Age: 53
Hometown: Reno, NV
Surgeon: Northern Nevada Medical Center, Reno, NV
Procedure: eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF®)
Surgery Date: September 23, 2014
Life Prior to Surgery: Katherine struggled with back pain for more than 10 years.
“It stopped me from being able to do a lot of things with my family. I couldn’t sit for very long, stand, or lay down. It finally made my husband and I sleep in different rooms so I didn’t bother him with my tossing and turning all night,” explains Katherine.
Katherine tried many conservative treatments, such as physical therapy, aqua therapy, prescription medications, injections, traction, and ablations, but none gave her the relief she was seeking. She eventually found a surgeon and scheduled an appointment with him to figure out what was going on. Her surgeon diagnosed Katherine with degenerative disc disease with a herniated disc. He recommended the minimally disruptive XLIF procedure.
“I was scared,” Katherine says. “My legs and feet decided for me to have the surgery. I could barely get up my stairs to my apartment.”
Situation Today: Katherine underwent XLIF surgery in September 2014. Her surgery was spread out over two days, but she was able to walk the same day as her final surgery. She did have normal post-op side effects, such as back stiffness when sleeping and incision site itches. However, she continued to walk and climb stairs to get back into shape.
It took Katherine about six weeks to get back to her normal routine. She is now back to work, enjoying gardening again, and participating in her favorite Zumba classes. She is also back to practicing yoga and is improving each and every day.
“Now, I have no pain. Besides still being really stiff when I sleep, everything else is pretty good. I still try to be careful,” says Katherine.
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