My recovery is going pretty well. I go back to work on Monday. I'm a little skeptical about how long I can sit up in a chair. I guess I will be alright as long as I take frequent breaks.
My sutures itch like no tomorrow. They are aggravated when I go for a walk. Nothing a little ice can't solve. The recliner I sit in most of the time is mesh, but sitting in a chair traps heat on my back and itches like crazy. The doctors tell me itching is normal and I don't have an infection. I am down to taking Tylenol as needed and Aleve three times a day as an anti-inflammatory.
I am walking about a mile-and-a-half a day, sometimes more. It takes me twenty-five to thirty minutes.
Saw "The Dark Knight" on opening day - one goal met. Was pretty uncomfortable, not so much because of pain but itchiness. It hasn't been as itchy this week as last. Watched about half of season one of Battlestar.
Now that pain is controllable and steadiness has improved, boredom is starting to set in. I'm starting to get restless. At least I've been out of the house a few times, and I even drove yesterday to get some tacos. What I really look forward to is these stitches closing so I can return to normal activities.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Day 6: I Get Around
Haven't checked in for a while, so I decided to give a status report. It's been almost a week since my microdiscectomy, and so far, so good.
I have been taking a walk every morning (two, yesterday - I was bored) and increasing the distance by a couple of blocks every day. The goal is for me to walk to the Hillsdale Starbucks tomorrow morning and have Rhonda meet me there in the car for breakfast, then ride back home. That will be the first meal I eat away from home since last week.
I went off the Vicodin Saturday night, less than 48 hours after surgery. Currently I am taking both Advil and Tylenol. Aleve wasn't doing much for me since you can only take it every 8 hours, although maybe I will switch back now that the pain has diminished. Other than that, lots of ice, especially right after I talk a walk.
I feel pretty good, although I have to say psychologically it's tough when everyone treats you like an invalid. Still can't (and shouldn't) left more than five pounds, bend over, or twist, so to some extent that's true. I've been kind of irritable as a result. Owe my wife huge.
Finally got to take a shower Monday. I had really been taking the ability to shower for granted.
Still haven't watched Battlestar. Maybe tonight since there is no Giants game.
I have been taking a walk every morning (two, yesterday - I was bored) and increasing the distance by a couple of blocks every day. The goal is for me to walk to the Hillsdale Starbucks tomorrow morning and have Rhonda meet me there in the car for breakfast, then ride back home. That will be the first meal I eat away from home since last week.
I went off the Vicodin Saturday night, less than 48 hours after surgery. Currently I am taking both Advil and Tylenol. Aleve wasn't doing much for me since you can only take it every 8 hours, although maybe I will switch back now that the pain has diminished. Other than that, lots of ice, especially right after I talk a walk.
I feel pretty good, although I have to say psychologically it's tough when everyone treats you like an invalid. Still can't (and shouldn't) left more than five pounds, bend over, or twist, so to some extent that's true. I've been kind of irritable as a result. Owe my wife huge.
Finally got to take a shower Monday. I had really been taking the ability to shower for granted.
Still haven't watched Battlestar. Maybe tonight since there is no Giants game.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life
As I type this in my zero-gravity recliner from my living room, I'm happy to report I'm not in the horrible, excruciating pain I feared I might be.
Surgery was yesterday at the crack of dawn. I was, understandably, pretty nervous. Say what you will about Stanford, they really have their stuff together at the Ambulatory Surgery Center. My surgeons wisely gave my wife my prescriptions before surgery, and there is a Walgreens in the building. I had Vicodin waiting for me when I woke up.
I didn't speak to the surgeon, but my wife did. It turns out the disk extrusion had calcified, it had been there so long. Ewww. And it turns out I may be in a for a lifetime of back problems due to my genealogical bone structure. Just peachy. At least I know it's not entirely my fault. I'll know more in six weeks at my follow-up.
I slept a lot of yesterday off. My back feels like someone ripped it open and jabbed a bunch of instruments in there, probably because that's what happened. On the other hand, I was not expecting so much pain in my throat and sinuses. While I was out, they stuck a breathing tube down my throat. The result is a raspy voice, pain while swallowing, and coughing up blood.
