Well, I'm not an MD and I've never had my spine worked on, but I am an x-ray tech and I work in the OR on "cage-and-screw" cases. I know that patients usually feel much better after the initial recovery period. Even if the bone hasn't completely fused after a length of time,you will still feel much better than you had preop.
As for the meds, feeling loopy is normal. I remember when I had my gallbladder removed- I was "out of it" for a few days, and all I remember from the day of the surgery was that the recovery nurse was yelling at me to stay in my stretcher. LOL

Are you going to try to do any gardening this year? Even if you cant get outside as easily, it would still be good to have a few plants in the kitchen or around the house.

Anyway, im not sure I answered any of your questions, but good luck! I hopy you feel better!

Mindy, thank you. This is the kind of info I am looking for. The amnesia around the time of the surgery extends around the surgery for several hours. It is strange that I don't remember going to the hospital.I think it was still working three days later. I will definitely be outside, I just don't know how much work I'll be doing. Sandy

I had a medication accident years ago, b4 back surgery and getting painfree.

A friend took me to the emergency room on a Sat. I was given small presrriptions for Valium, and a muscle relaxer to last the weekend and until I could get in to see my regular doctor. My friend brought me home and then left. I live alone and really wanted to be alone in my pain and misery, and hoped to just sleep.

Well, just to make a short story long, I thought I knew which pills were which, but had them confused along with how frequently I was to take them. I realized this when I ran out of Valium on Sunday. Boy, that was some good stuff. I wasn't aware of any pain, or probably much else.

I now know I need to put on my glasses and read and follow the directions carefully.

Sue

Sandy, sorry I didn't see your post before. I had 3 discs removed and replaced with cadaver bone and screws and rods put in 3 yrs. ago. I was on some great stuff after the surgery and then when I got home, the percoset was great, until I tried to stop it. That's when I found out that you have to wean yourself off it, not just stop it. No wonder people get addicted to that crap.

Anyway, before the surgery, some pain mgmt. dr. gave me Ultracets to try. I took 1 pill and was on cloud 9 in 30 mins. flat and out of it for a whole day, and hungover for 3 days.

Even though I'm still in a lot of pain, I don't do the pain pills. I use the tens unit or 800mg of ibuprofen. No happy pills for me. My cardiologist calls pain mgmt. drs. "legal drug pushers"!lol He warned me not to take anything they give me.

So to answer your question, yes it is normal to be loopy (I use that word too!) with those meds, but when you think of the pain you would be in without them, it's a small price to pay. They don't tell you this stuff. I guess they just assume you know it, but how would you if you've never gone through a major surgery like that before.

So how are you feeling? Is the relief still lasting? How many discs and/or vertebre did they replace? Please go easy for a while. It takes closer to 2 yrs. for bone to fuse. I'm so glad mine did. Post again and let us know how you are.

Julie

I can just about guarantee you the memory loss around the time of the surgery was from Versed. This is a drug they give nearly all surgical patients. It is an amnesiac. It makes patients forget most of what happens to them over several hours. The time frame varies with the patient and with the amount of drug given. It is a very good drug that is also used in other areas of the hospital, including the ER. I just wish patients & families were routinely told up front about the drug induced amnesia.

I am so glad to learn about the versed. I thought I was losing my mind. I tell people when I had surgery, they erased half my memory.
I had surgery for kyphosis (like scoleosis) in April. 5 disks, one cage, hooks, rods and minus 1 rib later, I am 100% pain free for the first time in my lfe.
It is certainly difficult to remember not to bend or lift....until I start to feel the strain.

I'm new to this forum but am wondering about the surgery. I'm in the process of getting an appointment with a surgeon for spinal stenosis and several places along my spine that has degenerated discs. I'd like to know if this is the same as any of you had done. Do you work or will you be able to work again in a job where you'd have to lift anything heavy?

I work with special needs adults who are mostly in wheelchairs and there is a lot of lifting involved. I'm a supervisor of a residence with 16 ladies but if we are short of staff or have a lot of appointments going on I have to help with direct care more. I'm really hoping I can keep my job. I've been off work for 6 weeks already and have only had tests done so far. I've already lost muscle tone and have nerve damage in both legs. Anything you can tell me will help.

Thanks,

Nancy

Nancy, are you sure that this is the right forum?

There are several good forums on the net for folks experiencing back troubles and some recovering from the surgery. My sister just had the surgery with great results. She found the forums helpful. Probably just do a search and get more first hand info from those forums.