This is some cool stuff right here....! (Day 8 Post Op)

Howdy folks, another day post surgery, and another day closer to being normal again. I try not to think too much about how dreadfully far I still have to go to get back to normal otherwise I'm washed over with a wave of discouragement and I can't let myself live there. So I try to focus on counting each day that goes by.

So there is this really cool thing that came with my hip kit that I order off of Amazon (click to see item) that I told ya'll about the other day, but I wanted to show you my second favorite tool in there (the first being the grabber/reacher). 

       

 So here is my second favorite tool, the sock assist tool. Do you know how incredibly impossible it is to put your sock on when you can't bend or twist? Trust me it is. Well this great little doodad is amazaballs! 

Pretty nifty huh!?? 

(if the gif doesn't play, click on the image) 

Last of all for today (cause hubby has pizza coming and I am actually hungry), did I mention ya'll how much weight you can gain in the hospital, even when your barely eating anything!?? I gained 13 pounds while staying two nights in the hospital. Can someone say IV overdose!? Whew, I wasn't prepared for that. If I had know I would have brought some looser fitting clothes to wear home (which I should have anyway), I did get the comfortable, just not so loose. Ah well, if you have over night surgery stays planned, be prepared for all the possible water weight! 

On the bright side, I have lost all but 1.5 lbs of the weight I gained while there, so I will call that a win.

Ok folks, well I am off to enjoy some delicious pizza and Cheesecake Factory cheesecake (yeah not so wholesome, but I did that for breakfast and lunch today). Hope you all enjoy your 4th of July weekend!!

YAY! (Post Op Day 7, I made it to week ONE!)

Yay! I finally made it to week one!  I am actually feeling pretty normal again, except always needing help out of the chair, tying my shoes,  sore and tight abdominal/lower back region. I still feel like an invalid but each day gets a little easier.

So since was feeling so good I decided to venture out and get  get my nails done. I've been having some pretty bad cabin fever and I was really feeling a need to GET OUT!  It was my first time to drive post surgery (I highly advise talking to your Dr before driving post op!!), but all went well and I only went a couple miles down the road.

So this evening I decided to get out of the house again for a change to see some other human friends. Let me tell you, being coop up in a house 24 hrs a day, uncomfortable and with very limited mobility can really get to playing games with your head. SO it felt so so good to get out and see some friendly faces, and get back to a place full of people that mean so much to me. It really did my psyche good!! 

Let me clarify, I may look all 100% back, but I am not quite there by a long shot. I still get uncomfortable (something that builds by the minute) if I walk or stand or sit for more than 10-15 at a time. My bed and my recliner are my favorite places. But I try to limit them as I know that walking is important. I try to be up and mobile as close to half the day as possible but my days have gone from 16 hrs days to 12 hr days. 

No kitty kitty... (Post Op Day 3)

The kitty here is insistent and determined to come lay on my (cut open) tummy, like she usually did when I laid on the couch before my surgery. She's highly offended I am blocking her. But even the slightest touch by anyone or anything to my abdomen (that was cut open and spread open and organs pushed aside for the surgeons to work on my spine 3 days ago) is breathtaking (not in a good way!).

Her favorite thing? Jumping from Gabe's body to mine, on separate recliners. I cannot imagine the pain if this 15# cat was able to use my cut up belly as a spring board to get to her favorite sitting spot! Um, no Thank you!

In other news I am incredibly thankful to a local woman who I only know through name that responded to my fb garage sale post and offered to let me borrow their walker. It will help getting up from the couch, and bed, toilet etc so much easier! I doubt I should need it more than another week but we will see.


This is another thing that is going to come in handy the next few weeks. This kit I found on Amazon. It should be here by tomorrow, Very excited for it, as it is I can not pickup anything that is barely below waist level. Do  you realize what all is below waist level?? Yeah I didn't either until that area became off limits to me. Even bending over to lift the toilet seat up! Who would have ever though that involved much of a bend!?

Ah, another thing I found out when I was released. I am not allowed to drive a car for the next couple weeks while I am on these heavy pain killers (what heavy pain killers?? I'm still feeling heavy pain!?)  That's gonna be weird. I am not use to not being able to drive myself places.

