[Dailydrool] What you need to know before back surgery

[Dayna]

I haven't went through back surgery with the houndies, but went through it
for myself so understand the pain the dog will going through. My husband was
lucky enough to have my mother, a CENA, living with us at the time. He took
a month off work to assist me with everything. He would have to come in and
roll me over with a towel, him on one side and my mother on the other. I
couldn't even go to the bathroom by myself for the first couple of weeks,
etc. The pain meds made me so sick, that I would vomit. I couldn't lean over
the commode, so the first time, I vomited all over the wall behind the
commode. I walked around with a bucket after that. The retching was horribly
painful. They take the spine apart, basically, and put it back together
again. I understood what was going on, but our babies do not and IT IS
INCREDIBLY PAINFUL for a long time. The arthritis now is horrible. The
surgery always eventually fails. It just prolongs the inevitable, but at
least I had another 3 years pain-free. I was a very strong, active woman 10
years ago. Now I walk with a cane on good days, a walker on bad, cannot sit
for longer than about 20 - 30 minutes without having to get up, can't stand
for longer than 10 - 20 without having to sit. Sleeping is difficult because
I can't get comfortable. I can't use traction now which was the only relief
I got before the surgery. I understand EXACTLY what back surgery is like and
what they will go through/have gone through. I've never had a depressed day
in my life, but that sure did it. Again, they have no idea what's going on,
which makes it so much worse. 

Dayna
mailto: Dayna.Whitehead at comcast.net

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way
its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi