I mentioned before in the thread about my induction therapy that I would be having vertebral column resection, a type of back surgery that is more involved than just kyphoplasty. Well, I had the surgery today, and it went well. They actually ended up using a bit less hardware than planned because they liked what they saw in there. Two screws above, only one screw below, so the stabilization rods are shorter. Sweet! (I'll post pictures later)
I got the anesthesiologist to agree not to give me Zofran (ondansetron), and I thought that was going to backfire when I finally ate. After a few bites, I felt like I was going to throw up all over the place. My wife scrambled and got me something to catch everything (which granted wouldn't be much, as I was fasting for 20 hours at that stage). About a minute of uneasiness and I let out the biggest burp I've ever heard, and then the nausea was gone!
Pain was minimal after the surgery, but it's creeping up on me. Breathing is harder than I'd like right now. I've got a nasal cannula in right now which is helping. Inhales hurt, as do deeper breaths. I have a pain button that administers Dilaudid (hydromorphone), which I'm calling the "party button." I'm really trying not to press it, but the breathing pain is making me use it quite a bit. I got off of the pain medications quickly during the femur surgery, hoping to do the same here. Nasty stuff.
Moving is hard, but the nurses and my wife have been helping me out. Maybe I'm a bit OCD, but I feel it every time I get "stuck" on the sheets, and I need to make a small adjustment. The sheet / gown wedgie haunts me.
They snuck a urinary catheter in me during surgery. Having previously had one a few years back, I have told my wife several times "if I ever need a catheter in the future, you've got 2 options: (1) put me completely out, or (2) let me die." I told them that I need to be heavily sedated when they remove it, hopefully tomorrow. It's kind of weird, though, never feeling like you have to pee.
I feel like once the breathing pain goes away, I'll be able to handle the rest of this like a champ. I was actually able to get a few hours of work done today via my iPad, and that really helped keep my mind off of the pain. Hoping to do the same tomorrow.
Fingers crossed, this was the last multiple myeloma-related surgery! Just a few hits of radiation from here on out. Starting tomorrow morning, I'm going to start lobbying my doctors to let me back on my induction!
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PositiveChris - Name: Chris
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 11/28/2016
- Age at diagnosis: 42
Re: PositiveChris's vertebral column resection (VCR)
Catheter removal was uneventful, thankfully. They gave me IV Ativan (lorazepam).
I fumbled through physical therapy today and occupational therapy, but looks like a few more days before they let me go. I've got a "blood bag" catching the drainage from under the skin. It's filling up (100 ml or so) every 8 hours or so.
I just can't seem to get comfortable in bed, and the pain killers they're giving me aren't really doing much. I'm told that it gets better each day, so I'll celebrate this as the worst of the stay.
When I get up to walk, it definitely feels strange. It's something I'm going to have to get used to. All of L1 through T10 move together and there's no give.
My goal for tomorrow is to walk to the floor I was on last week and say hi.
I didn't get a blood transfusion during this surgery, but my hemoglobin was 9.0 this morning and my RBC was low. I'm hoping that I'm producing blood faster than I'm losing it out of this bag and able to rehab and get to walking again soon.
I'm going to restart induction next week. More on that in my other thread.
I fumbled through physical therapy today and occupational therapy, but looks like a few more days before they let me go. I've got a "blood bag" catching the drainage from under the skin. It's filling up (100 ml or so) every 8 hours or so.
I just can't seem to get comfortable in bed, and the pain killers they're giving me aren't really doing much. I'm told that it gets better each day, so I'll celebrate this as the worst of the stay.
When I get up to walk, it definitely feels strange. It's something I'm going to have to get used to. All of L1 through T10 move together and there's no give.
My goal for tomorrow is to walk to the floor I was on last week and say hi.
I didn't get a blood transfusion during this surgery, but my hemoglobin was 9.0 this morning and my RBC was low. I'm hoping that I'm producing blood faster than I'm losing it out of this bag and able to rehab and get to walking again soon.
I'm going to restart induction next week. More on that in my other thread.
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PositiveChris - Name: Chris
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 11/28/2016
- Age at diagnosis: 42
Re: PositiveChris's vertebral column resection (VCR)
I had stopped taking the pain meds because of constipation. It was horrible. Finally had a bowel movement induced by just about every tool in the arsenal. I was about to go for an enema but it happened right before the nurse was coming back.
So back on the pain meds, things were manageable. I found a semi comfortable position sleeping on my right side. Left side is off limits because of the femur.
I crushed my physical therapy today, they took out my drain that was collecting blood from my back, and they let me go home today. Still not feeling great, but the pain meds are helping, and my job now is to ween myself off of them while managing constipation and moving around. I'll have at home physical therapy session next week and will be working from home for a few more weeks most likely.
So back on the pain meds, things were manageable. I found a semi comfortable position sleeping on my right side. Left side is off limits because of the femur.
I crushed my physical therapy today, they took out my drain that was collecting blood from my back, and they let me go home today. Still not feeling great, but the pain meds are helping, and my job now is to ween myself off of them while managing constipation and moving around. I'll have at home physical therapy session next week and will be working from home for a few more weeks most likely.
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PositiveChris - Name: Chris
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 11/28/2016
- Age at diagnosis: 42
Re: PositiveChris's vertebral column resection (VCR)
Thank you for sharing this information about your back surgery, Chris. I did not know about the vertebral column resection procedure until you mentioned it here.
I hope you are continuing to recover well. Best wishes.
I hope you are continuing to recover well. Best wishes.
Re: PositiveChris's vertebral column resection (VCR)
Pics as promised
(click here for large version of above image)
(click here for large version of above image)
- VCRLowResSmall.jpg (102.48 KiB) Viewed 925 times
- VCR2LowResSmall.jpg (67.63 KiB) Viewed 925 times
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PositiveChris - Name: Chris
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 11/28/2016
- Age at diagnosis: 42
Re: PositiveChris's vertebral column resection (VCR)
I won't post the last picture of the wound, but there are 32 staples there. I'm fully off of pain meds, and am just experiencing discomfort and it's hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. Hopefully just a few more days of that and I can get a full night's rest.
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PositiveChris - Name: Chris
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 11/28/2016
- Age at diagnosis: 42
Re: PositiveChris's vertebral column resection (VCR)
Wow, Chris! This is one of those cases where a picture really is worth a thousand words. Thanks so much for sharing those images. They really give a much better idea of what the procedure involves.
Good luck with your recovery from the procedure. I hope it goes smoothly, and that it ends up making a huge positive difference in how your back feels.
Good luck with your recovery from the procedure. I hope it goes smoothly, and that it ends up making a huge positive difference in how your back feels.
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