My Spine - Lumbar
Following this, the outer layer of the disc is closed with a stitch and the whole
abdomen is closed with sutures. In some cases, the anterior interbody fusion
is followed by a postero-lateral fusion (see the chapter Lumbar Fusion) to
increase the chances of fusion and allow the patient to be active earlier in the
recovery phase.
Ward care
You would be expected to get out of bed quite soon and usually on the first
day following surgery or even on the same day. You may usually walk around
as much as you want. It is important that you eat and drink nothing until your
specialist specifically allows you to.
The reason for this is because of the possibility of your gut being temporari-
ly paralysed from the surgery. This is mostly because of the traction that is
placed on it during surgery to keep it out of the way when the specialist oper-
ates around the abdominal sac.
Discharge
You would normally be discharged at about five to ten days after surgery,
depending on the degree of pain and disability you are experiencing and on
the absence of any complicating wound factors or concern about your gener-
al health at the time.
The hospital staff will assist you in obtaining your follow-up consultation
bookings, the prescribed analgesics to take home, the sick leave-certificate to
be provided by your doctor and the instructions regarding wound care provi-
sions in the post-operative period.
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