Car ride after spine fusion

[LO32]

Hello. I am new to the site as a poster. In 2007, I injured my back and couldn't walk well, right leg pain etc. I had a microdiscectomy 15-s1 a few weeks later. I felt great after that surgery. In 2/3/09 I was involved in an auto accident hitting a wall head on. I went through pt, 2 epidural injections, another microdiscectomy in 10/09 and some more pt. After surgery I began to have a fluid filled cyst right above my incision. A month or so later the cyst completely hardened and adhered to the spine. All my leg pain, muscle spasms etc returned. The surgeon said it was time for the fusion. I had it on April 30,2010 and at this point the pain is awful. They discharged me Monday evening and I was back by Tuesday because I had a fever. That turned out to be a urinary tract infection so now I am on antibiotics. The pain from this surgery is unbearable. The surgeon sent me home with a script for 40 percocet 5mg. I try to avoid narcotics during this whole situation so I take tons of ibuprofen and  1 vicoden 7.5 by days end to help me be comfortable and sleep. Now nothing seems to take this pain away. My family doctor gave me a script for dilaudid 4 mg which has seemed help control fusion pain after I took the first few doses. Can anyone tell me why the pain is getting worse? Also I live in Philadelphia and have a home in Wildwood, nj (1.5 hr distance). Would it be a bad idea to take a ride downthere tomorrow if I laid in the back of SUV. I am terribly depressed from
being stuck on my room for this week and think staying at my beach home for a couple of days would help my emotional state which may help pain levels drop. The surgeon's assistant said it was ok if I was comfortable but she never had a spinal fusion before. I'm hoping you guys can offer me some advice because I have spent months reading forums on this site and it has given me so much info and clarity with my condition.

[Tovalady]

Having l5s1 lamemectomy 3 weeks from now!
4 hrs away from home and have to rude in a car!
How does one tackle that?
I'm more afraid of the drive home than the surgery!
HELP me out with techniques on how to ride on a car afterwards!
ANYBODY? ??

[squirtatious]

I understand about weird sensations and pain in the incision area. I also have leg nerve pain that's become pretty intense since about 4 weeks post op. I hope all goes well at ur appt thur, keep me posted! *hugs*

[LO32]

I don't take ibuprofen after the surgery just before so I don't have to load up on Narcotics. My back hurts at incisions an muscles are sore but my main worry is my right leg hurts 100% worse than it did beforethe surgery. It feels heavy and way more of my toes and foot is numb. I go for my first 2 week postoperative doctor visit on thursday so hopefully he'll know what's up. Also I feel like I have something bulging through middle of my incision....

[squirtatious]

Ibprophen isn't good to take after a fusion, just remembered. Plz discuss that with ur dr as well, take care, still thinking about u!! *hugs*

[squirtatious]

Oh hun, my heart goes out to u!!!! I had my l5/s1 fusion surgery with instrumentation feb 22nd of this year and I had never had a major surgery before so I didn't have anything to compare it to. The pain was the worst i'd EVER felt!!!!! Id rather birth 10 babies w/o any drugs than go thru that again lol. I had percocets, morphine sulphate pills, oxycotin, and valium prescribed to me for the first few weeks after surgery. U may not be receiving enough pain med's to control your post-surgical pain. Id ask your doctor for sumthing stronger to help cointrol the pain.p!! My percocet is 10-325 mg tab. 40 percocets in my opinion, isn't enough to last thru more than 2 weeks. What type of pain are u experiencing besides surgical pain? I can't answer whether u would be able to stand a long car ride. I don't think I could have a week out from my surgery. Take care, and I truely hope you either heal fast, or find pain relief asap!!! *hugs*