Lumbar Spinal Fusion, Post-Op. Should I have these symptoms?

The funny thing is that I am a nurse....so I should know all about this stuff, and yesterday thought of journaling because I want to keep track of my level of discomfort day to day, emotions, etc.
There's just a lot of "healing" that needs to take place, all over the place ....
Once I fix my mood and outlook I'm sure I'll feel better . . . and be more accepting of this
recovery period. Maybe I'll just try and focus on One-Day-At-A-Time. . . and think about Today.

@denman55 - Isn't there something about medical people being the worst patients? You'll get through this but certainly your expectations should be for some ups and downs
. Recovery is non-linear and sometimes there are steps backwards.

My best.

The PTSD issue is real and largely ignored by clinicians. The biologic changes your body must undergo for healing are profound. These mechanisms throw off chemicals similar to those with a viral illness- so you feel lousy with no energy and few of your usual resiliance mechanisms available. All this contributes to VERY unsettling emotions. Add pain and the mix is so very uncomfortable. All I can suggest is to grab on to the smallest of progress. For me, my first day without crying (for no reason) was a triumph! Getting up from a chair or the toilet with a smaller ring of pain around my waist or a pain that disappeared quickly- another triumph. Once, when a hot pack eased the cramping on my thigh - I allowed myself to totally enjoy the moment. The tiny successes deserve celebration. BTW: my husband just had back surgery and the same darned emotions washed over me when I got home. After reading so many of these posts I thought “Yup, PTSD. Let the tears flow. It will pass.”

This will pass for you, too. Not all at once but little by little. I am 10 months out from my fusion and am not back to previous form. But compared with a year ago, I am an Olympian. It’s hard but it’s worth it for so many of us!

This is a major surgery and can take up to a year to heal fully. Of course, the first few weeks are the worst so you shouldn't push yourself too much. I was told to walk, walk, walk. I started with a walker , then a cane or a friend’s arm, and soon on my own.
I’m thinking a recliner was not advised when I was recovering from my L5-S1 and then L4-5 fusions. Something to check with your medical team about. I laid in bed or on a couch, on my side, generally with multiple pillows. I also did lots of ice packs.
To ease the constipation you can use stool softeners (with or without a laxative. ) There is a medicinal tea called Smooth Move which can help. A magnesium supplement such as Calm, is good to use for regularity.
I’m concerned with your reference to foot drop. Was that present before the surgery and the surgery was to help relieve the nerve impingement causing it? Or did that foot drop start post surgery? I would definitely want answers and a plan from my medical team on that.
Recovery from this surgery is tough so expect slow progress. I had to start gabapentin a couple weeks after my fusion when I started having nerve zaps. Doc said it was my nerve coming back to life.
Hang in there but push to get some answers and tips from your medical team!

Hello. I am now 8-9 weeks post L4-5 spinal fusion/laminectomy. Due to my chronic and severe constipation, I elected to not accept AMY opiods post surgery--including the take home meds. I only took acetaminophen which did not help really. I was in pain for 4 weeks but pulled through. My constipation rules, because the gut rules over spine in my case. My spine surgeon understood but I know was afraid for himself perhaps with my being in so much post op pain. I did not care because I had so much opiods given intravenously in hospital which lingered. So I have good days and bad and now it's beautiful weather time in the PNW (Seattle area). I carry on, as we must, and hope for a breakthrough!

Thank you for your comment. I'm on Day 9 post-op. You're right this is the worst time in this recovery process. But I didn't get a lot of information to prepare for this post-op recovery from the hospital or the staff or my medical team about all sorts of things that I now have questions on, like how often should I walk, how long can I sit? Yes, I'm in a recliner, but no one told me I can't be in a recliner, so now I have a whole new slew of questions for the surgeons office. My constipation cleared up once I stopped the Opioids. The stool softeners still help and are really necessary. The foot drop issue was only temporary and lasted only a day or two at most. It was post-op and I didn't have this issue prior to surgery. I am currently on Lyrica (Diabetic Neuropathy). Yep, my progress is slow and I still have pain/discomfort and keep wondering when it's just gonna stop! So, thank you for your words, they are much appreciated.

