Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery | Part 5 of 12

Immediately after waking up, I felt different. Pain pills and anesthesia aside, I felt a definite stability in my spine. I no longer had to squirm to get my vertebra/spine bones comfortable. Now it felt like everything was set back in place- and my happiness was next level.

Hello Ash 2.0!

I knew I had a lot of recovery ahead of me, but I was SO happy that the artificial disc was in place and it felt like it worked!

Estimated prognosis:

overnight stay in hospital
sleep as much as possible the first 24-48 hours out of the hospital
7 days – change dressing on stomach incision
10 days no driving
14 days – remove dressing on stomach incision
2 weeks post op – start physical therapy twice/week for 6-8 weeks
6 weeks – no ibuprofen or NSAIDS (to help the disc attach to bones)
3 months absolutely no BLT (bending, lifting, twisting)
3 month mark (October 23) – released to full activity

Week 1

Tuesday – Wednesday

Early morning surgery. The nurses had me up and walking as often as possible even though my energy level was low, and I was extremely tired, it was important to walk to avoid blood clots and get my body working again. It took all my energy to read and respond to text messages and phone calls, let alone take a spin around the hospital! But we did, and I fell asleep as soon as I got back in my comfy bed. I spent the night in the hospital, which was a dream. Every single member of the staff was fully attentive, helpful, and kind. I swear I will only ever have surgery there… anywhere else would never be able to measure up! I was released Wednesday afternoon and before we went to the hotel to rest, my parents took me to eat some BBQ bc… we were in Texas!

Thursday

Early afternoon post op appointment. Dr. Blumenthal checked my x-rays from the day before and we got to chat and ask him any questions. I asked how much of my old disc he removed. He said there will always be remnants of the disc to remove in order to make room for the new man made disc. He also said my surgery went perfectly, and couldn’t have gone better. I thanked him, hugged him and cried because I felt such relief the surgery was over and had gone well. I was just so happy! I knew I had a lot of recovery in my future, but I was so relieved and happy my spine was stable once again. I also asked if he recommended I return to running and he was optimistic, but also cautious. He said to try it out and see how I feel.

Then my mom and I went to Target to get a few things and I rode around on a motorized shopping cart! My energy level was low, but overall I was feeling pretty good. I felt pressure from the incision on my stomach. It was super fragile and weirdly enough – I felt like my insides would explode through the incision so I didn’t want to eat very much. I walked super slow like an old lady – so we thought the cart would be a good idea.

Thursday afternoon – Friday

Now it was time for my body to recover while I slept. I hibernated in my hotel room and set a timer to take my pain pills every 6 hours. My parents brought me food when I needed it and I went down for breakfast twice, but I slept for a full two days! My friend Jessica arrived Friday night and I was conscious enough to open the door and welcome her before I fell right back asleep for the night! I felt really good, the pain pills helped me sleep and I was doing my log rolls, as taught to me by the physical therapist, to avoid bending, lifting, and twisting. I wasn’t too uncomfortable, just mostly felt pressure from my stomach incision.

Saturday

Today we planned to start our road trip journey home from Dallas, TX to Las Vegas, NV. I didn’t want to feel stuck and anxious on an airplane so I convinced everyone we would have so much fun driving. I knew I would need to lay down, or walk around and a plane was not going to be conducive to my high maintenance needs! (However – I spoke with many patients who said they flew home and had no problems, so it is totally do-able.) It was important that I kept up with my pain pills so I could stay ahead of the pain. I was taking a pill every 6 hours and I was feeling great. Sitting in the car was a little uncomfortable, but we had strict orders to stop every 2 hours and walk around the car 4 times, mostly to decrease the chances of developing a blood clot. After eating at Torchy’s Tacos and visiting Buc-ees we hit the road!

Sunday

My stomach was still fragile but my back felt amazing. I remember starting to feel a little tingling in the back of my legs and bottom of my feet, but nothing painful just kind of annoying. I had muscle relaxers for the nerve issues which definitely helped. We drove the most today and I tried to sleep in the car as much as I could. I may have asked a few absurd questions, seeing as I was on ALL the pain pills, but I was having a great time overall! We arrived in Las Vegas around 1am and I was finally able to sleep in my bed!

Week 2 and the start of Physical Therapy coming next. Thank you so much for reading, sharing your stories with me, and following me on this journey! Currently – I am 2 months post op and I can’t wait to share more of the progress I’ve been making!

PS – I love the MZ Wallace bag pictured (link here and in widget below)

If you’d like to continue reading, I’ve linked each post here:

Previous Posts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4