Below is an excerpt from an actual email exchange between a preoperative patient and the postoperative XLIF Patient Ambassador he was paired with through The Better Way Back®. Hopefully this provides a more intimate look into the valuable information and support that a patient pairing can provide. Want to speak to an ambassador or become one? Visit the Join Our Community page.
Pre-op Patient: This is nosy, but how old were you when you had the surgery?
Patient Ambassador: I had my surgery last September, which put me at 70 years and about four months.
Pre-op Patient: How much time did you need to spend in the hospital after the surgery? Did you need to go to rehab?
Patient Ambassador: The estimate was two days, but unfortunately, I had some internal bleeding and had a chest tube inserted into my side, which drained into a container. They said the drainage needed to be out of me, not inside me. Therefore I spent four nights in the hospital, before they could pull the chest tube. After that I went home to my daughters in Utah. The next morning, the home healthcare nurse came to check me out and said I had pneumonia, so I went back to the hospital for four more nights. I felt fine, so the pneumonia did not really bother me. They had me on antibiotics and checked my blood each morning for infection until it was gone. After the surgery, a physical therapist brought me two pages of exercises to do. They were all very simple things which I/you can do on your own, such as sitting in a chair and lifting your leg with your knee at a 90 degree angle. There was no rehab, other than doing the exercises at home for 10 minutes, three times a day. I still do the exercises each morning.
Pre-op Patient: Did you need to go to physical therapy after the surgery? How long was the recovery? You were golfing after three months, but was there still soreness?
Patient Ambassador: No physical therapy, just exercises at home. Also, they start you out walking short distances – 100-300 yards. After a month I was walking nine holes of the golf course – approximately two miles. There was soreness in my leg muscles and also the incision, which for me was about six inches. But there was no soreness in my back. I was very tired after the walk, but it got easier. The leg muscle soreness went away after three to four months.
Pre-op Patient: Were there any restrictions on driving? How soon can one return to work? (I’m guessing that you may be retired, but do you have any idea?)
Patient Ambassador: I was driving on my own at three weeks. I was driving my golf cart when I returned to my hometown within two weeks. I am retired, but felt I could have returned to work within a month after surgery.
Pre-op Patient: Were you able to walk normally immediately after the surgery, or did you need crutches or a walker? How long did you need to wear the brace?
Patient Ambassador: I used a walker for about two weeks, but walking felt better than before the surgery. They require/suggest wearing a back brace for three months, so you do not make any wrong moves.
Pre-op Patient: Was there a need to use pain medications and, if so, for how long? I had bunion surgery 16 years ago and didn’t need the medications then, but this will undoubtedly be different. I’d rather not get into using too many narcotics.
Patient Ambassador: I believe they gave me some pain medication for about a month, which they suggested using. Unfortunately, they do cause constipation, so they also have you on laxatives, but eventually you are back to normal!
Pre-op Patient: Did you get a second opinion before deciding to have the surgery? Did you consider any other options?
Patient Ambassador: I did a lot of research. My surgeon occasionally holds seminars. I went to one of them and they had all the hardware on a table and explained the XLIF procedure. My surgeon said that he is just an orthopedic spine surgeon and only operates on spines. All of the doctors I researched back in September of last year were neurosurgeons. They do spine surgery, but also other surgeries. I liked the fact that my surgeon only does spines. The XLIF procedure also uses a device that helps the surgeon avoid getting close to any nerves. Another doctor did the nerve monitoring in the surgery room. I chatted with my surgeon at the seminar, and liked him very much. In my opinion he is a very nice gentleman and a great doctor. In summary, I did not see another doctor for a second opinion.
Pre-op Patient: The XLIF procedure appears to be a relatively new technology. Did you have any reservations about the procedure? Do you know if there is any documentation about the procedure testing, peer reviews, etc.
Patient Ambassador: I was told that my surgeon does 300 or so XLIF surgeries a year. After meeting him, I had absolutely no reservations. Trading 24/7 pain for relief was very positive for me. Some friends that had the surgery with my surgeon only had one disc replaced. I also talked to The Better Way Back, who referred me to three different patients who had had a similar surgery. I called them all, and they all were doing well and back to leading very active lives. I did not look for any other documentation about the procedure other than the NuVasive® and The Better Way Back websites. A good friend of mine down here had had the procedure on one disc and was back to golfing and golfing very well. That kind of convinced me, it was a good deal.
Pre-op Patient: I am a symphony musician (I play the viola) and even though it’s no longer my job, I still play a lot. If I do this I may wait until November because of some programs we will be playing in September/October. Playing involves the upper torso, but I wondered if it the surgery would make this difficult.
Patient Ambassador: I have had rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders and a knee replaced, plus the back surgery. I have a lot of arthritis, for which there is no cure. All of the surgeries are always three to four months estimated recovery. To me it seems like you still notice some stiffness for upwards of a year, but trading the pain for a little stiffness is OK with me, and especially at 70 years of age. Unfortunately we will never get back to the younger years, so I am OK with being repaired, and would do the back surgery all over again if I had to. When I went for my one-three-six, and 12 (coming up)-month checkups, they have me go for an x-ray. I always ask for a CD of the x-ray and it is amazing to see the before and after of my back. Looking at the before x-ray, I can certainly see why I was in constant pain.
I personally think they have the XLIF back surgery procedure down to a regular procedure, such as a knee, shoulder, or hip replacement. Arthritis is very tough on me in the cold months. I returned to golf in January of 2014, about three and a half months after surgery. I did not feel I had totally regained my full strength for hitting golf balls until the weather warmed in April-May. It was probably a combination of the cold and surgery. I’m sure you will notice some difficulty playing the viola after surgery, but it will eventually come back.
Good luck to you and hope you arrive at a decision that helps you. It was a good experience for me. Contact me if you have any further discussion items. Keep me posted.
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