Hello, all! My mom is having a laminectomy and spinal fusion surgery next week (April, 2022). They will be fusing L4 and L5. She is in her late 70’s, but in great shape other than pain in her back/legs due to the stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) and spondylolisthesis (vertebra slipping forward).
She has tried a lot of other interventions, but she’s at the point where she’s often in a lot of pain and having trouble even walking. She has always been very active–jogging, swimming, hiking, biking, etc. So hopefully this surgery will give her back the ability to do what she loves and not be in so much pain.
Has anyone or someone you know had a laminectomy with spinal fusion? We are unsure what to expect in terms of recovery. My dad will be there. I would like to go up to help (six hour drive), but Mom is hesitant to impose on me. I’m thinking this is going to be quite difficult between mobility issues, dosing the pain killers properly, fixing food etc.
Any experience, tips or advice would be very welcome!!
Thanks in advance, @3SailAway (Mom of D19, D21, S24)
I have a friend who just had this surgery at age 52. She’s 6 weeks post op and is not back to work yet. She has had a lot of pain. I think you should plan on being there for a while.
@3SailAway , I don’t have personal experience with this surgery, but as a PT treat a fair number of patients post-operatively. My sense from talking with patients is that the first couple of weeks are the worst–they are in pain, and many docs have patients doing “spinal precautions” (no bending, lifting, carrying, twisting) for a few weeks. Some of this will depend on how debilitated your mom has become pre-operatively due to the pain/limited mobility. Happy to talk more if you want to PM me.
Thanks, @illneversaynever . It does not sound fun. Luckily my mom is still in good shape. She has been doing PT for years, and will continue post surgery. Thank goodness for PTs.
@3SailAway My mom had a laminectomy when she was in her mid-upper sixties. She has always had back problems, with herniated disc, degeneration of the vertebrae, pinched nerves etc. so her quality of life wasn’t great and surgery was the only option left after other interventions failed.
I don’t recall all the details but do remember that her recovery was longer than 3 months. She needed a lot of help during the first 8 weeks. A lot of physical therapy and lots of pain.
Between her siblings and us, we managed to have a support system in place at home for 2 months. She and my dad managed after that but it was difficult for another month or so.
About five years after this surgery, she had to have a kyphoplasty which was an ordeal. Her surgeon underplayed the recovery period to us and we didn’t plan as well, which meant that she had to struggle on her own for most of that time.
From both these experiences my advice would be to have a discussion with her team of doctors so you’re clear on what to expect and also plan for the unexpected, like a longer than expected recovery period.
I have a friend who had this a few years ago (late 50’s at the time). Very strict rules for a period after - no lifting, bending, etc. He is now feeling great and not in pain after something like a decade of back pain.
Thanks, @AnAsmom and @kiddie . I’m getting the sense that this may be a bigger deal than what I’m hearing from my parents. Granted, they haven’t gotten clear answers. The surgeon said my mom would be in the hospital for three or four days, but at the pre-op, the hospital said they only had her booked for one night. Estimates on recovery time from the surgeon’s office/PA have been all over the map.
I think I will encourage my parents to let me come whenever my mom gets discharged to home, and stay for at least a week. Then I can assess how it’s going and what more will be needed. Although my siblings are truly great with emotional support, they are not able to come help in person. I have heard that it’s very difficult to hire home health care right now.
My dad (80) had cervical last July and thoracic 2 weeks ago. He just got home from rehab yesterday. Each time he was inpatient for 4 days and rehab for the other 8-10. They got him up and moving the next day. He had pretty intense PT and OT, 4 hours per day once he was in the rehab wing. He had to be able to walk a pretty long distance, climb 5 stairs, dress and bathe himself before they would discharge him. He had lost mobility and was slowly becoming paralyzed; his surgeon each time said the goal was to stop the progression; gaining any movement back was a bonus and not guaranteed. Unfortunately, he had been misdiagnosed for 2 years in PA, or he may have had a better outcome. He walks with a walker; his therapists have been great. They’ve outfitted him with special orthotics and braces, and he isn’t falling. He actually went out shopping for a little bit today He has 10-12 weeks of PT/OT, possibly more depending on progress.
I would say she will definitely need help the first few weeks. She’ll also need help with thingslike shopping, laundry and driving (pain meds). Does she have stairs? Does she have an apple watch with fall detection?
I’m in treatment now trying to avoid a laminectomy and/or fusion at L4-L5 and L5-S1. From what I’m being told at the spinal center, the laminectomy is a 30 minute outpatient procedure and I can go home that afternoon. The fusion is a much bigger deal with screws and hardware, although my doctor still does that on an outpatient basis. The paperwork I was given by the doctor says most resume normal activities in a few weeks. This is for minimally invasive surgery, which may not the type your mother is having.
But what are the worse case results that require longer recovery and more assistance? You may have to plan for such outcomes in case you are unlucky and get them?
DH had a laminectomy in addition to surgery on the spinal cord itself , so ymmv. But he was up and about at 3 days, walking gingerly but the pain was not unmanageable and he never used the opiods that had been prescribed. He wqsn’t allowed to pick things up, and that creates obstacles more than anything else. Moving everything to hip height helps, and leads to interestingg decor choices but that too, was manageable. The more they move around, the faster they recover but it is sort of counter intuitive to do that. You and she may be amazed at how much better her back pain is. Best of luck to you both.
@Tigerwife92 Your dad sounds like a trooper! That is a lot of rehab and PT. It’s great that he can still do so much despite a missed diagnosis and near paralyzation. My parents’ bedroom is upstairs, so I’m thinking they shouldn’t discharge my mom until she can manage stairs. I didn’t know that apple watch has a fall detection feature. The thought of my mom falling before her vertebrae have properly fused is worrying me a lot.
@GRITS80 My mom will not have minimally invasive surgery as her surgeon says he needs a good view of the whole area. Rather than use rods and screws, he will use bone fragments from the laminectomy to do the fusion. Apparently, when they place the fragments between the vertebrae, the body thinks they are broken bones, and it triggers a healing process which fuses the vertebrae together.
I hope your treatment works to avoid surgery. My mom did cortisone shots for several years, and a lot of PT. I read that in some studies, they compared surgery to six months of intensive PT and the patients had similar outcomes. Unfortunately, my mom’s situation worsened to the point where she was unable to do the PT or her regular activities without debilitating pain.
@greenbutton I have also heard that the more you move after surgery the better. I’m worried about pain though. Glad to hear your DH didn’t even need the opioids. My mom has needed mild opioids occasionally just to manage her regular pain (she was very resistant to taking them, but was in agony without). I think pain varies so much due to individual genetics and biology that it’s hard to predict. I am prepared to need to convince my mom that she won’t become addicted to pain killers taking when she is in immense pain, and she will need them so that she can do the moving she needs to do to heal.
He has 10-12 weeks of PT/OT, possibly more depending on progress.