Monday, August 19, 2013

Two years later....my Prologue

Yea I know...prologue is a beginning...not the ending....but really it is just that...the beginning of the rest of my life...a complete life with no regrets...at least not about back surgery.

First of all I want to say thanks to all the people who have read this blog (8,764 "page views" as of this writing) and contacted me. It was always my hope that I could help others facing the same predicament as me...and from the volume of emails I received I think I have done that.  I am so happy I could relieve some of your anxiety pre- and post-surgery.

My TLIF was on July 11, 2011. I know in this blog I said I would continue to post entries every month and that just has not happened...and I apologize...but there is a very good reason for it....my life has pretty much returned to normal...and I have resumed most of my normal activities.

I bike, I hike, I lift weights, I go on vacation, I have sex...and it doesn't hurt (yea!!)....my life is full and it is because of this surgery. There are still some things I cannot do (like running....although I have thought about it) but for the most part I have resumed my life pretty much pain free.

I often speak of my back in percentages (as a percentage of 100% normal). My best days are 95%+ and my worst are about 85%. But most of my days are over 90% and about three quarters of those days hover around 95%. I still have a little back pain occasionally...from the segment that did not get fused...and a bit of leg numbness right above my right knee from that....but a little ibuprofen (maybe once a week) and I am happily on my way. I consider myself fortunate...but I also feel I made my own fortune. I worked at returning to normal and it has paid off for me and it can for you too.

I offer this as proof...



On July 24th, 2013 I was in Africa on vacation with a group of eight other people (including my two amazing sons, my ex-wife, her husband, and his two kids)...and in the wee hours of that day...about 6:30 a.m...I summited Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa at 19,341 feet (that is me third from the left on the top row...in the orange and brown jacket). It was the most physically challenging thing I have ever done in my life...and that is no small feat. In the past I have run a marathon, ridden well over 100 miles a day on my bike (sometimes over 450 miles in a week), hiked for over a week in a wilderness area in less than hospitable conditions....but this topped them all. It took nearly every ounce of strength I had to get up (and back down) that mountain....but I did it!

And you can too. Maybe you won't climb Kilimanjaro....but you can resume your life....and you can accomplish amazing feats...and reach personal goals. As I said at the start of this blog...there are many tales of failure about this type of surgery...but I wanted my legacy to be one of success. This will be my last post to this blog...it is time to move on with the rest of my life. You can still reach me at craig.goudy@gmail.com and I am happy to answer your questions...but I really have nothing left to tell you about my story.

I did it...now go do it for yourself too.

All my best....Craig

12 comments:

  1. So glad I found your blog! I will be having an anterior/posterior L5/S1 fusion on 11/05. Like you, most of what I have found has been horror stories. SO glad to find a few that are success stories. Mine will be as well!

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  2. Thank you Craig for taking the time to document your progress i am going in for L5/S-1 fusion 10/7 and am hoping to do as well as you.

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  3. I also had an L5-S1 PLIF, and it changed my life for the better. So glad you are doing well too!

    Read about my story if you get that chance (I have tips on how to stay active after a fusion and some notes about the emotional toll of chronic pain):

    www.spinebender.com

    Take Care!
    tarah

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  4. Thank you for this blog. I am scheduled for an L5-S1 anterior fusion on Nov. 1st. This is the 1st positive blog I have read about it. I pray to heal as well as you did. Thanks again.

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  5. I had the same procedure Monday 10/28/13 and found your blog on my first day in rehab. I can't thank you enough for sharing.

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  6. I'm 29 years old and 6 weeks out from an L3/4 and L5/S1 double ALIF. So glad to read your two year prognosis! Honestly my recovery has been better than the two level microdiskectomy I had two years ago and I'm hoping this is a near permanent fix like yours!! I feel AMAZING!!

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  7. **Glad for this blog**
    3 weeks ago I had fusion on L5-S1 using synthetic material for graft. I have been careful, as possible. I'm VERY fearful of screwing myself up! It was VERY painful days- post op in hospital.
    Im alone at home-a difficult situation...thanks to Hot Pockets for real. My odly bending is done by utilizing (luckily)-flexible legs used to get up from a double height, blow up mattress. I haven't been able to lie down to sleep for decades so I have no bed...yet. Odly, recliners were the answer or the rare, perfect couch! I'm writing to see if anyone at this or any stage had these same issues and to see if any comforts may be given?
    Aside from rising from the mattress on the floor using legs and only bent for a moment, if I MUST reach a dropped object, I practically do splits or lean over on one leg while holding the other straight out behind me. (when I don't have the grabber wand at hand)...or just LEANED IT THERE! OMG, think I've been bad here???? My surgeon is in such a hurry that he honestly doesn't have patients for more than maybe 10 minutes face time. But it's all I've got. So here I am. I'm to go see him the day after tomorrow. So ANY feedback is appreciated very very much. Also, when I asked him what would be the outcome if the fusion failed, he said it would be a mass.of scar tissue. Was ALL l I could get from him on that.
    So at 3 weeks post-op, I'm having bad shooting pains from buttock to lower front legs. (Pain alternating from leg to leg.)
    ANYONE experiencing any of.these things and/or have ANY feedback for me? Please and Thank You Ever So Much
    Cheryl

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  8. So glad I found this blog. I'm waiting on amy L5 S1fusion and am really pleased to hear your success story. I've already had 2
    dissectomies and decompressions in the past year and have been in pain for almost 4 years. So fed up taking strong pain meds including morphine on a daily basis just to function. It's great to hear a positive story rather than the scare mongering that so many people do. Thanks so much for reading your blog. I hope you are still keeping well x

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  9. processing the recommendation for MIS TLIF at L5-S1, looking for good news on the world wide web is quite the task. Thanks for sharing! So a few years out, how are you feeling? Any regrets?

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    1. Sheila...I am doing quite well...other than the wear and tear of an aging body (61 now) I am getting along great...I continue to be very active and in the last year traveled to Africa hiking to see the highland gorillas and to Antarctica where we also did a bit of hiking and walking...I have no regrets and I have no doubt that five years later the procedure is even better than it was back then...I am happy to answer any other questions you may have and good luck to you...

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  10. Hi Craig, I stumbled across your blog. I had fusion on 2/7/2018. I am 5 weeks post op yesterday and sound a lot like you in the "pushing it" aspect. I walked 3 miles 3 days post op. I have continued to walk every other day since I had surgery. Today I hiked some moderate hills for 6 miles with my husband. I am supossed to be wearing a hard brace as well but really only wear it when I am alone taking care of my 3 small children (1, 3, 6) as a reminder to not bend or lift. My first post op appointment is on 3/27/2018. I feel so good. I have no pain. I still have numbness in my legs and feet, but I had zero disc left between L5-S1 and my nerves may be permantley damaged. Hopefully pushing it did not cause you any damage and I am hoping for the same. I just listen to my body and everything feels good. I am glad to see you are still doing great and posted a good news surgery. I put th is off way to long and my only regret was waiting 5 years to have surgery.

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  11. I really enjoyed reading this. I am 6 days post L5 S1 fusion surgery and I have experienced some normal pain/discomfort but it’s manageable. I am going into this with a positive attitude and willing to do the work. Thanks for sharing.

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