On June 24, I had spinal fusion surgery involving four vertebrae in my lumbar (lower back) area, which now have some very nasty looking titanium screws and rods supporting them. I did not go into this lightly, as it is a serious surgery with a pretty long recovery period. I knew I would be out of it for much of the summer, which was sort of a bummer. While my friends all seemed to be headed to Maine for coastal views and lobster rolls, or some other fun summer vacation spots, I was stuck in my recliner with ice on my back, feeling less than lively.

I am doing as well as anyone can expect, apparently: getting out for walks, driving myself locally, and to doing simple tasks in the garden that don’t involve “BLT” (bending, lifting and twisting). I even took the Metro by myself, downtown, to meet friends for a DC Restaurant Week lunch last week. And I should not have to wear my torture-chamber looking brace after another three weeks.

I’m still, off and on, checking on several Facebook post-fusion groups that I joined in order to get pointers and advice, and to find kindred souls going through this process. (Say what you will about Facebook, if you are looking for groups of people with a common bond, you can find them there.) I tried to avoid the posts that reported less than good results (some people have had multiple fusions, did not get any satisfaction from having the surgery, are still dealing with terrible pain, and etc.) and focus on reading, and even replying, to those posts that reported some good news about positive results, and which gave really helpful advice.

The posts get pretty repetitive though, as many people are seeking advice of what to bring to the hospital, what to expect after surgery, and what to have on hand when you get home. Facebook is a sort of immediate medium; it doesn’t matter how many times someone asks the same question, no one seems to search through old messages to find the answers.

The advice was pretty consistent, overall. So, I thought I would consolidate the answers to some FAQs here in this blog, from my own personal view. I hope you, dear reader, never have to endure spinal fusion. But maybe this will help someone in the future. This advice is based on my own experience and things that my new “best fusion friends” suggested. (many I might not have done, but they sounded like good ideas). The groups I most often consulted and became a member of were Spinal Fusion Surgery Group, Life After Back Surgery Support Group and Spinal Fusion Surgery – Success and Active Again.

Here’s my take on things:

Get Your Equipment in a Row Before Your Surgery Date! Believe me, you won’t want to be searching for stuff after your surgery. And your friends and family will be too busy feeding you, driving you places, and also carrying out their own daily tasks to also spend hours searching for these things on your behalf.

A friend of mine had lumbar spinal fusion a couple months ahead of mine, so she was an invaluable source of reliable information (thanks, Pam!). She recommended renting a recliner with lift assist for a month, as it was the only thing she could sleep comfortably in. I became obsessed with the Search for a Recliner, and finally took the advice of some of my fellow Facebook “fusion warriors” and bought a reasonably priced one from Wayfair. Is it as good as a medical supply store one I could have rented for a month (for roughly the same price)? No, of course not, but will some “customizing” – strategically placed extra pillows mostly – it has served me well. (NOTE: Many people said not to rely on the lift assist to get you in/out as you need to build up your leg muscles. But it can be really helpful when you’re tired, and you don’t have to use it if you don’t feel the need.

A wide variety of medical equipment is also helpful. I put out a call to my neighborhood listserve to see if anyone was willing to loan/give away the following: bed railing; over the toilet raised seat with grab bars; shower seat; grabbers (to pick things up off the floor); and walker. I got everything except the bed railing (which I eventually got for $10 on Facebook Marketplace) and a few extra things, and made some new friends in the bargain! Our spare room looked like a medical equipment warehouse (see photo in the heading of this post) Medical equipment can be expensive, so this worked for me. There are also places that loan out equipment for free in many places, some run by organizations like the Lion’s Club.

Ice, ice baby! When you hurt, and if your doctor says not to use heat as it will be bad for your surgical incision, ice is your friend. One of my other buddies recently had a shoulder replacement surgery. She swore by the recirculating ice water machine they sent her home with. Not having any indication that I would get one from my hospital, I searched one out on Facebook Marketplace and got it for $50. WAY cheaper than new and it has been worth every penny. Of course, ice packs are far cheaper and work too (and are portable), but this stays cold longer. Mine is cold for hours. The trick is to freeze bigger things, like water bottles, so the cold lasts longer than if you used straight up ice cubes to fill it up.

