MEDICAL BREAK

DUE TO

BACK SURGERY,

MY REGULAR POSTINGS WILL BE SUSPENDED UNTIL JUNE 13, 2022... 

5 DAYS

FROM NOW... 

My PLIF surgery (Posterior Lumbar Interwoven Fusion) will undertake to fuse together L2 - L3 - L4 - L5 - S1 with 2 screws in each vertebrae and 2 rods on either side. 

The surgery itself will take 4-6 hours and my surgeon has 27 years experience in this field and has done over 1,000 of these surgeries. The infection rate at the hospital where the procedure is to take place is 2.5% and because of my current treatment for Lymphoma and Melanoma, the potential infection rate will double which is still good odds.  

I will remain in the hospital a minimum of 1 night, maybe two depending upon how my body responds.  The first couple of days will be critical in terms of adjust to the pain and the new equipment in my body but I should force myself to start walking as soon as possible.  

I will have limited abilities for the first 4-6 weeks which means no lifting over a container of milk and I will not be able to drive.  I should try and walk for 30 minutes twice a day and they rest of the time, I should sleep or watch television, or perhaps write on my blogs.  

I will not be able to start any physical therapy until after 3 months...  and, it will take anywhere from 12-18 months before I am back to normal whatever that means as far as this infusion is concerned.  I am sure that some of my back movements will be limited but I am not sure by how much.

I appreciate your patience and hope that you will return to this blog when I resume my writing and posting on June 20.