Expectations for post major back surgery recovery?

@grayhairs

Good morning to all. I've seen a few post-surgery questions so I thought I would put down a few "Lessons Learned" in case it may help others.

Prior to surgery: It was important that I had complete confidence in my Mayo Clinic Neurosurgeon. This helped me have a positive attitude that my extensive spinal surgery would go as expected.

Post Surgery:
Pride/Ego: This will probably apply more toward the guys. Being a 35 year Marine Corps veteran followed by almost 11 years with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) helped me to have a tough guy "I don't need any help" attitude. During my 5 day post surgery stay I quickly learned I needed help in doing a lot of things. Almost all who helped me during the day and night were mainly young female Nurses and Tech Support. I eventually started shedding my attitude to the point of not caring who saw my butt hanging out of my gown. They all were personable and acted like nothing about their help was anything special. Some of which involved some up close and personal attention, i.e., cleanup, sponge baths, etc. After the first day or so, I wasn't embarrassed and joked with them a lot...establishing a pretty close rapport with all of them.

Grabbers: These are the poles with a squeezable handle on one end and a clamp on the other. Being in a no BLT (bending, lifting, twisting) category, these proved critical in picking up dropped items such as pillows, blankets, shorts, etc. I have one in my home office, living room and bathroom. I used them many times a day and night.

Shoes: I didn't expect my legs and feet to swell so much that I could not get any of my regular shoes on. Fortunately, I have a pair of bedroom shoes where just the front half of your foot goes in. Even these were tight, but at least I could wear them when I went outside.

Attitude: Like my pre-surgery attitude it was important to maintain the "glass is half full" mentality. I believe a positive attitude accounts for 50% of your recovery. There's pain, restrictions to deal with, for me sciatica problems, frustrations, etc. However, everything has a timeline and I just need to realize that whatever I'm dealing with will eventually go away.

Spouse: I am "Blessed" to have a wife of almost 55 years who, without complaint, helps me in whatever way she can, some of which involves holding me accountable to my BLT restrictions.

The above items are pretty simple, but maybe they will help in some way.

OpsO