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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsOur dear friend is "under the knife" right now to fix his spinal stenosis...
His daughter is at the hospital with him and will call us when he is out of the surgery with a report on how it went. My husband had the same surgery a year ago and he has informed our friend on what to expect. He will rehab at a facility very near our house and we can bring him things he may want to have or need. That will free up his daughter who lives further away.
I am not leaving the house til I hear how he is doing. Hubby warned him that after the surgery he's gonna need rehab but the guy just thinks he won't need rehab. when he leaves the hospital 3 days from now. Uh-huh. He lives alone. No way the doc will let him just go home. His daughter is a nurse and I hope she is giving him an earful about his care.
hlthe2b
(102,505 posts)Let us know.
WhiteTara
(29,731 posts)are they pinning his spine too? I had a lumbar laminectomy without rods and my rehab was walk.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)My husband had rods. He was in rehab for a while and he still goes to Physical Therapy.
He did have a lumbar laminectomy. My guess is his laminectomy was more severe than yours.
WhiteTara
(29,731 posts)and he worked around the pinning process. A couple of years later, I had my hip replaced as that had deteriorated from walking with a limp. I broke my back in my late 20s and refused to have rods, so I got by with massage, yoga and shear will. At 68 I found the doctor who would do what I wanted and did it so successfully that today I am completely flexible. The surgeon who replaced my hip used minimally invasive surgery and I was out of the hospital 2 days later and when the surgery pain left, there was no more pain anywhere. I feel like I have my life and can live until I die.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)Medical School. But he was 76 when he had the surgery so age is probably a factor here. However, he is doing well and has been driving for a good while and continues to progress with his P.T. He does need a walker to get around. We'll probably go into Assisted Living in a few years.
WhiteTara
(29,731 posts)I was in my late 60s and had remained very active with the aid of painkillers for the last few of those years, so I was in really good shape for that. I did lose muscle mass in my legs after my hip because I couldn't keep up the protein requirements, but I'll get that back by the end of this gardening season.
These bodies are such blessings and curses. They give us life and pain. In a way, assisted living has advantages, someone else does most of the cleaning and cooking.
May we all live fully until we die.
ProfessorGAC
(65,365 posts)The surgeon essentially told her he didn't think he could do any good.
Hope this works for your friend.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)and had to cancel a lunch with us last week because he couldn't walk. He can't drive his car and gets around by cab. He has a home health worker come in to assist him with bathing and food shopping. He made a bad mistake several years ago and it cost him his marriage to a wonderful woman. I wish he had her back. At least I was able to be my mate's caregiver...
MFM008
(19,833 posts)I was told anout mine.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)to our nearby rehab facility but one nearer to him. Fine. We'll go to his.
I'm hoping he'll be improving and will be out of such awful pain. The poor guy. Hubby and I are very sad about this, but we knew all along what could happen and now it has.
Spinal stenosis surgery ain't no walk in the park if it is really bad.
We are both troubled tonight.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)is still in the hospital. I wish we could find out more but the guy is too exhausted and in too much pain to go into lengthy discussions.
I am trusting the good docs at Yale New Haven Hospital to get the guy the help he needs. Once he is in good enough shape to go to rehab we have a card signed by a bunch of his/our friends who are regular Friday afternoon TGIF buddies (I am not fond of TGIF bar drinking but my hubby needs a bit of a kick back and relax on Fridays....).
MissMillie
(38,603 posts)My guy had that surgery a few years back. My guess is that the surgery has improved--at least I hope it has. My guy is paralyzed in his right shoulder and has a heap of titanium in his back.
He will need some help. He's lucky to have you.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)would have someone to look after his needs when he gets back to his condo). It's a sad situation but he will have the VNA send a therapist to his condo to take care of his needs after he leaves rehab. And he quit drinking a while back which is a good thing...
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)He's in terrible shape. He couldn't even hold the phone. He is suffering seriously.
I'm sure he'll be in acute rehab for 3 to 4 weeks.
I wish we had more information. Not that there is anything we could do to help him. I wish he could give us his daughter's phone number but she wasn't very friendly to us last time we visited him after some surgery he had. She glared at us and I couldn't figure out what her problem with us was.
irisblue
(33,048 posts)Hoping for better days for him
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)We're hoping his recovery will give him enough time to kick his cigarette smoking habit.
We'll go maybe Saturday. Another friend of his and ours wants to go with us. I don't think three visitors is too much for him. I have some articles for him to read.
BTW, this friend gave me the title of my book of art essays which I published first here on DU. It is titled "Immutable Truth: Essays in Art 2014-2016." My daughter is designing it as we are self publishing.