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Lumbar Fusion and Laminectomy, Need Help.
Spine Health | Last Active: May 24 10:16pm | Replies (21)Comment receiving replies
@ladyaceintx1
I had L3-L5 decompressed and fused in 2024. It was a successful but very painful surgery. I am a 55 year old female.
Get house prepped, walking paths, remove rugs, have handrails and chair for shower, get a grabber, something to help you wipe yourself in the toilet, lots of pillows for bed, bed rail to help you grab and reposition yourself while in bed (base rail slides inbetween mattress and boxspring. Have a tray table for bed, walker, cane, sturdy step in shoes, back brush for shower to reach where you can’t, dry shampoo for inbetween sponge baths when you can’t shower, shop and stock up in advance for everything you may need for a month, etc.
They say you can’t drive for 2 weeks but I couldn’t for a month. I started to feel much less pain after a month or two but you really don’t feel the full effects for 6 months. I actually think it is a full year for healing and I will be at that point in August.
Good luck preparing. I am going in today for ACDF surgery on my C6-C7 today (my 2nd cervical spine surgery).
Replies to "@ladyaceintx1 I had L3-L5 decompressed and fused in 2024. It was a successful but very painful..."
@dlydailyhope How did your surgery go? I hope you are doing well!!!
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@dlydailyhope, @sassytwo
Thank you both for your helpful comments. Did you also have both an anterior/front and a posterior/back incision and who managed your wound care, where did you feel the most pain from and which medications helped manage the pain?
Thank you.