All in all, not doing too bad. The sciatic nerve is irritated, but that's to be expected. It feels like I already have some strength back in my right foot, which is really encouraging considering it hasn't been very long, and the chances for recovery were not that high. Icing my back for twenty minutes regularly, as that should reduce inflammation as well as force blood to rush into the area to repair the damage.
Standing feels best. I stupidly laid on my back on a foam wedge at first, before realizing it was a lot less painful to lay face down while putting on the ice. Lying in bed on my left side results in virtually no pain, but it's pretty boring unless I'm sleeping. The couch is too soft to lie on. The zero-grav chair I bought is fine as long as I stay in one place, and since I can use the laptop and watch HDTV from there, that's where I've set up camp.
This morning, I made a bowl of cereal, made coffee, and even ventured outside to get the paper (with my grabber, no bending over). So I already feel like I'm making some progress. Things could be better, but they certainly could be a lot worse.
Surgery was yesterday at the crack of dawn. I was, understandably, pretty nervous. Say what you will about Stanford, they really have their stuff together at the Ambulatory Surgery Center. My surgeons wisely gave my wife my prescriptions before surgery, and there is a Walgreens in the building. I had Vicodin waiting for me when I woke up.
I didn't speak to the surgeon, but my wife did. It turns out the disk extrusion had calcified, it had been there so long. Ewww. And it turns out I may be in a for a lifetime of back problems due to my genealogical bone structure. Just peachy. At least I know it's not entirely my fault. I'll know more in six weeks at my follow-up.
I slept a lot of yesterday off. My back feels like someone ripped it open and jabbed a bunch of instruments in there, probably because that's what happened. On the other hand, I was not expecting so much pain in my throat and sinuses. While I was out, they stuck a breathing tube down my throat. The result is a raspy voice, pain while swallowing, and coughing up blood.
All in all, not doing too bad. The sciatic nerve is irritated, but that's to be expected. It feels like I already have some strength back in my right foot, which is really encouraging considering it hasn't been very long, and the chances for recovery were not that high. Icing my back for twenty minutes regularly, as that should reduce inflammation as well as force blood to rush into the area to repair the damage.
Standing feels best. I stupidly laid on my back on a foam wedge at first, before realizing it was a lot less painful to lay face down while putting on the ice. Lying in bed on my left side results in virtually no pain, but it's pretty boring unless I'm sleeping. The couch is too soft to lie on. The zero-grav chair I bought is fine as long as I stay in one place, and since I can use the laptop and watch HDTV from there, that's where I've set up camp.
This morning, I made a bowl of cereal, made coffee, and even ventured outside to get the paper (with my grabber, no bending over). So I already feel like I'm making some progress. Things could be better, but they certainly could be a lot worse.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
My Post-Op Playlist
If you're interested in the playlist I built to keep me positive, you can check that out from my last.fm journal.
Under the Knife
June went by without a single blog post. I would say I haven't had the time, but as the people who follow me on Twitter can attest, that isn't true.
The largest reason is I have had back issues, alluded to previously on this blog. I finally decided to get that checked out after it flared up again in early June.
A rather unpleasant procedure called an electromyography (EMG) and a new MRI confirmed I have three, not one, herniated discs. My first consult with a neurosurgeon said I not only needed surgery, but emergency surgery.
I had a second opinion with the Stanford Orthopaedic Spine Center. Yes, that Stanford - which I hate with the intensity of a thousand burning suns. Seeing as how the weakness began during Cal football season and the first episode of pain hit on the day of the Big Game, this is only fitting.
Luckily, my surgeon is a Cal alum.
Anyway, I had a difficult choice to make. The first surgeon said I absolutely needed surgery to avoid permanent nerve damage. He recommended an open lumbar laminectomy. Dr. Ivan Cheng at Stanford recommended a microscope surgery, called a microdecompression/microdiscectomy.
