Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Checking in....

Hi Jamie, Thank you,

They did decompression on all of the Lumbar area and the bone they took from those joints they used to fuse L4-L5. I have plates and screws but now the staples are gone. I have done really well. I still have quite a bit of pain but at least I am upright and can walk. With all of the RA and Lupus and the fact that he said the rest of my spine is bad, the pain is more than likely going to be with me. I can deal with that. I just didn't want to quit walking and being mobile if I didn't have to. It was an all morning surgery but I sat myself up on the side of the bed that evening and was up walking the next day.

I am very thankful for my wonderful surgeon.

How are you doing Jamie?

Mike, did you have pain for most of the year that they tell me it will take to get over it? My pain is mostly left sided; lower back left side, under buttocks, around top of leg and down my leg. Sound familiar? Of course, my back is still very sore where they he worked.

Curious if that is what you felt.

Thanks.
Possi

hi possi

i'm glad your up and about,i bet it's nice to walk around and not be looking at your feet the whole time. the pain i had let up slowly over 6 months. my dr. said they move stuff around in order too work and nerves get compressed, they take a long time to heal. the muscle spasms took a lot longer get rid of. before my surgery i spent 2+ years in my chair. i had to exercise 3 or 4 times a week to get back in shape. we bought a tread mill and after 6 months i joined the ymca. it was a long road but well worth it, i got my life back. enjoy your great grand child
mike

That sounds extensive and painful, but hopefully will give you back some mobility. I had a microdiskectomy 2 years ago for herniated disks and I had residual pain down my left butt and leg for about 3-5 months, gradually improving along the way. It's the nerves being inflamed and takes them awhile to settle down. Walking is good, just don't overdo it as u know. Good luck!!

I'm doing pretty good. When I transitioned from teaching to administration for my school district I was graciously allowed to maintain summers off, so I'm enjoying some much needed downtime. I'm having some stomach problems, which I'm not sure how to handle yet. Not sure if it was the NSAIDS (have stopped them just in case), or a hernia, ulcer? But overall having this time off is invaluable and I'm relaxing a lot. We took the kids to the beach already. we are training 2 puppies we got a few weeks ago! its like having twins, ugh! Thanks for asking!

Thanks Mike. They told me I would have muscle spasms and nerve pain for quite a while. I have thought that they give you the worst case scenario and that maybe it would not take that long.
I figure I will get on the treadmill when they give me the go ahead. I can't drive for 3 more weeks and go back 3 weeks after that for more x-rays. I can't get in the pool until I go back.
I had been fighting this for 3 years, getting injections and nerve ablations and in and out of the "chair". :o) I am very out of shape but I can walk much further already than I could before surgery.

I am so glad you have your life back.

What a blessing to have summers off. What is your position? I retired as Director of Business/Treasurer for a public school district. I not only didn't have summers off. I would go as long as 3 years without a day of vacation.

I hope they figure out what is wrong with your stomach. I did get an ulcer taking so many NSAIDS years ago. Easy to find with barium x-ray and easily treated if you catch it early.

Blessings.

Hi Possi! I'm the Public Relations specialist. It's such a fun position, and what I originally went to college for. I ended up in teaching ( after the 9/11 attacks) for 10 years and it was great, but I knew I couldn't teach for 20 or more years. I'm hoping to be promoted to director in next year or so, at which point summers would go away. Our finance people never take off either.

That is a good position. My friend who does that where I worked loves it. I loved working for the schools. My job combined my loves of Accounting and Education. I loved the investing. Not quite so much the budgeting. :o)

My father was a Public School Superintendent and we have two teacher daughters except that one has recently gone a different direction.

Hope you have a good holiday.

What part of TX are you in? I am just North of you in the OKC area.

I'm in the southern area...close to San Antonio which is where I was born and raised. We live west of SA in a small town. You are from a family of educators! I love it too and have no intention of leaving, especially if we stay living in this area, as there aren't a ton of good job options anyway.