I had a fantastic weekend: great time with my in-laws and showing them fun spots around Atlanta, went swimming for the first time postop, sat on lounge chair, went to the movies, etc.
When I saw Dr. Lenke a couple of weeks ago, he said that if I have access to a pool, swimming will be great exercise. Our neighborhood pool opened this weekend and I was excited to get into it. It felt really weird though. I held onto the edge of the pool, slowly pushed my torso away from the edge and slowly kicked my legs. What surprised me the most was how sore my shoulders were the next morning!
I ran into Dr. Lenke and his nurse, Kelly, in the hallway on my way to his office. Kelly gave me a big hug and said to Dr. Lenke, "Doesn't she look great?!" Dr. Lenke smiled big and said, "She does and she's taller than me now!" I was out of Lenke's office in less than one hour. Note to self: schedule first appointment of the day on future appointments. Dr. Lenke didn't see fusion yet on my xray which appears as cloudy areas around the hardware. He said that fusion starts to appear on xrays around 6 - 9 months post op and that it's just a little too early to see it in me. He isn't concerned about non-fusion since my hardware is still in the right position and I feel so good. I can increase my workout weights slightly and start bending a bit.
Going through airport security was a bit interesting. I printed a TSA Hidden Disability Card
http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/disability_notification_cards.pdf in hopes that there wouldn't be any drama going through security. I've read how some scoli patients don't set off alarms at airports while others do. Jeremy suggested I try going through without mentioning my hardware and not showing the TSA card just to see if I set off alarms. Unfortunately, the alarms went off which meant I had to have a pat down despite showing the TSA card. The Atlanta agent was nice and was concerned about not hurting me. She said that on my flight home, show my TSA card first and ask to be screened in the special machine to elliminiate a pat down. I did what she said in St. Louis, but after I stepped out of the special screening machine, I heard a voice on a walkie talkie, "Anomaly in the torso." The St. Louis agent gave me a partial pat down of my back only, despite me showing the TSA card multiple times. One of these times, I look forward to a pat-down-free experience in the future.
Warmly,
Doreen
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Post Op Exercises
I've heard a lot of folks who are planning to have scoli surgery say they wish they could see how someone fused to sacrum looks like when they move. My daughter filmed me doing my post op exercises so hopefully this will show people what is possible after surgery. As of today, I am 6 months 2 weeks post op and I wasn't allowed to do any exercises, except walking which started on the day after my surgery, until I was 3 months post op.
I am in no way recommending any exercise for anyone as I am not a professional physical therapist; just sharing what works for me. If you have questions about post op exercises, talk with your surgeon.
Enjoy!
One Leg Step Up - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist:
Log Rolling - prescribed by Dr. Lenke PRE-OP. Most every scoli surgery patient will need to learn log rolling in order to get in/out of bed correctly to keep the spine straight. Patients should learn how to log roll before surgery:
Bicep Curls - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist. I used to do bicep curls preop with 20 pound dumbbells, but have been using 5 pound dumbbells since the surgery. Dr. Lenke said I can increase my weight to 10 pound dumbbells:
Skull Crusher - NOT prescribed by Dr. Lenke but an exercise I used to do preop. This exercise gives my upper back and shoulders a really nice stretch:
Triceps - NOT prescribed by Dr. Lenke but an exercise I used to do preop:
Ceiling Press - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist:
Flyes - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist but an exercise I used to do preop:
Tricep Curls - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist:
Overhead Press - NOT prescribed by Dr. Lenke but an exercise I used to do preop:
Modified Lunges - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist. After seeing this video I'm shocked at how low I'm going with my knee. I definitely wasn't going this low when I started doing this exercise a few months ago:
I am in no way recommending any exercise for anyone as I am not a professional physical therapist; just sharing what works for me. If you have questions about post op exercises, talk with your surgeon.
Enjoy!
