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My Shiny New Suit for Spine Alignment

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Today started off with a minor surgery to get ready for the big spinal surgery tomorrow. I was taken down to the operating room to get my “umbrella” injected into my leg vein so that in case any blood clots try to mosey up to my lungs during the surgery/recovery then it will be stopped before I have a pulmonary embellism.

The surgery was easy, lasted about an hour and I woke to this horrible itchy feeling on my leg. The doc in the OR yelled at me to not touch my leg…I looked down and saw blood and huge bruises down by my groin!

The rest of the afternoon was spent laying flat on my bed. I couldn’t put my head up or move any part of my lower body. This was extremely difficult, especially since I had the urge to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes. I finally broke down and used the bedpan … something I would not recommend if you are not able to sit up at least a little bit!

The good news is that I received my shiny new suit that I will be wearing for the next few months. It is a plastic/foam corset type body cast that I will have to wear over my clothes to keep my back aligned correctly. The suit is not very comfortable and I am told I will have to be wearing it at all times except for when I am sleeping or laying in bed. I think they even mentioned that I will be wearing it in the shower for the first week?

The funny thing is that the “suit” come in all sorts of colors and patterns including everything from bright red, to polka dots, stripes, and even tied die! I would have went with a plain white, but I guess it gets dirty pretty fast, so I ended up with pink. I somehow have a feeling that I will be hating this thing by the end of the week.

www.themelissawaller.com

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Anonymous

This was extremely difficult, especially since I had the urge to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes. I finally broke down and used the bedpan, something I would not recommend if you are not able to sit up at least a little bit!!!!!!!
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July 1, 2009 - 10:08pm

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Anonymous

nice experience... i been in the hospial for a long time too
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July 1, 2009 - 10:06pm

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Melissa Waller
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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