Well tomorrow is a new day. Hoping it leads to less pain and a little more mobility!

Oh Boy..... (Post-Op Day 2)

Me, my back brace and my couch have become one.
Being the stubborn, ocd, perfectionist one that I am, who also is the one that one of the kids obviously got their sensory issues from its probably better I stay here cause any of the aforementioned might just drive my poor husband crazy trying to take care of me for the next couple weeks since I can't bend or twist at all.
So far so good.... So far I only broke down in tears once and he only threw his hands up once. Three hrs down and two weeks to go.... Lo

I wasn't warned about this... (Post Op Day 1)

Man why is it when you don't want to fart you can't hold them back but when you need to you can go for days without it!? 

This hospital won't let me eat till I pass gas! And of course now my body won't. 😣 I haven't eaten since 10pm Tue night. I had some broth and jello yesterday afternoon but that got promptly thrown up, then tried some ginger ale and broth and that got thrown up too! Later in the evening last night I convinced them to give me a couple of saltine crackers and a pudding but goodness.... Man cannot live on a couple of saltines and pudding alone! Lol 

Well this will jump start my diet plan I guess. I had planned to really focus on my diet over the next 3 months since I can't workout during that time. But for now it would be really nice if I could fart so I can eat!

In other news, my blood pressure is still crazy low, this past time about an hr ago was 83/49. Now I'm use to having kinda low blood pressure, it it usually runs about 112/85. But this super low blood pressure is causing me a problem because I can't use my Dilantin pain pump very much cause it might make my heart rate drop further. 😣

And wow, the pain in my stomach is way more than my back. I was told it would be that way, it just feels weird. Very hard to sit up or even move. Each day is suppose to get better though. ✌

It's like a resort... (Post Op Day 1)

Wow! I may be in a ton of pain from surgery but the food and fresh flowers they bring at each meal is so pleasant and helps get my mind off the pain for a bit! And the staff here are all crazy nice! ‪#‎besthospitalever‬ ‪#‎starmedicalcenter‬ ‪#‎nohospitallikeit‬

Post Op- Surgery Afternoon

He gets to eat 3 course meals, while I get to enjoy apple juice out of a wine glass!! It doesn't really matter though because I am a groggy mess! Having a really hard time seeing too,  everything is blurry.  Which is really weird.  I'm just now able to see well enough to see the keyboard on my phone, but just barely.  

(*later found out it was probably cause my blood pressure was super low,  upper numbers were in the 70's &  80's. They thought the low blood pressure was caused from the anastasia combined with pain meds. Which made it hard the whole time to keep my pain very under control. Each time I used the pain pump my blood pressure would get low). 

On another note, he has been such a wonderful help to me...handing me food, making sure I don't need anything, carrying away my puke bags, and just all around being my handsome helper!
‪#‎whoneedssexynursesIgotmyown‬!

The Day is finally here! Surgery Day!

Probably shouldn't have read the worst case scenarios on that sheet I just signed at checkin. Well here we go.... ‪#‎letsjustgetthisoverwith‬

Update on Bethany (From my husband): 

Surgery went well. They were able to complete the procedure about 1 1/2 hrs ahead of schedule (SO about 2 1/2 hrs total). Bethany has had quite a day getting past the anesthesia and pain discomfort though so its been a pretty consistent effort. Her blood pressure has been consistently low so they have to balance the doses of pain meds between getting on top of the discomfort and not letting her blood pressure levels bottom out. quite a balancing act. The nurses have been amazing! she has been resting fitfully throughout the day. Much thanks for the thoughts and prayers!

Don't be nervous

I'm not one to show weakness. Or at least I try to hide it. But I'll admit I'm feeling pretty scared about tomorrow's spine surgery as I sit here for Pre-op blood work. I've been nervous all along whenever I think about it too much but now I'm really getting nervous.

I've never been one to be afraid of pain but I find myself the most nervous about how much pain I'll be in when I wake up from surgery. After being in constant 24 hours a day pain for so long the thought of increased pain makes me cringe.