One Leg Step Up - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist:
Log Rolling - prescribed by Dr. Lenke PRE-OP. Most every scoli surgery patient will need to learn log rolling in order to get in/out of bed correctly to keep the spine straight. Patients should learn how to log roll before surgery:
Bicep Curls - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist. I used to do bicep curls preop with 20 pound dumbbells, but have been using 5 pound dumbbells since the surgery. Dr. Lenke said I can increase my weight to 10 pound dumbbells:
Skull Crusher - NOT prescribed by Dr. Lenke but an exercise I used to do preop. This exercise gives my upper back and shoulders a really nice stretch:
Triceps - NOT prescribed by Dr. Lenke but an exercise I used to do preop:
Ceiling Press - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist:
Flyes - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist but an exercise I used to do preop:
Tricep Curls - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist:
Overhead Press - NOT prescribed by Dr. Lenke but an exercise I used to do preop:
Modified Lunges - prescribed by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist. After seeing this video I'm shocked at how low I'm going with my knee. I definitely wasn't going this low when I started doing this exercise a few months ago:
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
5 Months 1 Week Post Op Pix
I've been receiving kind words from people thanking me for being so candid with my blog. I have some new pix to share and still feel a bit uncomfortable "exposing" myself, but I've been told the photos have been very helpful to those stepping into the surgery journey.
Here goes...
Pre op Nov 2011 Back
Post op Apr 2012 Back
Pre op Nov 2011 This is what my tummy looked like when my spine collapsed 4 inches
Post op Apr 2012 This is what my tummy looks like when my spine was stretched out, re-gaining 4 inches
Lizzie says my tummy isn't squishy anymore. LOL!
I had a couple of milestones the past few weeks:
Wore heels!
Painted my toenails, I've discovered how long my arms are!
Pulled on my boots and zipped them up without help!
Woo hoo! :)
Warmly,
Doreen
Here goes...
Pre op Nov 2011 Back
Post op Apr 2012 Back
Pre op Nov 2011 This is what my tummy looked like when my spine collapsed 4 inches
Post op Apr 2012 This is what my tummy looks like when my spine was stretched out, re-gaining 4 inches
Lizzie says my tummy isn't squishy anymore. LOL!
I had a couple of milestones the past few weeks:
Wore heels!
Painted my toenails, I've discovered how long my arms are!
Pulled on my boots and zipped them up without help!
Woo hoo! :)
Warmly,
Doreen
Sunday, April 15, 2012
5 Months Post Op
A fellow scoli sister summed it up best for me recently: I've had a bittersweet year. Tomorrow celebrates 5 months post op and I still am amazed that I'm "on the other side." I've been prescribed some exercises by Dr. Lenke's physical therapist:
Upper Body Workout while lying on bed, x3 set of 10 reps:
Flys
Presses
Tricep curls
Bicep curls (sitting on edge of bed)
Lower Body Workout, x3 sets of 10 reps:
Single Leg Step-Up (at bottom step of our stairs)
Modified Lunges (can you believe it??? Lunges???)
My weekly workout schedule is:
single leg step-ups, everyday
walk 5 miles every day, Mon - Sat
lower body workout, Mon, Wed, Fri
upperbody workout, Tues, Thu, Sat
rest, Sunday
Dr. Lenke explained to me that walking is the most critical exercise postop as it is a weight bearing exercise that promotes bone growth. According to Dr. Lenke, full fusion occurs between 6 - 9 months postop. I'm doing every possible to walk as much as possible (as long as it doesn't cause me pain) because I am in the crucial fusion period.
The day after my last post in February, I weaned completely off all pain meds. Occasionally, I take one Tylenol if my back tightens up after an upper body workout, but I haven't had to take one in a few weeks. I can honestly say that at this stage of my life, I am the healthiest I've ever been.
I'm still limited with certain movements until one year post op: no bending, lifting, twisting. I tried squatting downward to get items into the lower dishwasher rack, but when I talked with Lenke's nurse, she told me I shouldn't be doing that. I'm not able to get items into/out of the dryer either as that involves both bending and twisting. We'll probably invest in front load machines soon.
