Re: Post-op exhaustion

[Guest guest]

Hi Kathy,

Exhaustion, both physical and mental, is quite normal after this type of

surgery. Just as pain is your body's way of telling you that you've subjected it

to a major trauma, exhaustion is also a message from your brain...a not so

gentle reminder to slow down, rest, sleep, heal and be kind to yourself.

Everyone recovers differently so there's no set timetable as to when you should

start feeling back to " normal " and everyone's " normal " is different as well.

Revision surgery is a brutal assault to the body whether via posterior, anterior

(or a combo of both) approach. And lest we forget, we're not as young as when

we had our original fusions! Much as I hate to admit it, a plain, old cold/flu

takes me longer to recover from now than it did 20 or 30 yrs ago!!

When I had my posterior revision done 11 yrs ago,I was shocked at how long it

took me to just get my sea legs back, let alone start to feel even close to

normal! I pray every day that I NEVER have to put my body through anything like

that again. The physical assault would be hard enough...but it's the mental toll

it would take that really scares me!! While I try not to let the chronic pain

interfere with how I want to live, there are days when I succumb to the

depression. Fortunately, I have a loving, supportive husband, sons and friends

who can spot the signs that I'm wallowing in self-pity and give me a much needed

the kick in the butt, often by reminding me how fortunate I am to be able to do

so many of the things I can do or by coming by the house and " kidnapping " me out

to lunch!

Recovery from any revision surgery is slow, often painful time and no hard/fast

timetable exists; but one characteristic that every revision surgery

requires...PATIENCE!! And that just might be the biggest hurdle to overcome!

Fortunately, that's where the FeistyFlatbackers do their very best work...as

" counselors " they can't be beat! No where, in any medical community, can you

find more understanding and empathy than with folks who can personally relate to

the fear and frustration that often accompany revision surgery. We are often

each others best source of info how to not only survive these procedures but how

to come out on the other side stronger and better able to cope.

I always remind post-op revision patients of the one survival tip that I,

personally, think is of the utmost importance to a successful recovery...BE KIND

TO YOURSELF! This may be one of the last times you'll get the opportunity to

completely relax, lay around, take long naps and if the mood strikes, eat

bon-bons and ice cream!! Once you've recovered, chances are you'll feel SO much

better that you won't want to sit still...there's so much living to do!!

All the best,

Beth

>

> Hi Everyone - I was posting with another member a few days ago & was saying

that I am doing very well physically, but I still feel like crap after my

anterior surgery 8 weeks ago. When asked to explain, I couldn't quite put my

finger on it. It just dawned on me...I just always feel tired !!! I get a full

8-9 hours sleep at night, & take a nap every afternon... and I still wake up

tired. I make sure I get on my treadmill everyday for a mile to try and build

my stamina, but it seems to be getting worse. I'm just curious if this is

normal

> ...should I push through the tired feeling...should I get a better

multi-vitamin...should I just keep with my program because my body needs the

rest...or a little bit of all the above? I went through my post-op depression

earlier on at about 4 weeks. So I don't think it's that. Any opinions on this

would be very much appreciated.

> Thank you.........................Kathy

>