

Godspeed Bill

[gmh1013]

Originally Posted by ltmgeller

Get well soon. I've had 3 work related spinal fusions (L5-S1, L4-L5, L3-L4) and 1 traumatic motorcycle one (T10-L2). I had a DVT with the last one which was caught while I was in the hospital (3 month stay). They put in an IVC filter and I was on my way to recovery. My first 3 surgeries I almost fully recovered and was able to return to work after the first 2 as a firefighter. The last one it will be 2 years next month and I'm still getting better. I spent 5 months in a wheel chair and now walk with a cane. Everyones recovery is different but prayers and positive determined mental attitude was what helped me the most. My recommendation is to get off the pain meds as soon as you can because I found it slowed down my recovery. I wish you the best and advise you to keep moving. I hurt more when I don't move so moving is the best thing for me. Good luck

Sounds like me....ive had 2 operations....fusions...arthritis....ever time it helps for a few months them worse off than before the surgery. Im 61 and can walk with a cane somedays but its not stable...i use walker most of the time. I had my "crash" good friday...1979 and never recovered. Ive cut way back on the dope to 120mg a day morphine and 60mg perc's.
They did want me to have the surgery described above....but now that im 61 and diabetic they have not said anything in years now.

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by Ferdelious

Did the rehab facility have you on a pneumatic compression device for DVT prevention? They should have if you were fairly immobile. If you developed the DVT under their care they are responsible for your ongoing treatment. My company manufactures DVT prophylaxis compression devices.

No they didn't do anything like that with me. I did have compression socks since surgery though. When I got to the rehab place it was 3 days after the surgery and I needed help getting in/out of bed. By the end of the first night I was getting to the bathroom by myself and strolling to the nurses station to get my own medicine with the walker. Within 2 more days I was able to demonstrate climbing stairs, getting in/out of a bathtub and general Independence. Motivation was to get the hell out of that smelly, inattentive nursing home and back into my own house.
I suspect that the DVT started before I got home but it got progressively worse and I gritted and grunted my way through it for a week before calling the Dr for help. There's no pain quite like a DVT.