@annie1
Annie, Your surgeon has to clear you for everything. My guess is that your surgeon will allow you to walk, but not swim. While the incision is healing, they don't want it softening and loosening in water. I was told no pools or hot tubs or soaking bath for 6 weeks. The shower was OK as long as I didn't rub on the incision, and I was allowed to shower on day 2. You will have the incision closed with something. I had dissolving sutures and that was covered with steri strips to hold the skin together. I had to leave those and not pull them off which took 3 weeks for them to fall off on their own. This gives a nice clean and narrow scar which isn't visible (and it's in front in a crease on my neck). Some surgeons use a type of glue to close the incision. Your scar will be on your back, so I don't know if it will be wider because of that. Every time you move, it will probably pull a little bit on the incision which hurts, and you probably won't want to move much. I think taking a public bus ride would be too much with stepping up and down and leaning back in a seat on your incision, and then every bump in the road bumps on your back.

You won't want to lean over, so give yourself permission to not make the bed for as long as you need to feel better. I had all my comfy clothes folded in bins on a table next to the bed so I wouldn't have to bend over for anything. Pulling open a drawer will put a little pressure on your back when it hurts. I put elastic laces in my gym shoes so I could just slip them on. That kept me from needing to bend and I couldn't bend my neck to look at my feet.

You've talked about having difficulty walking, and that is why I think they will evaluate you after surgery for home health. After surgery, you are a fall risk because of anesthesia and your ability if that is compromised or not. Anesthesia and immobility also increase the risk for blood clots after surgery for about a month. When I had a respiratory infection after my spine surgery, the Immediate Care would not see me because they didn't have emergency equipment to handle me if there were blood clots that could get to my lungs. This is also why hospitals want patents to walk right after surgery. The anesthesia drugs suppress your normal breathing during surgery and you have to move your lungs so you don't trap phlegm and develop pneumonia. I had some physical issues with moving my ribs which caused trapped phlegm, and I got a chest infection a few days after surgery.

It may take a while to rehab back to strength if you have a deficit now. They may want you to use a walker which is good for stability and you can hold onto it getting in and out of bed. I used one when I broke my ankle and could not weight bear and I hopped along with it. It also helped later when my ankle was out of the cast and weak and I was walking on it. You have to take the risk of a fall seriously because of osteoporosis, and because they will have removed a bit of bone from your spine. I later had the hardware plates removed from my ankle and that put me at risk of fracture because of the holes left by the screws for awhile.

Your surgeon will clear you at your follow up appointments for increasing activity. You can ask to be sent to physical therapy. Once you are past the healing time on the incision, and physically able to be able to get to the pool, I'll bet your surgeon would embrace that activity.

Jennifer