Surgery starts at 7 a.m. Prayers for peace of mind & pain management would be appreciated. Surgery is about 4 hours long. They'll be operating on my spine through my stomach first to remove the little bit of disc that is left, then inserting the fake disc. Then they will flip me over to bolt in a couple of screws in my back.

I'm praying I can return to normal life with a quick recovery. I miss feeling normal so much. I miss working out and feeling fit. I just can't imagine my life without being able to workout, it's so much of my life! Praying this brings me back to it.

Pre-Op

Pre-op appt.... 

One week to go. So ready to put this whole ordeal behind me and get back to living life to the fullest! I don't barely remember what it feels like to not be in pain. It has been months since I have had a single hour of no pain.

Leave

As if a herniated disk wasn't putting me in enough pain, my body thought it would add a kidney infection to the mix just for fun. Boy howdy do I ever feel like I've been hit by a bus. Hurts all over, body aches and cold chills and sweats an a Texas size headache. This would explain why I spent half my weekend at the ER. And they sent me home telling me I had a cold! Ha! Thank goodness I followed my intuition that this is just not right and went in to be seen. I haven't barely been able to even move my hand the past 3 hrs because I'm just so weak.

I know I've asked for alot of prayers lately, but I'm asking for more. I've proceeded to take a medical leave from work till I get surgery, the pain is just too intense, I never know when it's really going to increase. And sitting at my desk definitely is not helping. Had to leave work twice now in tears. I can't keep doing that. I'm waiting and praying it will be approved. I don't want to lose this job! Best place and people I have ever worked for and with.

I would like to add how amazing my husband has been through all of this. Taking care of me at every single turn, worried about me, taking care of the kids, loving on me. Words can describe how amazing he is! Goodness Gabriel I sure do love you!!!

Do it anyway

Good sweaty Sunday morning... err, I mean afternoon workout in February!
My back might be giving me issues keeping me off my road bike, I may not feel like leaving the house to get on the spin bike at the gym and I may not feel like eating right.

But I got out, I got my workout on and I'm gonna eat right. Why? Cause I know what doesn't work. And I'm ready to see what happens when I do it right and don't give up when life throws hiccups at me.
Have a happy Sunday friends! Start the week right!

The Beginning.

I'm not really sure what really caused my bad back. The only thing I can think of is that when I was in an accident when I was 9 yrs old and the vehicle went off the road and rolled 3 times (without my seat belt on, because I thought it was SO uncomfortable to try to sleep with it on) that it jacked it up but it took years and age to really catch up with me. But then you add a very active lifestyle with fitness and weight training to that and my lack of chiropractic care and my spine just eventually broke down and I ended up with a degenerated and herniated disk in my L5-S1.  

This blog is a journey, a journal of sorts through my road of Minimally Invasive 360 Anterior Spinal Fusion. I'm starting this blog just a few days after my surgery ( today is 6/25/16) but I am going back on my Facebook page and taking posts from the past few months that lead up to this point, and dating them according to the original date I posted them to FB. I plan to continue to post new blog posts during my journey through recovery, therapy, returning to work and returning to my fitness life that I miss so much!

My hope is that others that have to have spinal fusion can learn some things through my journey and bring light to the unknowns on your journey through this same thing. Or maybe it's just friends that want to read what it is really like to go through this. I don't write these posts to get attention or sympathy but as a place to record this journey and a place to express my frustrations and get things off my chest. 

One last thing, I originally herniated it in early 2015. But after approx 4 months of pain I went to see a pain Specialist. The pills helped instantly. I took it easy for the following 6-7 months with my workouts, very slowly increasing my weights. But then I over did it doing a heavy Dead lift for a PR (personal record) and did that disk in for good that second time. Obviously that disk had been degenerating for years.  But it basically got to the point where there was almost nothing left and I was developing bone spurs. 

I hope you enjoy my blog. Someday's I may have lots to say and other not much. Someday's I may sound very hopeful and others very discouraged. Usually the post will have to do with my back surgery or my fitness life, but sometimes they might just be about life in general. This journey is like a roller coaster. But I know there is light at the end of the tunnel and that if all goes as it should, I will be back doing the things I love before long.