You’ve done your research…and decided that back surgery is right for you.  But, what can you expect to encounter through your journey?  What plans do you need to make? Are there some ideas to make the process go smoother?

I’m currently 10 weeks post op from having “Lumbar Fusion”… a disc placed through the front, and a rod placed through the back.  As a patient, I am so willing to share my experience, and the things that I’ve learned which helped me through this challenge.  Let’s go there now…

Surgery Date 

You have learned the risks of the surgery; you have heard the good and the bad. Today is the day that you do not think of any of the negative or worries of the surgery. When you start to play those thoughts through your mind, distract yourself. You can get unnecessarily worked up, and today is not the day for that.  You also need to remember, your job is to just show up to the hospital… That’s it!  You will be asleep through the entire thing. Put your confidence in the surgical team that has spent many years learning and practicing for this day.

Prepare for and Manage the Pain

This is a BIG topic, and you will find meaningful results with a little pre-planning.  With the opioid epidemic that the nation is facing, it will affect your life for the next 12 hours. Hospitals now have policies in place to “under treat” your pain initially.  They will always start with medication very mild, and will work up to something stronger that matches your pain level.  However, in my case, I went 8 hours at a pain level of 10 before comfort came. 8 hours in that kind of pain is horrible.  So what can you do to prepare?  I learned the next day in talking with my doctor that his orders were that I could have anything up to a certain level or morphine without him even being called.  So, why then did I suffer? Not because of doctors’ orders, but because of hospital policy.  I HIGHLY recommend that you have a discussion with your surgeon prior to your surgery that goes something like this, “I’ve learned that hospital policies have changed to better control pain management right out of surgery.  Should they start with a low dose of medication that is not treating the pain, what do you suggest that I do?”  You then have a plan with the surgeon going into the surgery that you can lean on if the hospital falls short of dealing with your pain.

Hospital Stay

When my doctor said to plan on 5 days in the hospital, I blew it off as… “He doesn’t know me”.  PLAN ON 5 DAYS!  It doesn’t matter how tough you think you are, expect time there.  This is a big deal, and is a major surgery… from both sides of your body. Should you have a complication from surgery, it is likely to up and be recognized through the staff there, as well as your vital signs etc.  Don’t push things at this step.  The hospital will likely keep you until you satisfy these categories:

Your O2 Sats stay above 90 without oxygen. (Don’t cheat on this on.  You don’t want to be home with breathing issues.  The surgery will affect the way that your lungs process oxygen.

   Your Bladder needs to be working properly. The surgery affects your bowels big time. Even though they have not been operated on, they have been moved out of the way to allow the surgery.

You need to have a bowel movement in order to be discharged.

Physical Therapy has to give you the green light to go. You need to be able to walk down the hall and back in control with a walker.  Therapy will likely come to your room twice a day.  You are never happy to see them.  You’ve just basically been in a car accident and they want you to go on a walk with them.  This is the time to push yourself. Walking will be your best friend, as you will find it to be the best way to minimize your pain. When you stand, expect some discomfort as you are placing the load on your spine.  Give yourself a few minutes before you actually start to walk. The first time I stood, the pain was intense, as I had a “stinger” on one side.  I couldn’t put any weight on one leg.  The second time up, still having the pain, I began to put just a bit of pressure on that foot…. and in 10 minutes, I started to walk. The next day, the longer I walked I noticed the pain start to diminish.

Equipment

The hospital gave me a Walker and a Reach Gripper Tool.  I’m 6′ 2″ so I needed a toilet riser which you can get on Amazon for $35.  You will need all 3 of these items if you are tall. You will use the walker for 2 weeks.  Save yourself some dignity, and don’t put tennis balls on the back legs. This only needs to be done if you have hard floors and someone lives beneath you, as it does make a lot of noise.  The gripper tool is a MUST. This is how you pick things up, as well as assist you in getting dressed. Attach it to your walker so it’s always available.  If you have this, you will not be tempted to bend over which is forbidden.  After two weeks of the walker, I was stable enough to walk with a cane.    Don’t spend a lot of money on this, because you will likely only need a cane for a week. I got mine at the dollar store and mounted some Harley Davidson hardware on it… cuz… that’s how I roll.

Recovery

It took me 10 weeks to become pain free.  Set your mind to this time period. Each day up to this time period, you wonder if you will ever have a quality of life.  The mornings are the worst.  While you have been sleeping, your back gets stiff, and you always wake up to a paralyzing pain. The best thing that you can do is to get moving.  Work through the pain to get to your feet and walk, (using a walker at first). The very worst thing that you can do is to lie in bed all day trying to recover.  Get up frequently, and walk around the house. Avoid Bending, Twisting and Lifting.  You will find pain relief from walking.

Back To Work

Getting back to work and having a routine is very helpful.  You and your doctor can determine when it’s time to return.  My doctor told me 4 to 6 weeks, which would have driven me nuts. My indicators in returning to work were:

1. Distance walking. Can I walk (with a walker) the required distance that my job demands?
2. Comfort in riding in the car. Don’t overlook this requirement. Getting in and out of the car is a challenge, sitting for the entire ride, and dealing with the bumpy rode are all factors.
3. What does your job entail? I work in an office behind a desk which allowed me to return sooner.

At a week and a half, I came to work for 3-4 hours a day.  I did that for a week, and then went to full time.  This was the perfect balance for me.

Physical Therapy

At 6 weeks, I attended a physical therapy session.  I recommend this to all of you. The therapist did a quite extensive skeletal evaluation to see if the fusion was happening correctly.  In addition, you will be shown the several exercises that you can do at home each day.  These are helpful, and include muscle stretching. The focus here is not weight training, rather, to get your body as flexible as possible.  When this is optimized, your entire body will distribute your task weight distribution…. and not just your lower back.  Being overly independent, I did not continue my physical therapy at the clinic, but am involved each day with a self-guided program.

