I am now continuing my recovery at home from surgery. Pain management was a real issue at the hospital, which is mostly what slowed my release. It feels better to be at home, but most of my time right now is spent in bed in specific positions that are comfortable. Getting out of bed is very difficult, and will be until the incision on my stomach heals a little more, and the inflamed tissue around my fused vertebrae gets better. The bone morphogenic protein that is used to promote bone growth/fusion also causes some additional swelling in the first 1-2 weeks that can be painful in some people, and that has definitely been the case with me. So many little things like coughing or sneezing can be quite painful, and I have to watch what I read or watch on TV, since laughing can also be escrutiating.
Since I am still not able to do most simple tasks for myself and the doctor’s feel progress will continue to be slow, I plan to return to work (from home) on July 30th instead of today as originally planned. We feel like by then I will be able to take care of myself and sit up in bed well enough to use my laptop and phone all day without pain.
That’s all for now – thanks for everyone’s get well wishes!