Just the right post-surgery pillow is quite controversial. If you don’t have an adjustable bed like the “cozy” one you had in the hospital, you may find it hard to simulate that motion by elevating your head and feet into comfortable positions with pillows. I got a wedge pillow (or actually, my sister ordered it for me, full disclosure) which was not comfortable to sleep on at all. But it is good for reading and watching television. I finally took the advice of others on the Facebook group and got a pregnancy pillow. Okay, sounds weird but just works for lots of people, because it surrounds you with something soft but supportive if you sleep on your side, and move from side to side like I always do. And comes around so you can put it between your legs for better body alignment. It beats trying to wrangle six or eight individual pillows. And besides, it sort of feels like a big hug.

What to Expect After Surgery

And now, a few things that those facing spinal fusion might want to know, post-surgery.

Though it varies widely from surgeon to surgeon and hospital to hospital, according to Facebook posts, you will be in the hospital if all goes well and there are no complications, for at least one to four nights. My stay was two nights, in on Tuesday, out on Thursday.

As soon as you wake up from anesthesia and are making some sort of sense, they get you up to walk. I was dreading this, but it wasn’t so bad. You are still pretty drugged up, so pain is bearable. The in-house PT people have you walk in the hallway, and if you can tolerate it, even have you try to do what I call the PT Stairs, a small four-step simulated staircase with rails. Usually doing the stairs is a sign that it will be okay for you to go home, if you can’t do the stairs they might keep you another day. So, if you want to get out, do the stairs even if they scare you a bit. Nurses will get you up at every opportunity, even in the middle of the night, to walk around the hallways. Yes, rocking your gorgeous hospital gown, and wheeling all the attachments (IV and incision drain) along with you. (Bring some pajama bottoms for less possible embarrassment!)

Occupational therapy will show you how to do simple things like pull up your pants and brush your teeth without bending. Because you aren’t supposed to bend or you might mess up your fusion, and the last thing you want to do is that.

When you do get home, walk as much as possible. Just with your walker around the house at first. I was cleared to do a whole staircase (in order, in my case, to go upstairs and take a much-needed shower!) after five days. I was still pretty out of it; and had a “spotter” for the first couple of weeks. But it feels great when you can finally do the stairs by yourself, or do anything for yourself for that matter.

Embrace help. I read on these Facebook posts how people just home from surgery are cleaning their houses, taking care of their pets, and cooking meals. Because they live alone and/or no one else in their household can do these things right or are willing to do them. I have no idea how they do that. If I hadn’t had my husband and daughter, and after a week my sister, and a whole host of friends, I would have taken myself to a rehab facility for a couple of weeks.

And, more embarrassing topics. The lumbar region is down towards, well, you know. Going to the bathroom can be a trial after lumbar fusion. Between surgery, pain meds that stop you up, and maybe not eating a really balanced diet, things can get uncomfortable and lots of OTC remedies, beyond the simple stool softeners, may be necessary. I ended up with a UTI and had to get my husband to take me to an urgent care to get it diagnosed about a week after surgery, and a few days after the “dam had broken” (if you get my gist). Just to say, after spinal fusion, $&!^ happens… be prepared.

There is a lot more advice I could give from my own experience, but those are some of the basics. Glad to answer any other questions anyone might have if you post them in the comments. Do check out those and other Facebook groups, and be sure to try reading the previous posts before asking the same old questions! And, yes, I am not saying that people don’t have some really bad experiences with spinal fusion. But, for all the really negative and heartbreaking posts, there are encouraging and helpful ones. It may be an arcane and torturous procedure, I know there are new technologies and ideas out there to address the problems that led us to this point, but for those of us who took the plunge, there is no going back, so to speak, and so we can only forge ahead and do our best to support one another!

And that’s my “view from the messy recliner”!