I'm struggling to cope with Ma's passing, it's been difficult for all of us. The greatest gift Ma gave me was spending her final weeks taking care of me postop. I'm thankful she was able to witness my successful surgery. Thank you, God, for an amazing mom and incredible best friend. For those of you reading this who smoke... QUIT, you are literally killing yourself. It has been a blessing to spend more time with Pa. I pray God keep him strong and healthy.
After getting very sick from one Forteo injection postop (I was doing daily Forteo injections preop), I talked with Dr. Lenke's nurse and asked her if it is true, does severe scoliosis skew bone density results to read worse than they really are? She confirmed this as accurate. She reviewed my density report with me and confirmed that my density, outside of my lumbar area, has nearly 100% normal bone density. She went on to explain that with all the BMP Dr. Lenke packed into my lumbar, that there should not be a density issue in my lumbar area ever again. I decided to no longer continue with Forteo.
Last month I was able to meet a group of fellow scoli sisters in Atlanta. Two of the ladies who were preop brought their hubbies so they could chat with Jeremy about what to expect from a caregivers perspective. There was another woman who was postop. It was wonderful meeting the ladies and hubbies and we hope to get together in a few months.
It seemed surreal to me that I was offering advice on what to expect from spinal surgery because of how fast everything fell into place for me:
June 2011 realized something was seriously wrong with my spine because of debilitating pain
July 2011 met Dr. A in Atlanta and scheduled surgery for Aug
Aug 2011 Dr. A cancelled surgery because my spine was too severe for her skills
Sept 2011 traveled to St. Louis to meet Dr. Lenke who scheduled me for Aug 2012 surgery
Nov 2011 accepted a cancellation slot and had surgery!
It is like a dream how events unfolded. I am finally living the life I've dreamed of, pain free! It is incredible that all my pain is completely gone. My reason for having the surgery was to first stop the progressing curves and next, prayed for some sort of relief of pain. Dr. Lenke explained that patients fall into one of three categories:
70% patients have a decrease in pain
22% patients have no change in current pain levels
8% patients have worse pain postop
Praise God for granting me to be pain free for the first time in over 10 years!
I've been asked a lot lately when will I be back to "normal." Never. I am creating my new normal. This surgery has taught me how to be adaptable and creative, but above all, it has taught me humility.
I look forward to seeing Dr. Lenke in a few weeks.
Warmly,
Doreen
Upper Body Workout while lying on bed, x3 set of 10 reps:
Flys
Presses
Tricep curls
Bicep curls (sitting on edge of bed)
Lower Body Workout, x3 sets of 10 reps:
Single Leg Step-Up (at bottom step of our stairs)
Modified Lunges (can you believe it??? Lunges???)
My weekly workout schedule is:
single leg step-ups, everyday
walk 5 miles every day, Mon - Sat
lower body workout, Mon, Wed, Fri
upperbody workout, Tues, Thu, Sat
rest, Sunday
Dr. Lenke explained to me that walking is the most critical exercise postop as it is a weight bearing exercise that promotes bone growth. According to Dr. Lenke, full fusion occurs between 6 - 9 months postop. I'm doing every possible to walk as much as possible (as long as it doesn't cause me pain) because I am in the crucial fusion period.
The day after my last post in February, I weaned completely off all pain meds. Occasionally, I take one Tylenol if my back tightens up after an upper body workout, but I haven't had to take one in a few weeks. I can honestly say that at this stage of my life, I am the healthiest I've ever been.
I'm still limited with certain movements until one year post op: no bending, lifting, twisting. I tried squatting downward to get items into the lower dishwasher rack, but when I talked with Lenke's nurse, she told me I shouldn't be doing that. I'm not able to get items into/out of the dryer either as that involves both bending and twisting. We'll probably invest in front load machines soon.
I'm struggling to cope with Ma's passing, it's been difficult for all of us. The greatest gift Ma gave me was spending her final weeks taking care of me postop. I'm thankful she was able to witness my successful surgery. Thank you, God, for an amazing mom and incredible best friend. For those of you reading this who smoke... QUIT, you are literally killing yourself. It has been a blessing to spend more time with Pa. I pray God keep him strong and healthy.
