First, thanks for all the very kind words and wishes.

Surgery went well. I fell asleep in post-op and didn't hear what the Doc said to my wife, but I guess there were no complications. I was given some some narc pain reliever and that knocked me out for the next 12 hours. But I had a pain-free first night. Until I got up to pee at 5. Learned real quick that putting weight on my back is an eye-opener. If I stretch myself as tall as I can, it's a lot better, so I'll be a walking poster boy for posture for a while, LOL!

Doc says to walk as much as I can, but no more than a mile a day. I suspect that less than will be the case.

Anyhow, I'm here at the 'pooter again to annoy y'all by being smarter than half of you.

Side note: one of my nurses was tickled when I pronounced the ingredient in Tylenol as "A set of minnow fins." My pun generator is undamaged.

Hey Happy Birthday !, along with wishes for many more.

Damn sounds painful, hang in there it’ll get better.

Dang. I forgot today IS my birthday. Must be that narc pill, huh?

My journey through space has now completed 76 solar orbits.

Good deal Rocky I hope it turns out well.

as you already know Rocky, at our age, it's one day at a time. Happy Birthday!

Heal quickly and completely Rocky.

Best wishes for a recovery better than before.

Happy Birthday!

Hopefully with the surgery done the worst of it is behind you.

Happy Birthday!
I'm glad to hear your surgery went well and you'll have all spring and summer to walk and recover!

Good hearing it went well and Happy B day!

Get well soon!

Happy Back* Day!

* Your back
We got your back
Your sense of humor is back
Can you lay on your back?


Al B. Bach

When I had shoulder replacement surgery, they put a catheter in.
That night, first off, was the first night my shoulder DID NOT wake me up in pain.
THEN....with a load of anesthetic wearing off and no need to get up to.pee 😃, I got eights hours of uninterrupted sleep for the first time in decades! LOL!

Congrats on an uncomplicated and (hopefully) successful surgery!

P.S. - I won't suggest catheterization simply for a good night's sleep! LOL!

I am lucky that I still do not have to take nighttime pee breaks. Make it straight through from 9 to 5 as Dolly would say. Mine is no amateurstate. It's a pro!

Taking a half dose of oxycodone every six hours. It's not as bad as the hydrocodone I had earlier, but it still puts booze to shame for wooziness. In a way, I can see the appeal that it has for addicts, but I don't like it. I think I'm going to try going without tomorrow. Hoping that the "set of minnow fins" will be enough by then. (Oddly, with the woozies, I'm making lots fewer typos.)

If I can get somebody to open my folding treadmill, I'm also going to see if I can get it running slow enough for me to hobble on it. If not, I'll just make circuits inside the house.

Stop it Dan you are killing us!

Glad you are doing so well Rocky. Thing about those pills is the constipation and they don’t work like Morphine!

Happy Birthday sir.

Constipation, huh? Well, this too shall pass.

Hope your recovery goes well, probably can’t pick up much for a while

Yeah it was enough that I quit taking them however mine wasn’t back surgery. That’s a whole other thing. Wife has serious back issues but has dealt with via nerve burns and injections for the last 20 or so. She may have to get cut one day but hopefully not.

Happy Birthday, get well quick. Had that constipation after gallbladder surgery, passes like a rock. Good Luck

Happy 76 th Rocky, and a Successful Recovery!

You should take lots of Vicodin and then post.

Heal quickly!

I hope your recovery goes well!!!!

Don't forget to take something so the pain pills don't stop you up.

I've been where you are several times, and I'll give you a bit of advise. You are not fixed and you are not 25 years old again!! Just because your pain leaves, doesn't mean you're back 100% and can start lifting furniture or throwing hay bales. I learned that the hard way, and it cost me another surgery. You will have a diseased lower back from now on, so adjust your work load accordingly. Also, it takes about one year for a back surgery to heal as much as it can and for the scar tissue to stabilize. Think before you lift stupid stuff.

Happy Birthday. Glad you are doing well.

Have a great day. Hope that you heal completely

Hope you heal quickly and completely. My wife has back issues. Back pain is no joke.

