Some of y’all remember last October when my husband had an unexpected back “issue.” That meant a change of plans, canceling the trip to celebrate my dad’s 98th birthday, among other things. What happened?

Acute Back Pain & ER Visit

Well, he experienced acute back pain, couldn’t easily stand or walk, yet forced himself to drive from work back home (an hour trip!). We spent several hours in the ER, had radiographs, received some nominal pain meds (that didn’t help much), and a week later finally got an appointment with our doctor. There, he got stronger meds that made him woozy but didn’t much help with the pain–a quick adjustment helped.

While waiting for approval for an MRI, we looked for PT opportunities to get some relief. That also took time. Rather than wait 6+ weeks for local PT openings, we drove about 40 minutes several times a week and the therapy did help. Finally got the severe pain under control. Eventually the MRI showed damage (bulging) in the lumbar area of his spine. A referral to both a pain specialist and a neurosurgeon followed.

Pain Meds Forever Or…?

The referral to the pain doc suggested an injection “might” help but probably wouldn’t–so we tried that once. Interestingly, even the insurance (approval) noted that it wouldn’t likely help. Hmnnn. The neurosurgeon explained that two of his vertebrae had already self-fused, precluding any “hardware” additions during surgery. But that a laminectomy addressing L1-5 should reduce the pressure on the nerves and offer relief.

Any surgery offers cause for concern. And my husband researched everything thoroughly, as did I. Choices came down to pain meds for the rest of his life, that wouldn’t reverse anything and only masked the symptoms. Surgery offered the possibility of pain reduction or elimination, and a reduction in the pain prescriptions. Waiting too long could potentially cause more damage, or he could reach a state where the surgeon no longer thought it safe for the procedure.

So, he planned for the surgery months out, scheduling it so he could take care of his business clients in advance and have some time off to recover. Since I also am self-employed, this worked out well.

Laminectomy L1-5

Last Thursday, May 28, we arrived at the hospital at 6:00 am for the two-hour procedure. He went into the operating room at about 7:30. The surgeon’s nurse called me twice during the operation, first to say all was going well–and again to update me. His spinal damage was far worse than anticipated, so the procedure went longer. (Yes, I started to get really worried at the three-hour mark.)

The surgeon finally finished a bit over three-and-a-half hours and met with me. Whew! Apparently, the spinal cord had a multitude of bone “spurs” they hadn’t seen on radiographs or MRI. He assured me all went well, and he still anticipated a good outcome. In fact, while in recovery from the procedure (and still woozy as heck!), M said the leg pain he’d suffered had gone away. Hallelujah!

Knowing Too Much… yikes!

My early vet tech experiences (20+ years ago now) included a back procedure on a Dachshund. The poor dog had jumped off something, landed wrong, and lost mobility in the rear legs. Those long-bodied, short-legged pooches too often have such challenges. Dogs, of course, can’t tell us the same way about their canine pain the way people can.

And all I could think about during my husband’s long (VERY LONG!) procedure was how the veterinary surgeon performed a similar spinal surgery procedure on that dog. That was one of the first personal experience stories I had published way back when, in a magazine called Dog Fancy.

Of course, today veterinary medicine has progressed exponentially. And human medicine as well, thank doG!

Back Surgery & the Future

Today marks a week post-surgery. Something nobody told us–the pain meds cause brain fog, difficulty processing thoughts or finding the right word. It took me a bit to figure that out and caused some frustration on both our parts. Daily bandage changes show slow but steady healing. It’s a lot easier bandaging a cooperative patient than a frightened Dachshund.

While the neurological pain has thankfully gone away, pain from the 5-1/2-inch incision (22 staples) makes getting up from sitting, or walking, extremely difficult. Balance remains an issue. He’s not allowed to drive for two weeks, and thankfully, I can easily take off time to do what’s needed while he heals. M says it feels like someone replaced the machinery in his back but forgot to oil the parts so everything’s stiff and wants to stick. He’ll have a follow-up and staples removed in another two weeks.

I suspect he’ll have PT going forward to loosen up those rusty muscles and regain mobility. That Dachshund I mentioned recovered full use of rear limbs with “towel walking” (a towel support under the tummy) and “bathtub therapy.” That was before veterinary underwater treadmills were available.

Taking Time Off…

Today’s the first day in a week I’ve worked on writing–blogs, anyway. My husband’s actually climbed the stairs (wow!) to work in his office for the first time. The fictioning has taken a back seat for just a short time, as I can’t concentrate on that weird-wonderful-thriller while tending to everybody else (including the pets). Yes, Shadow-Pup, Karma-Kat, and Trinity-Kitty all understand the schedule has changed and do their best to relieve any tension.

That’s great healing energy, after all, to have a furry friend beside you during times of stress or pain. At least I won’t have to deal with towel walking therapy…