I’m home. 🏠 I had to stay an extra day. Lots of pain. A bit better today. I’m on OxyCodone and Zanaflex. Oh, and Tylenol too — medicine’s cure for pain. 🤬🤬 (I’ll be writing about my pain experiences in the days ahead.) I’m using cannabis too.
Some complications that I hope are temporary. Feet are numb. This should go away, in time. Could be permanent too. When nerves are compressed for as long as mine were, there’s no telling what will happen when you decompress them. Sometimes the damage can’t be reversed.
Biting low back pain is gone, as is awful pain in buttocks, back of legs — all the way to my feet. I still have degenerative spine disease elsewhere, with numerous herniated discs and other damage, but decompressing L4-L5 was necessary unless I wanted permanent paralysis and loss of bowel/bladder control. Come to find out, this was a congenital problem. Always has been lurking in the shadows. It just got worse over time. I first saw a doctor for low back pain at age 20.
Of course, my osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, gastroparesis, and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) remain. These, sadly, are incurable. Regardless, I am glad for whatever relief the surgery provides. My goal was less pain and being able to walk again. So far, I’m on the right path.
Biggest concern? Last few years I’ve had a sweating (Hyperhidrosis) problem that no doctor has been able to figure out. When I fall asleep—no matter the duration—I sweat profusely. I mean soak the clothes, sheets, blanket, pillows wet. My body temp is normal when this is happening. Post surgery? The sweating is much worse. Once I’m up on my feet, I plan to see an endocrinologist. Pretty bad my bedding has to be changed twice a day.
Still waiting to see if bladder/bowels return to normal.
I plan to use my walker to do some walking.🚶Maybe to the post office and back — about 4 blocks. My RN nurse sister thinks that may be too much, too soon, but she knows I’m always right, even when I’m wrong. 🤣🤣 Baby sisters, right? (Yes, my humor is starting to return.)
Thanks for caring. 😘 Your words of kindness and support were/are greatly appreciated. ❤️❤️
PS. The cats 🐈⬛ were all waiting at the door 🚪 for me when I came home. Did they miss me? Or did they just think I had food? 🍲❤️❤️🤣🤣 I know I missed them.
