Spinal surgery update - kind of a nightmare

Those of you that are friends with me on Facebook, know most of this, but here's a copy and paste....

Wednesday's weight (surgery day): 155.1
Monday's weight: 181.5
Tuesday's weight 177.4
Wednesday's weight 171.1

I spent a VERY long time on fluids so that's why I came home with 25 extra pounds, not in the least worried about it. It's coming off, but I'm basically eating whatever I want, if I'm being honest, within reason, of course.

This would be because my one night hospital stay ended up being a six day nightmare. Surgery went well and fast. They couldn't get my pain under control in recovery so I was there for 2 hours. It still wasn't well under control when we got to the room but I wasn't screaming, so progress, I suppose. I was on a morphine drip (with a "magic button". Well, the morphine wasn't doing it and that button? Not all that freaking magic. I just got out of the hospital on Monday evening. The pain still isn't controlled and I'm not doing well. They ended up taking me off of the morphine and giving me oral Percocet and 1.5 diladid every two-three hours through IV along with Valium in there for fun. I ended up refusing to leave on Saturday and Sunday because the pain wasn't controlled and I spent 30 minutes every two hours crying and begging someone to kill me. It's still bad. I'm now on Percocet every 6 hours. 1mg diluadid twice per day (for a week and then just one per day for a week) and Valium every 8 hours. I wish I could say I was anywhere near pain free, but I'm hovering around an 8.

I go in for a follow up next week. They did do a CT scan while I was admitted and say everything looks "perfect", you can already see that it's starting to fuse) but there's simply no way anyone should be in this much pain. I'm pretty much losing it. I'm in BAD shape.

I wish I could candy coat it, but that's just how it is. It's really bad.

I really feel like the doctors didn't believe me and really just gave me hard drugs to me get out of there. As much as I love my surgeon, I'm not very happy with him. He as in surgeries all day Monday. After sending his PA down on Sunday to tell us he was discharging us and the paperwork was all done and me telling him that we weren't going anywhere until someone had a good pain management plan for us, I wanted to speak to the actual SURGEON. He never did show, but the PA came back on Tuesday and they had obviously spoken at length and had a viable plan (basically throw as many drug as they can to hope to dull the pain so I can function).

I have a follow up next week.

Apparently, they were thinking the insurance wouldn't pay for me to stay Saturday, but I honestly don't give a **** I was in severe pain, it wasn't controlled. I wasn't going home. Period. I'll fight tht battle if needed. There just was NO way I could have let in that condition. So, I'm trying to walk as much as I can with my walker, alternate laying down an resting in my office chair (super comfy) and he sofa.

Note: I had a double lumbar fusion on Wednesday, 7/31 (levels L4l-L5-S1)

Oh my dear that is a nightmare.  We figured you were in one over on the maintenance board when we hadn't heard from you in almost a week.  The goof thing about pain management is that when they get it working, it works.  I listened to my mother screaming until she was hoarse for a day and refusing to leave the hospital after she had her lung out last year.  I thought she was never going to recover.  Once they got it under control and she felt safe that it wasn't coming back she was ready to go but we had to involve the pain control center and bypass the surgeon.  Hang in there with whatever they give you, hopefully you'll hit the magic 8 ball.

 

Thoughts and prayers

Candy - oh.my.god!! This sounds like pure hell. So very sorry you are having to deal with this. Good for you for advocating for yourself. I will pray for a quick healing and fast recovery - and NO PAIN!

I am so sorry to hear that you are going through such a hard time, I hope they get your pain under control quickly and you start to feel better.

 

Heather

I'm so sorry.  I'm carefully hugging you.  Prayers lifted up.

You sweet thing, this just sucks sweaty balls that you are having to deal with so much pain.

Hugs to you.

 

Am I to infer from your comment that you believe sucking sweaty balls is a bad thing?

 

Actually, it sucks big sweaty hairy balls that haven't seen a shower in a week.

Geez! Warn a woman when you make her laugh that hard. I almost peed my pants. It's a damn good thing I do my Keigals.

 

I'm so sorry you are in so much pain. I'm sending good thoughts your way and hope you get some relief.