Orthopaedics
Tina’s Story - Page 3
Isthmic Spondylolisthesis and Spinal Fusion Surgery
During the posterior procedure Dr. Rubery placed four screws, two bolts and more bone graft into her back. The hardware stabilizes the spine and holds the bones together while the fusion heals.
When Tina surfaced from anesthesia she was afraid to twitch, but Dr. Rubery had her move both arms and legs. Everything worked! In fact the operation was an unqualified success. The next morning the physical therapist came in and Tina took her first steps. She says, “Yes, I was in pain, but it was a post-operative pain, and not the all-pervasive pain I was used to. The truth was that my hip hurt worse than my back.”
Five days later Tina went home and started the recuperation process. Recovery from spinal fusion surgery happens in stages. The first stage is the healing of the incision and soft tissues. The fusion itself takes months.
Tina warns, “Rehab is slow. Don’t expect too much too soon. In the beginning there are strict limits on how you move. You don’t want to shake the bone graft. I followed Dr. Rubery’s instructions to the letter. I’ve heard of other people who have had to have a second surgery because they didn’t follow directions.”
“You need a strong support group because it’s easy to become disheartened. Dr. Rubery and his nurse practitioner, Debbie Horst, were great. My husband, children and parents were great. And I had a secret weapon -- a group of friends, dubbed the “Survivor Moms” for getting through child rearing and empty nest angst, were with me every step of the way. They put together a schedule for the first two weeks. Each night one would show up with dinner and a small gift to lift my spirits.”
“Then there was Joe Griseta, my outpatient physical therapist. He works with a lot of Dr. Rubery’s patients and he couldn’t have been more supportive and motivating. If I couldn’t do an exercise, he always had a different way of trying it. He never let me feel I was failing. Plus, he could just watch me walk in the door and know what was bothering me.”
“Yes, I struggled during the rehab. The pain medications made me a bit foggy. Sometimes I’d ask myself, ‘Am I every going to be able to do what I used to do?’ I just needed people to tell me everything would be ok, and someone was always there.
“I used a walker for three weeks then transferred to a cane. There were a lot of follow-up visits to monitor my progress. Even if I was meeting with the nurse practitioner, Dr. Rubery always looked in on me. He was very concerned about my pain and made sure I was as comfortable as possible throughout the process. He was always there to explain what was happening when something new would crop up, too. At about four to five weeks post surgery I began to have unpleasant tingling in my legs. He explained that the nerves were starting to regenerate and these feelings could persist for up to a year; then prescribed some medication to help.