God bless you Rocky.

Hope your new back BD present works great.

prunes and prune juice will be helpful.
good luck

^^^^This^^^^

After shoulder replacement surgery, I was told, "Don't lift more than 25 lbs with that arm."
Well, I did! 🤯
Didn't cause problems or a do-over, but I thought I may have to! Won't do THAT again! 👍
Call it a lesson learned the hard way!

I can do anything today I could do at 20 years old.....it just takes me twice as long! 😉 (maybe three or four times as long! LOL!)

Hope all goes well for you. I can't imagine having back surgery at 76 you have a good outlook on life.

Happy Birthday! Take it easy with the repaired back. I learned that the hard way trying to get a boat unstuck from a trailer during launch. My doc didn't want me sitting much during recovery. Lots of walking. Started with 1/2 mile twice a day and went up from there if memory serves. Couldn't drive for more than 45 minutes at a time for a while. You'll get it figured out. Probably no aerobatics for a while! Negative G's only.

Good News on the Healing. Take it easy,and Happy Bday!

Great news .

My word of advice after two similar back surgeries.

Remember what the Doc said about restrictions after you PT is done and you are healed . If not you will get to do it all over again. BTDT

Happy birthday and get well soon. Hasbeen

Good to hear all is well and Happy Birthday!

Good luck on a fast and complete recovery! memtb

Glad to hear you are on the road to recovery. Thanks for the update.

I’m glad you had no complications, I hope you have a smooth and rapid recovery.

Very good to see the positive report - happy for you - and approach the recovery process gently. And, happy 76th, and many more.

Firstly, praying when the pain meds are no longer needed the surgery makes life better for you. Body aches and pains, so they say, are not for the young, even though you are! (LOL)

Secondly, glad you made it to another " Happy Birthday" day.

May you be back to your normal routine, pain free, soon. These older age glitches that make us wish we were younger aren't for the faint of heart. Godspeed Rocky

Allen

I’ve went through back surgery four times.You might want to reconsider putting the oxy’s away just yet.At least till the inflammation has subsided some.They weren’t delicate with you when they had you on the table and cut open.That’s why they prescribed them for you…

Good news
Happy birthday
Get well

Glad the surgery went well and Happy birthday

Glad to hear things went well. I got my back whittled on in two places about 25 years ago, and it worked- - - -sort of! At least my right leg usually goes where I think its supposed to when I walk since then. I can sit, drive, or stand VERY upright for hours at a a time now- - - -just don't bend over, even a little bit! Most of my shop work, automotive, gunsmithing, or machining is done from a tall stool these days. I'll let the young sprouts lean over a fender and remove/install the parts! The treadmill will be your friend for walking, especially if there's a good show on TV to mitigate the boredom of trudging along without the scenery ever changing. (sort of like being anything but the lead dog on a Yukon sled team!)

One nagging question.

When they were putting you under ad told you to count from 10 backwards, how far did you make it ? Thinking you might be good at that. Seven is as far as I've made it.


Glad ya got through it OK.

Gee Rocky looks like you're loved on this site.

Glad to hear your surgery went well, take it easy with your recovery.
Wishing you all the best.

One more thing, Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday
Glad things are on an up note.

I have a date with a saw and scalpel soon myself.

I didn't get to count backwards in my NASA voice They wheeled me into the room, I had a glance at the operating table, and that's it. The gas guy must've opened the drip as I came in the door.

I'm going to try a day on the oxycodone and a day off. We'll see how that goes. I'm also walking laps around the house but with the drugs I don't know how many I do. They must be laps of memory...

I have decided to give up golf. I loved the game but was never really good at it, and it seems like I'd be condemned to cart golf now. I hate cart golf. Walking the course was the best part, and I could play 18 holes in under three hours - moving right along. Besides, I'll have more time go get out in my boat now.

Thanks yet again for all the good wishes. There are good people here, despite the trolls and goofnuts.

