I arrived home late yesterday afternoon after having spinal fusion surgery early Monday morning.
The surgery went well but my 2 1/2 days in the hospital weren’t the best of times. The good news is that the surgical procedures weren’t quite as extensive as originally planned, although that made it a little more complicated too. More about all of that later.
I have a tentative Home Health Care appointment later today. All I can say at the moment is that I’m sure glad I have my handy “picker-upper” tool for more situations than you can imagine. I think I’ll be weaned off my walker fairly quickly, but it gives me comfort just knowing it’s available when I need it. In the meantime I’m mostly using a cane and walking very carefully. And slowly. And avoiding any stairs. And yes, I have help available if I need it.
My back brace is another matter. If I had an outdoor fireplace I’d gladly have an eventual ‘burn’ to celebrate its demise.
Ron
Sure wish you a speedy and complete recovery.
I want to see a photograph of the “back brace bon fire” when it happens!
My best wishes for a speedy recovery 🙂
Take Care and get well soon!
Glad you are out of the horsepistol!
What a pleasant surprise to see you back at the keyboard already.
You are indeed hard to keep down, Ron. 🙂
OW! Get well Sooooon!!!❤️🙏👍
Ron
I know how good it is to be back home.
Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.
The birds await you!
Thank you for updating us readers.
Rest up and rest well!
As a survivor of cervical fusion surgery, I empathize so much with your feeling about the back brace. I had the ambulance chasing, stereotypical, big white plastic neck brace that I had to wear for 10 weeks. Six of those weeks I was teaching high school full time, and I chain sawed mine when I finally got to take it off. Then I took the pieces back to my classroom with some video of my activity and told my seniors they should, perhaps, do am exceptional job on their final projects. It was very quiet for a minute. I share this so you, too, can fantasize about how to creatively use yours after you’re done Continued wishes for a swift recovery.
That’s nothing short of a great story, Suzanne!
Here’s another somewhat similar comment made on this post on Facebook:
After my first fusions (in the 60s) I was in a 40 lb plaster cast for almost a year. When they removed it (yes, with a saw) I told my mom I wanted to take it home. But when we got home, she hadn’t taken it! She was afraid I would injure myself destroying it!”
Wonderful to see your post, Ron. You can breathe easier now that you’re home. Take good care.
And I can’t help but commend Lyle Anderson for saying many of the things that some of us want to say, and done so humorously!
Welcome back and glad you’re making progress. Yeah, that first 2 1/2 days – I don’t think they always tell you the “whole truth”! They just tell you enough to agree to the surgery!!
But now you’re past that, so hope things continue to go well for you. Those picker-uppers are pretty handy, with a little practice you can get very proficient at a lot of tasks. I personally haven’t yet figured out how to depress a shutter button with one, however. Continue to take good care, don’t rush things, and again – glad to hear from you.
Thank you sooo much for this update. Getting home to familiar noises (lack of noises) smells is wonderful isn’t it. Take it easy. You matter to so many people near and far.
Thinking about you. Get well!
Thank you so much for the update. I was thinking about you on Monday and I’m glad you are on the road to recovery.
What a delight to find your update in my inbox! I’m glad things went well, if a bit differently than was expected. There’s a lot to be said for being upright and mobile. As your recovery progresses and you begin feeling truly better, don’t let impatience overrule common sense!
Glad to hear your news which seems pretty durned good!
Best wishes for continued progress!!
I wish you a good recovery! It’s good to be home. Hang in there.
So glad to hear it went well. I took it as a very good sign to see your post this morning. I’m glad you are able to be back at home. I think one can heal so much better in your own environment. Here’s to a speedy and very successful recovery.
So glad to find you in the inbox this morning! Have been thinking of you and hoping all went well; sounds like a successful if (a temporarily) uncomfortable result. And good on you for taking all the right steps to ensure your recovery and return to “normal life” in due time. ♥️
You’ll soon be back in the saddle again.
So good to see FP in my inbox today! Now comes the hard part – recovery. And for that, aren’t we grateful for Nature’s amazing abilities. Wishing you all the best!
So happy to hear that all went well and you are home!
Glad surgery went well. Part 2… Recovery and rehab😊
Take care Ron
Keeping it simple – I missed you!
Glad to hear you’re home and recovering!
wishing you a speedy recovery!
Charlotte Norton
Top of the morning, Ron! So nice to see your post today, and to know things went well.
Good to hear from you Ron. Sounds like good news that the surgery was not as severe as originally planned. When your followers posted all the suggested books for you I realized that I had read 21 of them. Hope you will have time to read some. Wishing you a speedy and full recovery and an eventual return to taking great bird and wildlife photos.
Well, somebody has to say it: you tough old bird you. Something tells me the hospital staff did everything they could to expedite your release. I’ll bet just sitting down to post this was an ordeal, not to mention standing up. Can’t wait to hear all the gory details complete with pictures and x-rays. You did get a copy of them, didn’t you? I love looking at post-op x-rays, as long as they’re other people’s. Looks like this ordeal hasn’t changed your up-at-crazy-hours routine. I love my picker-upper. I use it to grab slugs off the veggies. Just be sure to spray off the slime before bringing it inside. No stairs. Now that’s a real b*#@&. I’ll bet you wish you had installed those stair elevators. You know, like other old folks do. Though they always look really rich in the ads. So maybe too much for us ordinary folks.
