So we just passed the 2 week mark and boy oh boy I can’t wait for the 3 week mark when all surgical pain should be gone. 

I know you’ve been waiting in anticipation for my view of our 5-day hospital stay. In the pre-op room, they made me take a shot of this purple stuff. I think it was meant to make me drowsy and make my veins pop more. Purple stuff tastes awful. Thanks to the purple stuff, I have no recollection of being wheeled back to the operating room so mom’s first big task in the post-op room was convincing me the surgery actually took place. Eventually she did get through to me. Apparently I wore out my welcome in the post-op room because mom kept insisting I wake up so they could take me to the next room. Fully waking up sounded like a not fun thing to do so I stubbornly refused and slept while they transported me. 

The movement I did on day 1, the day of surgery, was all done for me. They rolled me to look at the scar and to make me sit up and dangle my legs off the edge of the bed. My legs did no such dangling because my feet were flat on the floor. Sitting up, my back felt very heavy and stiff. Rolling was a lot of work. This whole ordeal exhausted me and I went right back to sleep after that. The nurses would check my vitals often and make me prove my nerves were all working. This meant squeezing their hands, wiggling my fingers and toes, and stepping on the gas and clutch.  

On day 2, they made me stand up. I still had that heavy feeling in my back, like my lower back was supporting more than it was used to. After my intense exercise (standing up), I took a nap. They also made me sit in a chair which was worse than walking because it hurt so bad. 

On day 3, the pain medicine that they injected straight into the area wore off and I could tell. Not a great day. I got up and walked, then took a nap. 

By day 4, I was wishing I had kept my eyes open during the transport because I had no idea what the hallway looked like. It was kinda bugging me. Fortunately, the PT lady made me walk out in the hallway. Later, she made me do a few stairs which were way easier and less scary than she kept making them seem. One of the requirements before going home was to get an X-ray. This proved to be my most tedious feat because it took three trips to the X-ray room to get them taken. The first two times, I got taken in a wheelchair and the pain from sitting upright rendered me unable to stand for long enough. We worked smarter not harder and used a bed on the third try so that I could go from laying to standing. 

On day 5, we got to go home!!!!!! The car ride wasn’t very enjoyable. 

What’s my overall rating of my experience, you ask? Definitely a 3/10, I was somehow dizzy and nauseous and lightheaded all at the same time a lot and could barely move. And one nausea medication made me feel itchy all over. Would not recommend this experience as your first move to try to cure your back pain. The staff at the hospital, however, were really great and supportive. I’m very grateful and could tell I was in good hands. I can’t wait for all of this to be far behind me :)