If I were you, I wouldn't do that yet. At least for a week post-surgery.
You probably feel okay from the meds they gave you at the Hospital plus your oral meds you are taking now. If you get behind the pain curve it's very hard to get on the other side; that you are probably on now.
I'm not a doctor, but I have gone through five spinal surgeries.

I truly wish you the best.

That's probably a wise suggestion, Hammer. I will take it strongly into my decision process - muddled though that seems to be while on the drug.

In a boat with choppy water won’t be very comfortable.

Fusion? Discectomy?

A boat ride on plane wouldn’t be bad, but at anchor in the smallest chop would be rough (see what I did there?), making your lower spine to act like a gimbal mount. Ouch.

If you golf, forward tees and senior shafts. Take 1/2 to 3/4 swings. Your scores may even go down! Riding a cart is still better than staying in the house.

Good luck in your convalescence and PT.

Pasture pool violates all the basic principles of ball sports- - - - -if I get a good hit on the damned thing, isn't somebody else supposed to chase it?

Here's hoping for a fast and full healing.

I had a diskectomy/laminectomy 21 years ago. The back has never been the same, but everybody will be different in that regard.

Good news overall. I hope the surgery corrects the issues you were having.

HBD and heal fast.

Stool softeners are your huckleberry while on the opioids.

Ask your doc if you can take Ibuprofen. Being an anti-inflammatory, the reduction of the post sx edema for my knees was terrific. Might help your back.

Happy Birthday, sir!

HBD and hopes for a quick recovery.

Best wishes from Southern Utah!

When I was recovering from total knee replacement, I got a big bottle of oxy. 50 pills, ten mg. Nasty stuff.
I had a good PA who told me that 3 Motrin and 2 Extra Strength Tylenol worked as well as one Vicodin pill. I tried it and it worked. I flushed that Vicodin down the toilet.

Rocky, I hope you got through the night okay.
Wishing you all the best.

Wife had L4,L5 and S1 fussed on Jan 11. pretty well along with recovery and 95% off pain meds.
Time will tell if problem was corrected

Prayer uploaded for a speedy recovery Rocky.

2006 doc recommended work on C3 as the nerve passing through that controlled right arm was impinged.

Arm function got so bad I had hard time with truck stick shift much less lifting a can o beer.

Doc also recommended quit the booze as alcohol can inflame joints. Use ibuprofen to reduce swelling.

Quit the booze, 800 mg ibuprofen every 8 hours or so for a couple weeks.

Canceled surgery with neurosurgeon, function of right arm returned to normal.

Alcohol never again. I was boozing pretty hard.

Glad to hear you’re on the road to recovery. Oh, and happy birthday too

As for the pain meds, they mask the pain you need to tell when you are doing too much. Try not to use them too often which is normally what they recommend.

Hope recovery is going well!

I hope your recovery goes well. I have an L4,L5, S1 fusion along with a “Jack” as the doc called it to go where my L5 was crushed. I regret doing it, as it only made it worst. I’d try to get some PT if able to. I think that is my issue. Doc said to walk, so I did. Others I know that did it with other doctors went to PT and saw better results.

Having experienced back surgery, I know your pain. Don't take to many pain pills. They can ruin a good recovery, by masking the pain. Happy Birthday.

The nerve that was numb for three months is making up for lost time. In a big way. The upside is that it's still alive, but wowsers the pain.

My "hero" plan to not take opioids went out the window the first day. Only taking half doses, but at half interval so there's no gap between doses. I have a plastic basket of meds now that I have named Regis because it's a Pillbin.

The pun generator still works, huh?

Good to see you still have a sense of humor Rocky.

I truly wish you all the best.
That pain monster can be a real terror at times. Hopefully you're getting better soon; it takes a while so don't rush it.
My last surgery was on September 21, I'm still atr 8-10# weight limit. I have to use caution when opening up some doors to restaurants or lifting a gallon of milk.
Don't push a shopping cart at the grocery store, turning the cart can hurt you more than you think.

Best advice I can give you is to be mindful of everything you do.
Take care.

Hope you fully recover, pain isn’t fun