The two surgeries are basically the same - cut away a piece of the lamina of the vertebrae to relive pressure, then temporary move the nerve out of the way to cut off the disc herniations. The open surgery meant a much longer recovery, but the micro surgery presents a higher risk of recurrence. Both surgeries might only give me about a 50/50 chance to regain strength in my right foot.
I decided to go with the micro surgery. When the chances of full recovery are that low, I don't see the point in getting the more invasive surgery. If I re-herniate, I'm not even sure I'd go back in for a second surgery. But I figure I have to give my 30-year-old body at least a coin flip at repairing itself.
So I go under the knife in less than twelve hours. I'm not extremely nervous, but I've never had major surgery or been in a hospital, so I've been anxious about this for weeks. Luckily, if all goes well, the micro surgery is outpatient and I could be writhing in pain in my own bed by lunchtime tomorrow.
I've decided to look at this as a wake-up call. I can't just sit at a desk all day, eating junk food and staying sedentary. I really can't do that if I expect to stay away from an operating table for a second time.
These are the steps I have taken:
These are my goals, in descending order of importance:
I'm sure I will be spending a lot of time online, in between episodes of Battlestar. If you want to keep tabs on my recovery (and I don't post anything here), try the following sources:
Thanks everyone for their well wishes and concerns. I don't plan on being down for long.
The largest reason is I have had back issues, alluded to previously on this blog. I finally decided to get that checked out after it flared up again in early June.
A rather unpleasant procedure called an electromyography (EMG) and a new MRI confirmed I have three, not one, herniated discs. My first consult with a neurosurgeon said I not only needed surgery, but emergency surgery.
I had a second opinion with the Stanford Orthopaedic Spine Center. Yes, that Stanford - which I hate with the intensity of a thousand burning suns. Seeing as how the weakness began during Cal football season and the first episode of pain hit on the day of the Big Game, this is only fitting.
Luckily, my surgeon is a Cal alum.
Anyway, I had a difficult choice to make. The first surgeon said I absolutely needed surgery to avoid permanent nerve damage. He recommended an open lumbar laminectomy. Dr. Ivan Cheng at Stanford recommended a microscope surgery, called a microdecompression/microdiscectomy.
The two surgeries are basically the same - cut away a piece of the lamina of the vertebrae to relive pressure, then temporary move the nerve out of the way to cut off the disc herniations. The open surgery meant a much longer recovery, but the micro surgery presents a higher risk of recurrence. Both surgeries might only give me about a 50/50 chance to regain strength in my right foot.
I decided to go with the micro surgery. When the chances of full recovery are that low, I don't see the point in getting the more invasive surgery. If I re-herniate, I'm not even sure I'd go back in for a second surgery. But I figure I have to give my 30-year-old body at least a coin flip at repairing itself.
So I go under the knife in less than twelve hours. I'm not extremely nervous, but I've never had major surgery or been in a hospital, so I've been anxious about this for weeks. Luckily, if all goes well, the micro surgery is outpatient and I could be writhing in pain in my own bed by lunchtime tomorrow.
I've decided to look at this as a wake-up call. I can't just sit at a desk all day, eating junk food and staying sedentary. I really can't do that if I expect to stay away from an operating table for a second time.
These are the steps I have taken:
- I have built a playlist of music to motivate me and keep me focused.
- I bought Giants Crocs so I won't slip and kill myself.
- I bought a PikStik Pro. This is my favorite new toy in months.
- I bought a
These are my goals, in descending order of importance:
- Re-gain strength in my right leg and foot.
- After six months, don't be worse off than when I started.
- Make it to my cousin's wedding in three weeks. I bought a plane ticket, so I fully intend to be there.
- Get down to a reasonable weight by Christmas.
- Try to be able to set comfortably enough to see "The Dark Knight". This is totally beyond my control.
- Watch Battlestar Galactica, season one.
I'm sure I will be spending a lot of time online, in between episodes of Battlestar. If you want to keep tabs on my recovery (and I don't post anything here), try the following sources:
- My Facebook profile
- Follow me on Twitter
- FriendFeed - I'm new to this, but it should aggregate all the other sources.
Thanks everyone for their well wishes and concerns. I don't plan on being down for long.
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