After getting very sick from one Forteo injection postop (I was doing daily Forteo injections preop), I talked with Dr. Lenke's nurse and asked her if it is true, does severe scoliosis skew bone density results to read worse than they really are? She confirmed this as accurate. She reviewed my density report with me and confirmed that my density, outside of my lumbar area, has nearly 100% normal bone density. She went on to explain that with all the BMP Dr. Lenke packed into my lumbar, that there should not be a density issue in my lumbar area ever again. I decided to no longer continue with Forteo.
Last month I was able to meet a group of fellow scoli sisters in Atlanta. Two of the ladies who were preop brought their hubbies so they could chat with Jeremy about what to expect from a caregivers perspective. There was another woman who was postop. It was wonderful meeting the ladies and hubbies and we hope to get together in a few months.
It seemed surreal to me that I was offering advice on what to expect from spinal surgery because of how fast everything fell into place for me:
June 2011 realized something was seriously wrong with my spine because of debilitating pain
July 2011 met Dr. A in Atlanta and scheduled surgery for Aug
Aug 2011 Dr. A cancelled surgery because my spine was too severe for her skills
Sept 2011 traveled to St. Louis to meet Dr. Lenke who scheduled me for Aug 2012 surgery
Nov 2011 accepted a cancellation slot and had surgery!
It is like a dream how events unfolded. I am finally living the life I've dreamed of, pain free! It is incredible that all my pain is completely gone. My reason for having the surgery was to first stop the progressing curves and next, prayed for some sort of relief of pain. Dr. Lenke explained that patients fall into one of three categories:
70% patients have a decrease in pain
22% patients have no change in current pain levels
8% patients have worse pain postop
Praise God for granting me to be pain free for the first time in over 10 years!
I've been asked a lot lately when will I be back to "normal." Never. I am creating my new normal. This surgery has taught me how to be adaptable and creative, but above all, it has taught me humility.
I look forward to seeing Dr. Lenke in a few weeks.
Warmly,
Doreen
Saturday, February 25, 2012
3 Month Post Op Xrays
Yesterday I had my 3 month post op xrays taken locally which will be sent to Dr. Lenke. Can you see the little cages:
There seems to be a little connector piece above the top cage that is connected to both rods; I'll have to find out what that is.
Don't the screws look huge:
My dad said they look longer than the screws holding up his house. :)
I'm trying my best to completely wean off the last pain med. Recently I decide to skip the 1 pill a day I'm down to but ended up waking at 1a really hurting. I took 1/2 a pill and it helped a lot. So now I'm down to 1/2 a pill per day and look forward to ending this cycle soon.
I realized recently how much of my days/nights preop were spent in bed because of pain vs. life postop. Preop days were comprised of me laying day every afternoon at 1p until about 3p or 4p, up for dinner then back in bed by 6:30p for the night. Now, I lay down for maybe 45 minutes at some point in the afternoon to stretch out, not because of pain and go to bed around 9p to watch TV until about 10:30p. My days are much more productive now that the pain is gone.
I've been walking a lot more this week; just getting lost in thoughts and losing track of steps taken. The other day I walked 4.6 miles and was completely wiped out and slept great. Lizzie and I went to the mall because I needed new jeans (I've lost 13 pounds because of the surgery). I lost Lizzie's pedometer in the dressing room and when we went back to get it, it was gone. Oops! I can't tell you how many pedometers our family has lost in the past 2 years.
Warmly,
Doreen
Don't the screws look huge:
My dad said they look longer than the screws holding up his house. :)
I'm trying my best to completely wean off the last pain med. Recently I decide to skip the 1 pill a day I'm down to but ended up waking at 1a really hurting. I took 1/2 a pill and it helped a lot. So now I'm down to 1/2 a pill per day and look forward to ending this cycle soon.
I realized recently how much of my days/nights preop were spent in bed because of pain vs. life postop. Preop days were comprised of me laying day every afternoon at 1p until about 3p or 4p, up for dinner then back in bed by 6:30p for the night. Now, I lay down for maybe 45 minutes at some point in the afternoon to stretch out, not because of pain and go to bed around 9p to watch TV until about 10:30p. My days are much more productive now that the pain is gone.