I wish I were now at 8-9 weeks post-op but I am only on Day 9 post-op. I had my Laminectomy in April, and my Spinal fusion on 5/22/24. So I got hit with a double whammie here with 2 back surgeries within a month's period of time. I take Tylenol too now, but agree they do nothing for the pain and discomfort. I dream of the day when my pain is less and I can move around more freely.....but for right now, things are slow, but yes, here in New Jersey I look out my slider and see all my beautiful roses in bloom along with lilies and begonias. It definitely puts a smile on my face!

Glad to hear you were able to come off the opioids - that is a good thing.
Also, glad to hear the foot drop was only temporary. Any new muscle weakness is important to keep track of.
Hopefully you were taught how to successfully get out of bed or couch when laying down. (Roll to side, push up on elbow closest to bed when simultaneously moving your legs together onto floor). You can find videos online that will demonstrate this.
You should have also been told the no BLT rule - no bending, lifting and twisting. My advice is to keep things you need to reach at counter height or use a grabber. I was told 8 lbs is about the max you should carry ( roughly a full gallon of milk) and keep it close to your body.
I was told to walk as much and often as possible. For me sitting wasn’t as comfortable as laying down because of lingering sciatica but that may just be my experience.
You should be seeing your care provider soon to get stitches removed correct?

I'm in a recliner in the living room, not in a bed. I find this easier on me. My incision site is clean and dry and there was never any drainage, redness or swelling. So with being in the recliner and a TV tray and end table next to me, all my personal stuff is here for me to use. Yes, I walk every hour. I see the surgeon and PA June 10th to have my staples removed.

I had my L4-S1 fusion four years ago. I was off the opioids within about 6 days. I followed the instructions I had been given and because I had good pain relief from the start, I was able to wean off. I used ES Tylenol for the first three months and like everyone says, it didn't offer much, if any, pain relief. After 3 months I was able to resume taking Celebrex which was much more helpful. I was told Voltaren, Aspirin, Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Ibuprofen, Indocin, Celebrex or Vioxx inhibit the development of a solid fusion during the first 3 months. During the surgery a bone graft or substitute is placed in the spine that facilitates bone growth between the adjacent vertebrae It takes about 3 to 6 months after surgery for the fusion to form into one bone. The bone continues to mature and solidify over 12 to 18 months after the surgery.

I was told to not sit for longer than 45 minutes at a time, walk every hour and to add about 10 minutes to my walk each day as I was able. If you sit in a chair longer than 1 hour or only walk once or twice a day, your muscle will become very sore and painful. I was also told to work on lower extremity strengthening and gait training. I started physical therapy about 1 week after my surgery and continued with that for about 3 months. I also saw my family doctor that first week after surgery for follow-up. About 6 weeks after your surgery if your doctor says yes, you can also start walking in water and/or other water exercises to increase the strength in your spine and legs. I have found this beneficial and it gives me good pain relief for several hours.

I left the hospital with a front wheeled walker and graduated to a cane the first week after surgery. I probably used the cane about 1 month to 6 weeks. It took about 2 1/2 months before I could stand long enough to cook a meal so I used a bar stool in my kitchen when I needed to sit. Your experience may be different than mine.

I didn't lift more than 10 pounds for the first 3 months. Your doctor will tell you when you can start to lift more weight. I am not a smoker but was told not to smoke. Nicotine, patches and smokeless cigarettes decreases the chance of wound healing.

My family doctor told me to use Milk of Magnesia along with the stool softener to relieve constipation and it worked wonders. I only had to use it once. Walking is also supposed to help with constipation.

It took several months before I could lift my bottom off the bed to roll over. That might become a problem for you because you aren't really using the muscles in your lower spine to roll over or change positions when you are sleeping in your recliner. Walking was also a slow process for me. I live in an area with some pretty steep hills to climb. I just couldn't climb up or down well for months.

I don't know if a recliner is a good or bad. It may depend upon the person. I stopped using mine 17 years ago because it didn't offer enough support for my spine. Fjords, a company in Norway build very supportive, comfortable recliners. They come with either leather or cloth upholstery. They are available on Amazon but I would like to sit in one first to make sure it fits my size.

Four years later, I am still dealing with sciatic pain. The area that was fused is pain free. My pain comes from L2 and L3 and I may need more surgery in the future. For now, I am happy to be able to walk my dogs, do my own grocery shopping, clean my house and take care or our needs here at home. I also am aware that I have a very degenerative spine. I do what I can to take of it! For now, I let the future take care of itself and enjoy the beautiful spring weather I have today.