![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221012_083350-horizontal.jpg\" "\\"spinal")
<\/p>\nThe good, the bad and the ugly regarding my spinal fusion surgery, including recovery, eventual results and a skunk.<\/p>\n
Exactly one year ago, to the minute as I write this at 6:15 AM, I was being driven to the hospital for 4-level lumbar spinal fusion surgery. Since it was such a major event in my life, I couldn’t see not observing such a huge personal milestone with a summary of the ups and downs of recovery and the eventual outcome.<\/p>\n
Hopefully this will be the last time I feel compelled to broach the subject.<\/p>\n
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My orthopedic surgeon told me that recovery, however it ends up being defined in my case, would take about 6 months, with a few of his patients reporting continued recovery for up to a year. I found “recovery” to be a benign-sounding word when compared to the brutal reality of it all. For about nine months I was in almost constant pain, for most of that time I was even less mobile than I’d been prior to surgery and I struggled psychologically. Seeing little or no improvement for so long while I was in significant pain was massively depressing.<\/p>\n
Then one day I realized that I was doing things that I hadn’t been able to do since the surgery, and in some cases since long before surgery. I could stand for longer, walk up and down stairs and even put on socks with significantly less pain. Trips to the grocery store were no longer a physical ordeal. I was using my cane and my “grabber” less and less as time went by. Eventually I mowed my lawn for the first time (neighbors had been doing it for me – thank you Shane and Ryan!), cleaned my incredibly messy garage and even worked on a few projects out there.<\/p>\n
Now, at one year post-op, I can do most of those things and others with no pain at all as long as I don’t push it too far, too fast. I’m even beginning to think that I may be able to hike short distances while carrying my tripod and camera gear for bird photography, which is something I haven’t been able to do for more than three years. I haven’t tested it yet but I’m reasonably optimistic. With all those rods and screws in my back I’ll never be as flexible as I used to be but that I can live with.<\/p>\n
Caveat, there’s always a caveat. Prior to surgery my surgeon told me that my entire back was “a mess” and I may face further issues with it down the road. Some of those issues, unrelated to the problems I had in my lumbar spine, may be raising their ugly heads already as I’m beginning to have problems with my upper back and shoulders. But for now I’m going to revel in the progress I’ve made and see where life takes me.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I’ve learned some stuff about the medical world during this long journey that has included three back surgeries. Almost immediately after my fusion my surgeon’s PA recommended that I purchase an Orthofix Spinal Fusion Therapy stimulator (STIM) that would significantly speed up bone healing. He said that it’s expensive so he only recommends it to his patients whose insurance would cover it, and mine would.<\/p>\n So I bought one, at a total cost of $4995. Thankfully my insurance paid for most of it – all I had to cough up was a little more than $300.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is my STIM. It may look impressive but it isn’t much more than a complicated belt and strap system that holds the SpinalStim Device on my upper belly. The device generates a pulsed electromagnetic field aimed at the lumbar region of the back that is supposed to promote bone healing.<\/p>\n You’re instructed to wear the STIM for an absolute minimum of two hours every day until your doctor tells you that you’re “healed” (about 6 months?) but I found the STIM to be a torture device that would make Dr. Mengele proud. I was in pain to start with and the device made sitting and laying down absolutely impossible for any length of time and I couldn’t stand or walk for very long, device or no device. So after not much more than five hours of use I stopped wearing the damn thing and never wore it again. It just sits on a shelf, reminding me of all the money I wasted.<\/p>\n Stick with me. I’m getting somewhere with this.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A few weeks ago a Facebook friend (I’ll call her Sue) who was about to have back surgery similar to mine, posted a desperate plea on her timeline asking if there was anyone who might have a lumbar STIM device that they’re through using that they’d be willing to sell to her. Sue’s surgeon recommended that she get one but her insurance wouldn’t pay for it.<\/p>\n So I contacted Sue and offered to sell her my STIM for the $300 I’d personally paid for it. She was very excited because she knew it was a “long shot” to find a STIM through Facebook and mine was virtually brand new and almost unused. But it turns out that STIMs have a built in “self-destruct” mechanism that renders them inoperable after a given amount of time. So Sue decided against buying mine and I don’t blame her.<\/p>\n So anyone who needs a lumbar STIM device has to cough up the 5 grand, one way or another, for a brand new one, Orthofix gets their blood money and used STIMS go to waste – even if they’re essentially brand new.<\/p>\n I smell a skunk. There’s something rotten and it isn’t in Denmark.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The good, the bad and the ugly regarding my spinal fusion surgery, including recovery, eventual results and a skunk.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/stim.jpg\" "\\"STIM\\"")
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