I've been walking a lot more this week; just getting lost in thoughts and losing track of steps taken. The other day I walked 4.6 miles and was completely wiped out and slept great. Lizzie and I went to the mall because I needed new jeans (I've lost 13 pounds because of the surgery). I lost Lizzie's pedometer in the dressing room and when we went back to get it, it was gone. Oops! I can't tell you how many pedometers our family has lost in the past 2 years.
Warmly,
Doreen
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Arlene Lob Memorial Fund for Cancer
In loving memory of our dear friend and Les Lob's wonderful wife, Arlene, we have established an Arlene Lob Memorial Fund to Fight Cancer. It is intended to collect funds in the short term to be given to the battle toward cancer. The Fund is organized by the We The People group of Tanglewood and the Highlands Tea Party. Les is co-founder and an active member of both groups. Arlene's support and encouragement for Les contributed greatly to the work of these groups.
We are accepting cash contributions and personal checks made out to "We The People" up until March 1st. You can give donations to Zelda Kimm, Dale Pflug, Jack Nelson and John Larsen or mail contributions to Dale Pflug, 3312 Beartooth Pass, Sebring, FL 33872.
We all recognize the ravages that cancer has made in our community and its growing threat in the future. Tanglewood is in the midst of its annual Cancer Drive, and at the close of that drive, a check will be written by We The People in Memorial to Arlene Lob from funds contributed at that time. Funds received afterward will be forwarded to other Cancer Campaigns as they become available.
Please give generously to this worthy cause! We know that many have already contributed to the cancer drive, but if you have not, please consider this initiative. If you have questions, please call Dale Pflug at home, 863-658-1280
Thank you for your consideration. If you knew Arlene and Les, please pass this message to others that can help!
Dale Pflug
John Nelson
John Larsen
Zelda Kimm
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Incision Pix
I have a funny little story to share about the incision pix. Last week while at Dad's, I glanced down and saw some before/after photos of me on a table. It caught me off guard because I didn't recognize the photos so I asked Dad about them. He said Mom wanted to show them to some of her friends. Yesterday, I asked Jeremy to send me all the postop pix he had of me because I'm ready to look at them. I haven't seen many of the photos because I wasn't comfortable looking at them, until now. Jeremy show me the photos but I did not see the set that Dad had at his house. After speaking with Dad today, he said I received a letter from Dr. Lenke's office while he and Mom were here in December which contained the photos. After digging through a file cabinet today, I found the letter. Dad mentioned that when I received it, I told Jeremy to put it away and that I didn't want to look at it.
While I am a bit apprehensive about exposing my body to the world, I hope that those who are contemplating surgery may find hope/strength/inspiration in seeing what is possible with surgery. I, myself, was very grateful to see before/after pix of scoli patients. Here is the first batch:
The photo above is from Dr. Lenke's office showing 6 days preop and 9 days postop. I was still swollen but the changes are obvious including my rib hump (side shot photos) disappearing. I now have 36 screws, 2 rods, 2 cages and a couple of bolts comprised of a combination of cobalt chrome and titanium. I regained the 4 inches of height that I lost last year so I'm back to 5'10".
The above photo is 12 weeks post. Notice how my left hip sticks out now? Dr. Lenke will look at this when I see him in May.
I have more photos to post.
Warmly,
Doreen
While I am a bit apprehensive about exposing my body to the world, I hope that those who are contemplating surgery may find hope/strength/inspiration in seeing what is possible with surgery. I, myself, was very grateful to see before/after pix of scoli patients. Here is the first batch:
The photo above is from Dr. Lenke's office showing 6 days preop and 9 days postop. I was still swollen but the changes are obvious including my rib hump (side shot photos) disappearing. I now have 36 screws, 2 rods, 2 cages and a couple of bolts comprised of a combination of cobalt chrome and titanium. I regained the 4 inches of height that I lost last year so I'm back to 5'10".
I have more photos to post.
Warmly,
Doreen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)