Lumbar Fusion and Laminectomy, Need Help.

@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).

i agree with Lady A. I went thru my home room by room drawers by drawer prior to surgery so everything is more assessable! i have pick up sticks (grabbers) in several rooms and car. I wish they had released me to a care facility but that is beyond your control. definitely will need someone at home to care for you. My son was here over a week and I was in hospital a week. My friends started a caring bridge and meal train that was really helpful and nice. i have a temporary toilet riser. i had in house PT and started going to a Pt facility this month. I am almost at month 4. Slow and steady progress but happy i had the fusion ( T12- S2 ). i am 68. I walk approximately 3 miles a day! Heaven!! Good luck!

@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.

@ladyaceintx1
Yes, I had anterior/front incision for my c5-c6 surgery and posterior/back incision for L3-L5. I took pain medication prescribed by my doctor after I came home: I believe there was some narcotic for a while but I always take it the shortest amount of time and then switched to Tylenol. They prescribed a stool softener due to narcotics causing constipation.

I was not able to shower or get my bandages wet for 2 weeks so I had to get creative to get clean. Once the surgical bandages were removed, I could shower and there was no real need for special wound care. Just keep it clean and dry and make sure to monitor for infection (red, inflamed, swollen, discharge, etc.). After a period of time, you may be able to put Mederma scar cream on or Aquaphor healing ointment.

@ladyaceintx1
I don’t really recall significant pain with the cervical spine surgery. I wore a neck brace a very short time. I did have some bursitis pain in my hip triggered after surgery but that got better with Tylenol.

The pain after my lumbar surgery was an 11/12 out of 10! When I was released from the hospital, it was still pretty high (9/10 or 10/10) but managed some by the medication. The pain was mostly in lower back/hips, especially when trying to maneuver in bed and getting in/out of bed. My mattress is a little high and this made it hard for me to get into bed (I am 5’4”). If you have a lower bed and higher toilet seat, that helps. Time is what’s needed for healing and for pain to reduce. I started to feel better after a month or two. After the third month, I started to have hip pain that felt like nerve pain. I do believe it was my nerves that were decompressed healing that caused this new pain because it went away after month 5.

In hindsight, I would have done some PT to strengthen my stomach muscles as you really need to use your core to move around after surgery.

I had Anterior cervical and Posterior Lumbar fusions, 10 years apart with the first one being the lumbar when I was only 31 years old, so I recouped fast and my Dr.s managed the pain fine. A very tough surgery and I agree with all here. I am now 67 years old and have DDD at every level. The hardware doesn't last forever, about 10 years before it started loosening and causing arthritis and excruciating pain, they removed the rods/bolts from lumbar.
I can offer some suggestions: get up and move as fast as Dr. says you can (don't over do it though!). Just walking around will make you heal faster and feel better. The things that now help me the most are stretching and walking. I do both daily...several times a day. You will also have intense physical therapy to help you get back up and running.
Best of luck!

Good Morning. I had posterior only. I barely recall much of the 1st two weeks. I was on strong pain medicines. I used them for over a month. I reduced to a lesser medicine and tylenol. Definitely a stool softener!! I had to go to ER my constipation was so severe. I started home PT at week 2/3. i was walking with a walker to begin and then briefly a cane. I used the walker for my outdoor walks the 1st few weeks. i was walking 1 mile .. then more2, and now 3/4 at 4 months. i am working on core as i have separation of deep core muscles:(

I had both. You will have a drain but otherwise a bandage. You will be given full instructions on care, when to shower, etc.
Getting up and walking around as soon as they allow will be most beneficial in healing time and will make you feel better. The first 2 days were the worst but you will kept comfy on strong pain meds in the hospital. I was sitting and walking on Day 2.

When I had my lumbar laminectomy
I left the hospital the same day. No pain it was amazing. He went in through my back.

I'm so happy you have a successful surgery with no pain. That's incredible!
My surgery is going to require 2 surgical incisions, I horizontally under my belly button and one vertically along my lumber because I'm having a fusion, laminectomy and an artificial bone graft.
Thanks for your input.