Would I Do It Again?

Simple answer… YES!! Prepare yourself mentally, if not you will sink into despair. 70 days of pain is what you are signing up for.  The pain is controlled by medication for the first week or two. And it certainly gets less and less with time, but expect each morning to be greeted with pain.

I am 100% now… I’m far better than before my surgery. I still have my weight lifting limitations, which are very doable.

It seems as though when someone is diagnosed with a mental illness, one of the first things that others wonder is…”Are they going to be violent towards other people?” This thought can be very appropriate when it comes to other mental illnesses like Schizophrenia, (a topic for another day).  But as it relates to those with bipolar disease, what are the risks and facts relating to violence?

I’m happy to report that when patients are in treatment, taking their medication there is no difference in them becoming violent compared to someone without the diagnosis.

That being said, when a Bp patient has chosen to self medicate with illegal drugs, there can be a tendency for them to become violent.  But, yet again, the same goes for someone without the diagnosis, taking the same illegal drugs, (spice comes to mind).

Things that you might find helpful though.  While in a Manic phase, it is quite common for the patient to become irritable, and at times somewhat aggressive.  Family members should understand these changes or symptoms.  This is not the best time to push for them to clean their room, or work to get their grades up. If aggression is witnessed, remember, it’s part of the disease… and it’s not to be taken personal.

On the flip side, when the patient has entered the phase of depression, this is the period when “self-harm” might occur.  Self harm can involve, cutting, burning, punching ones self, and any other form of them hurting themselves.  Unlikely… Yes, but as it relates to this topic of violence, this would be the time in which self harm would occur.

These are both extreme examples.  Bp patients can live a very happy, productive life… free of violence or harm.  Treatment is important to pursue, but once a therapy plan has been implemented, they can live a life undetected of  being Bipolar.

Understanding one another helps us in our relationships.  It is common nature to judge others based upon how we feel about things.  But, we are all different… Some of us have been wired differently than the norm.  When others understand why we do some of the things that we do, relationships aren’t set back due to feelings of being hurt by a characteristic of the disease, and not the personal intent of the patient.

I have not found a medical term to describe the feeling that some of us with anxiety get, when we experience an anxiety fueled “emotional state of doom”. This is not a panic attack, something different. It is the WORST feeling ever, and is the hardest emotion to deal with.  So, I’ll describe it with these words:

Anguish, Wretchedness, Fatalism, Despair, Urgently hopeless, Overwhelming sorrow, Acute distress.

If you’ve experienced this feeling, you know what I’m talking about.  You are emotionally troubled to the point of urgently begging for it to stop. 5 seconds become 5 weeks.  It is excruciating!!! Almost like a bad conscience X 100.

Years ago, before my mom’s death, I recall going to her house.  She wasn’t doing well, and I found her on the bathroom floor.  Her face was horrified, her skin clammy and white… She told me that she was feeling what I’ve just described to you above, yet she had no idea what it was.  “I just feel so scared that something awful is going to happen… Help me,” she begged.

Last Saturday, I found myself in that same state.  Prior to this feeling I had just cooked some elk steaks, and not knowing what else to do, I ate them…  Within 15 minutes… The feeling was gone… Completely! How could I have just gone to both extremes so quickly?

I was curious to know what just happened.  I jumped on the internet and looked up protein and anxiety, and would like to share what I learned with you.

There are foods and drinks that can affect our anxiety.  I’d like for you to consider them as you think about your day-to-day eating and drinking.

GOOD   Protein, Beef, Turkey, Salmon, Spinach, Avocado, Nuts, Water, Seeds, Magnesium (in moderation), Vitamin B Complex Carbohydrates, and Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

BAD   Caffeine, Energy Drinks, Alcohol, Refined Sugar, Processed Meat

First off… When you experience a heightened moment of anxiety….eat a steak!  I’m serious.  You try it, and prove me wrong.  Notice how you feel in 15 minutes, as I know it will help you.  Experiment with the GOOD food items listed to see how it affects your anxiety level.  Just try them first when your anxiety is high. When you have identified the specific foods that helps, don’t just wait for the anxiety to come, include these in your daily diet.. preventing the anxiety from coming on strong to begin with.

As it relates to the BAD list…  I’m not your mother, and my intention is not to tell you what you can and can’t eat, (I’m a big Diet Mt Dew fan myself).  But I want you to be aware of the things that can bring on anxiety.  These things are opening up the floodgate of anxiety and pouring it into your body.  You then can decide if they are something that you want to cut back on, or not… simply be aware.

I have to strongly state this.  Alcohol is by far the worst anxiety inducer when it comes to heightening anxiety, (research it for yourself).  The day after consuming lots of alcohol, (party), you will notice that you are experiencing some of your greatest anxiety levels. You take note, and then decide what you would like to do with your findings.

Start your day off with some protein.. You choose what kind.  A scoop of peanut butter if you’re on the go.  Most of us wake up in the morning with a bit of anxiety.  Protein will immediately combat that as well as.

Eat complex carbohydrates as well throughout the day. Carbohydrates are thought to increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, which has a calming effect. Eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains — for example, oatmeal, quinoa, whole-grain breads and whole-grain cereals. Steer clear of foods that contain simple carbohydrates, such as sugary foods and drinks.

Some of you who have tried the Atkins diet, which resulted in you becoming an emotional mess… now you know why.  You need the Complex Carbs to function.

Specific Foods and drinks make a difference with anxiety.  Incorporate them  into your lifestyle both as a daily treatment, as well as a urgent fix to that pesky anxiety that sometimes gets the best of us.