My vision of beauty in it’s most natural state. Accept your body for what it is because you only get one body so treasure it and treat it like a temple.
It has been quite some time since I have posted anything and the xrays should explain why. On March 28th I underwent Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion for my deteriorating lower back caused from previous scoliosis surgery. I am now beginning to function normally.
I had my original scoliosis surgery (spinal instrumentation and fusion) in 1992. It was a very successful surgery. However, as you can see in the before xray it is a very long fusion (T4-L4). Over 20 + years that much fusion, hardware and immobility of my spine caused a lot of wear and tear on my lower lumbar and everything involved. I have been in chronic pain for two years.
So unable to bare it any longer one month ago I underwent surgery. They opened me from the front first and removed two discs. They then put bone graft in a little cage and put them in place of the discs. They closed me up and turned me over. They then removed a portion of my original hardware (T10 and below). There, they removed a piece of bone from my spine to relieve my flatback syndrome and placed hardware and screws to keep me stable from T10 to my hips (you can see the 6" screws in each of my hips and the new rods in the after xrays. The surgery took six hours.
I spent two days in ICU and a total of six days in the hospital. They had me up and walking the day after surgery. The first two weeks of recovery were extremely brutal and very, very painful. However, the more I got up and moved around the better it got. By the end of the second week I was walking outside 3-4 times a day for 15-20 minutes each time. Everyday was better than the day before.
I have had my first follow up appointment and everything looks good. My doctor is very pleased with my progress. I no longer have any hip or lower back pain. Which is fabulous! I only ache from the surgery and front and back incisions. I am driving short distances and even doing some socializing. It is fantastic!
There are some temporary drawbacks to all of this but considering the gain, they aren’t so bad. I won’t be able to bend at the waist, twist or lift more than five pounds for two more months, my sex life is temporarily on hold and I have to wear a bone growth stimulator 30 minutes a day for eight more months. All of this is still better than the pain I was in everyday and I think a few more weeks and I will be good as new…maybe even better!
