hi friends! welcome back to the blog! i have had SO MANY requests for my surgery story and everything that went on in the hospital and recovery so here it is!
the morning of surgery, i woke up at 4:30 to be at the hospital by 5:30. we got there and went up to the inpatient unit to check in and start the pre-op process. pre-op was answering a TON of questions and getting into my gown and non slip socks. i got on a gurney and went down to the holding room.
in holding, i got my iv and got a few medications to make me loopy. i remember this whole process. my OR nurse came to get me and i said bye to my parents. i met a friend (tori) in the room right before heading into the OR. my surgery was set for 8:30 but they took me to the OR at 7:30 to get me prepped. I don’t remember anything after this.
in surgery, they fused T2-L3 with 19 screws and 2 rods. my surgeon used an allograft to fuse my spine and correct my curve!
I came out of surgery at 12:45 and they had a hard time getting my pain under control so my parents had to wait until I was comfortable. I remember the nurse taking care of me in the pacu and I remember being in the elevator on my way to my room. Once I got to my room, I slept on and off and watched a movie. I was allowed to eat chicken noodle soup but I felt too sick to eat.
that night was especially hard since they turned me on my side every 2 hours and we had a hard time getting my pain under control so i could get some sleep. the next morning i was transitioned to oral pain meds and they got me ready to get up and sit for the first time. sitting up was weird because i felt like i was going to fall backwards, but i didn't! sitting in the chair was actually comfortable! walking was hard and i went pretty slow but it helped a lot in the long run!
i was discharged from the hospital at three days post op and i stopped taking narcotics that day and alternated between tylenol and advil! it was so wonderful to be home! i was recovering really well and got to shower at one week post op! i also was able to sleep upstairs in my room in my own bed! at this point, i was able to start stretching and felt really good! i stopped taking tylenol at 9 days post op because i didn't need it anymore. the next friday i woke up with a swollen part of my back that looked infected. we talked to my doctor who wanted to see me the next monday. that weekend i didn't feel very good and i was exhausted all the time.
when i went to see my surgeon, he knew immediately that it was infected and started me on an antibiotic. once i started that, i continued to feel even worse. (for more on that read this )
i got to ride my bike at 16 days post op and i ran at 4 weeks! i could touch my toes and do a handstand at one month post op. i felt so normal and i was doing so much! my back was perfect other than stitches kept coming out! i swam at 6 weeks, cartwheels at 7 weeks, and backbends at 9 weeks post op!
at this point my other symptoms were much more bothersome but i was able to still ride roller coasters at 6 months post op!
thanks so much for reading today’s blog! much love ♡