Very HAPPY you are home. It is true there is no place like home.
Please take care..do not rush things!
Kaye
How wonderful to see that you are HOME instead of in a rehab facility!
that seems like a very good sign ! I’m glad that you have good equipment,
like the “handy picker-upper”, and your hand-crafted “rope-a-dope” ( you’re
far from a “dope”, but I guess that you’re allowed to use it, anyway ). I wish
you a continued and excellent recovery.
Good news and glad that you are already ambulating. As your strength and muscle tone improves you will one day get rid of that wretched brace.
Glad your surgery went well and was less extensive than expected. Good that you’re home and able to sleep in your own bed and sit in your own chair. I’m picturing you in the same giant brace my friend wore after her fusion surgery and definitely understand the bonfire/Viking funeral for it. Wishing you a speedy recovery and a picker-upper in every room! ❤️
Hi Ron!! It is wonderful to hear that you are home. Whoever invented the “picker-upper” deserves something close to sainthood! Hopefully you won’t need that back brace for long. It looks very uncomfortable like the one I used to have. The one I love is more like a girdle with laces as well as velcro and no pad to press against my back. Take is easy and post updates when you can. We all love you and send you our very best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Nice to see you are home and doing well, take it slow and easy! Hope you have a quick recovery
My mom had a spinal fusion in 1942 due to scoliosis, she was 20 yrs old and was in a body cast for 6 months!!
I think things have improved a bit since then!
Take care
Theresa in NC
YES! Glad you’re home – “progress” 🙂 For better or worse sounds like “less” as far as the surgery goes is desireable – hopefully anyway.
“Grabber’s” ARE great – Joe (at 93) has a couple around that certainly make life safer and easier – being vertically challenged I use one of them now an again also…;)
Hospital stays are never “fun” – being home is the best.
Be careful and, as much as I know you don’t like to, use pain medication as prescribed……. 😉 Learned long ago “preemtive” is better than trying to control it once it’s raging…. 😉
P.S. the brace beats the torso cast one of my sisters had to wear for 6 months following a fusion in her neck MANY years ago…… 😉
I had the same surgery in October 2021 and I have recovered well and quickly. I am glad I had it done and hope your recovery is rapid. Home health and physical therapy helped. Best of luck.
We’re all wishing you a successful, speedy recovery.
Glad to hear you are progressing. You hang in there Ron!
Welcome back, Ron! Happy to hear the surgery went better than anticipated. May your recovery be speedy. Looking forward to more posts about your newly fused spine.
I can’t tell you how happy and relieved I was to see “Feathered Photography” in my inbox this morning!!! So glad you’re home. And you thought you might have to spend some time in a rehab facility, so I’m interpreting the fact that you’re home rather than in rehab to be very good news. Now, of course, all that remains is the tough stuff—–healing and getting back to “normal life” whatever that is. Take it slow. Be a patient patient. And COMPLY with those home health folks, especially the physical therapists. (I think that might mean using the walker until they tell you it’s OK to move to the cane? Just saying)
Seriously, so glad it all went well. I have been and will continue to be thinking about you.
So happy to hear everything went smoothly and you’re home. Always here..and only a few steps away. Hollar if you need anything from us! ❤️❤️ Take it easy.
Having recently spent time in a hospital I have some appreciation for those not the best of times. Good to hear you are back home.
Woo Hoo! I am thrilled to read that you are back home and WALKING. Well done.
Great news, Ron! An unexpected delight seeing you in my inbox this morning. There’s a lot to be said for sleeping in your own bed! Wishing you lots of patience as you continue your recovery journey!
“There’s a lot to be said for sleeping in your own bed”
That my friend… is for sure!
Welcome home, Ron!! I’m so relieved that you’re already at this stage in your recovery! Sometimes you’ll need a “picker-upper” to lift spirits, but gradually you’ll heal and be able to get back to your beloved nature prowls and photography, and we’ll be anxiously awaiting that day.
Very happy that you are home!
I haven’t been in your situation, but I have been in others where I can certainly empathize with where you are at!
Hey, we are all getting older, we just have smile and deal!!!!
Make sure you laugh a lot, life is too short.
Cranky and frustrated. I think that bodes well for a speedy and full recovery. 😉😁😁😁. Just make sure you are cranky, frustrated and most important, wise. 😇
Congratulations to you (and to your surgeons) for a successful procedure! I’m happy to see that your perspective and your sense of humor are intact, even if you need to contend with considerable discomfort and inconvenience as you recover. And I wouldn’t be too concerned about your final ceremony. I’m sure you can find someone who will be happy to build a fire for you somewhere appropriate so that you can do a “controlled burn” of your back brace. When you do, take a picture!