Hello fellow travelers! What a wild ride we are on. After 3 years of putting it off, I had the surgery. I was so afraid of the surgery itself and then the chance of complications. So far things have gone pretty well. My incision area is still uncomfortable. I am not sure how much I should push in stretching my neck. I will see my NS in 1 1/2 weeks. I am planning to go back to work in 3 1/2 weeks. I would like to go back part time for the first week. I am also not sure how long the "no bending" and "no lifting" rules apply. I don't want to cause any problems. I have read this forum as much as I can. It is so much more positive than what I have seen on facebook. I would be happy to listen to anyone having a tough time. No one knows what it is like until they go through it. Well, hope you all have a happy day with less pain than yesterday.
I was told no bending or lifting until my 6 week follow up.
thank you Anglyn, my NS's post op instructions were not very detailed so I appreciate the information.
Thanks Abby, a good reminder and timely because now I am starting to feel better so now is the time to not over do it.
I was 3 weeks post op on Tuesday! I am kind of like you. I am feeling pretty darn good most of the time, and I sure don't want to do anything to mess that up. I wondered about how long the no lifting and straining ruled applied as well. I start physical therapy at week 5.
I think starting back to work with half days is a good plan! That's something I am considering as well.
Just wondering how you guys are doing? I am almost 3 weeks post op and am feeling worse now than a week ago. Is this fairly normal? I’m doing a few things here and there that I probably shouldn’t, but nothing much really. I’m doing range or motion exercises several times a day, but my neck and shoulders are really tight. I was able to lay on my incision comfortably the first 2 weeks, but it’s painful now. I had a squishing sound a couple of times last night that freaked me out. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
I felt worse at 1 1/2 weeks because I came off the steroid (dexadron) at that time. Could that be why you are feeling worse? I am at 6 1/2 weeks and it has been up and down so far. I know it is OK to be doing nothing much at 3 weeks. You are healing and you need to rest as much as you can. I still find it painful to lay on my incision and my neck. I also had some wooshing sounds in my head a couple of times. Be easy on yourself. Your neck and shoulders will be tight for a while. I am beginning PT tomorrow and I assume we will address that. You should be proud of yourself for doing ROM exercise. I was told to take those slow and let pain be my guide. Did your surgeon tell you to do those? Don't be afraid to call your surgeon's office with questions - you and your recovery are very important. Blessings to you, hope you feel better every day.