“I forget I even had surgery; I feel so normal.”
This is Mary Miller. Six years out from her spinal fusion surgical procedure at UVA Health, she says she couldn’t be happier together with her alternative. “I’m still pain-free, and I can do any activity I want,” she shares. “I forget I even had surgery; I feel so normal.”
Mary had suffered from a herniated disc, a painful backbone situation. She confronted the identical troublesome determination many individuals face: Should she have backbone surgical procedure? And the place ought to she go for care?
When Surgery Makes Sense
Mary needed to do one thing. A nurse for UVA Continuum Home Health, ache made caring for her sufferers troublesome. She had to surrender yoga, which she liked. The every day ache left her feeling depressed.
Still, Mary frightened concerning the restoration time after surgical procedure. Thankfully, her backbone surgeon, Chun-Po Yen, MD, used a minimally invasive method. This helped Mary get better quicker with much less ache. She was in a position to get again to her regular life prior to she anticipated.
Have Back Pain? Mary’s Advice
Mary shares her recommendation for others contemplating backbone surgical procedure: “Don’t give up and don’t wait,” she says. “I thought surgery wasn’t worth it and I lived with pain for years. But the technology and expertise is so advanced. I got great care at UVA Health throughout my whole experience.”
Read this publish Mary shared in 2019 about her spinal fusion at UVA Health.
One day in 2007, my again began aching for no obvious motive. Within 24 hours I had capturing, searing ache down my proper leg. My main care physician mentioned I almost certainly had a herniated disc and would wish surgical procedure. But I used to be afraid there may be issues, or the surgical procedure wouldn’t repair my again ache. I made a decision to powerful it out. The ache ultimately acquired higher however by no means actually went away. I continued to have numbness in my leg and foot.
In 2014, I had one other huge episode and once more in 2017. The final time, the ache was fixed and there was nothing I might do to make it higher, together with ache medication. I used to be on the level the place I couldn’t bend over and choose issues up off the ground. I couldn’t get garments out of the dryer.
As a Continuum liaison nurse, I used to be making an attempt onerous to not let my sufferers understand it harm after I was leaning over to look after them. I liked yoga, however generally it harm so badly I couldn’t rise up off the ground. It harm to show over in mattress, and getting up within the morning was torture. I take into account myself a reasonably optimistic individual, however the power ache was making me very depressed.
Over the years, I attempted bodily remedy, neurostimulation, and ultimately, a chiropractor. Unfortunately, that made the ache worse. My chiropractor felt I wanted additional imaging and ordered an MRI. After seeing that the imaging confirmed I had a big herniation, she advised I see a backbone specialist.
Getting Support From UVA Spine Center
From the second I contacted Nicole Gibson, senior medical workplace coordinator, each single individual I encountered was pleasant and aware of my distinctive wants and difficult work schedule.
Nicole promptly responded to all my telephone calls and MyChart messages. She even scheduled the wanted checks and appointments round my work hours.
Nicole additionally made positive all of this might be finished in calendar 12 months 2017, as I requested, attributable to adjustments coming to my insurance coverage in 2018.
I expressed to neurosurgeon Chun-Po Yen, MD, my want to get again to work as rapidly as attainable, and he advised a modified, minimally invasive method to my L5/S1 fusion surgical procedure. This was out of the norm and tougher for him however vastly lowered my restoration time.
This allowed me to return to work quicker than most sufferers who obtain a spinal fusion with a spacer. A spacer is a international object a surgeon locations to carry the vertebrae aside so the nerves are usually not compressed by the ruptured disc.
Lara Myers, NP, taught me what to anticipate throughout and after my surgical procedure. It was very reassuring figuring out I might attain out to her at any time.
My Uneventful Surgery Adventure
Every encounter in preparation for my surgical procedure was clean and thorough, and I felt assured main as much as my December 1, 2017 operation. On the day of surgical procedure, the employees was informative and guarded my confidentiality. I additionally felt they had been genuinely involved for what I used to be going by means of. My husband was pleasantly stunned at how typically the employees up to date him on my standing all through the day.
I awoke on 6 West, they usually handled me like a queen. I used to be so impressed with the brand new mattress and its fancy USB port and the consolation measures, like a watch shade and headset.
My ache was managed very properly — the nurses knew higher than I how one can keep away from extreme post-op ache. They walked me by means of each facet of my hospital restoration and checked on me ceaselessly. I not often had to make use of the decision bell. I additionally actually appreciated the assistance I acquired from occupational therapist Erica Umback and bodily therapist Chad Aldridge, who taught me how one can do my every day actions and stretches with out additional injuring my backbone. Even the meals was good and sizzling!
Back to Life & Pain Free
I returned to work on December 26, 2017. Now I really feel like a brand new individual! I not have a limp and might train and transfer. I’m lastly having fun with life once more! I’ve gotten again to all of the issues I had given up for the final couple years, like working within the backyard and lifting heavy issues. Sometimes I even overlook I had a foul again.
Considering Spine Surgery?
Call 434.243.3633 to make an appointment with a UVA Health backbone surgeon.
If I discuss to somebody who’s experiencing power again ache, I inform them to go see Dr. Yen on the UVA Spine Center. I additionally inform them to not be afraid, like I used to be. The nurses, docs, and full UVA staff actually cares concerning the affected person’s expertise. They will do all the pieces attainable to fulfill their each want.
Watch Mary’s Back Pain & Spinal Fusion Story
Mary was so relieved to be freed from her again ache that she wrote a letter to UVA Health management describing her expertise. Watch her learn it.