Recovery from Surgery NOT as Expected

When I arrived for surgery I was scheduled to be rolled into the OR at 4 PM. I Wasn't actually rolled in until about 5:15 PM due to a delay of doctor communication. Basically my PCP never sent over the note that she physically examined me and cleared me for surgery. By now we are very used to the mishaps between doctors and their disorganization.

The surgery went well. Final report was that the bone was fairly long and sharp and was twisting instead of curving causing extreme as I re-injured it endlessly by sitting, snowboarding, skiing, horseback riding, etc. As this was probably a genetic defect in the Coccyx itself , It was definitely nothing any other doctor could have helped and it was time for it to be removed and the area to properly heal. The procedure caused excess bleeding, more then normal, from inflammation of either the Lyme bacteria in the injured area or the tailbone injuring it continuously, but basically it bled a lot.

After the procedure I was in so much pain I didn't even want them to bring my mom in but I was rolling onto my stomach screaming as soon as I woke up from anesthesia. We stayed for 3 days with no answer for the pain and I fought the grueling hour and a half ride home from Lebanon in pain. Then I suffered through days on 6 mg of Hydromorphone (stronger then Morphine, 4mg is maximum recommended dose). Finally we took me off of Hydromorphone and raised my Ibuprofen level since its an anti inflammatory and I usually take 800 mg anyways. That was what made the most difference. I took Tylenol Cod #2 at night to get me through and faught the days until now, 3 weeks out, I have equal amount of pain as I suffered with for 2 grueling years before surgery. I am back in the driver's seat, preparing for the upcoming ski season, going for walks to begin to build my stamina slowly. Everything is falling into place with the tailbone recovery, now we just have to finish the rest of my recovery process.

Surgery # ? (Coccygectomy)

I have been chasing the doctors in circles about my chronic tailbone pain, trying to get answers. Multiple times I've posted on this blog about it. Literally, a pain in the butt. Finally, we saw an amazing orthopedic specialist through Dartmouth in Lebanon, NH called Dr. Bernini who has told me I am a good candidate for a Coccygectomy or tail bone removal. He said that a normal person has a sacrum of fused bones and at the bottom a flexible coccyx of 3-5 bones, but mine is only two stiff bones very near the skin causing coccydenia (coccyx pain or tailbone pain). We asked if it was a degenerative feature because my mother ad her mother also had coccygectomys for coccydenia. He replied that only the Maharaj's in India were known to have long coccyx as a sign of royalty.

So, on October 18th I will go in for my surgery and get my tailbone cut open for the second time and go under anesthesia for the millionth time in hopes to be part of the 90% whose pain was eliminated with such surgeries. It should be a couple weeks of recovery and hopefully not a rough first few days. Deep breath, maybe I'll finally be able to horseback ride comfortably.

Coccyx or Tail Bone Problems

Last year in January I was exempt from horseback riding due to tail bone pain that we called pilonidal cysts. The cysts and glands were all surgically cleaned out and removed and i dealt with additional hyper trophic scarring issues. Basically the skin scarred irregularly, probably from the Lyme, and was raised and painful, pulling at the tissue around it. I proceeded to seek Cranial Sacrael Therapy which massaged the tissues to soften them up, and keep a silicone 'scar away' scar patch, kind of like a band aid, on the scar which led to it ultimately softening up. By the end of summer I was still suffering from deep tail bone pain that was located at the tip of the tail bone, or the coccyx. I tried to work through it to horseback ride, but it wouldn't work. It was far too painful and I found myself consciously leaning to one side or the other when I would sit to avoid or reduce pain. I attempted to snowboard this past January, and after a few falls on the hard snow, right on my tail bone of course, I changed back to skis and gave up. After the snow boarding I had such bad pain from sitting or moving around that I returned to the surgeon. She said I could have broke or bruised the bone and sent me to an orthopedic specialist to get it looked at. We took ex rays and conclusive bone CAT scan which proved no visible break. He was not willing to do a Coccygectomy or surgery to remove the coccyx bone because he claimed it was unnecessary and would cause additional issues. I am still suffering with pain, which my Lyme Doctor claims is just Lyme Inflammation. So After my most recent Lyme Doctor Appt I picked up some Capsaicin .1% Arthritis cream made of menthol and chili peppers to try a new idea. basically i'm applying the cream twice a day to my tail bone area, and the extreme burning sensation is supposed to exhaust the nerves after a few days and reduce the pain. I have to apply it four times a day, suffer from severe burning, and wait for possible relief. It has proven to work before, but will it work for me? We will have to see. it's very uncomfortable, and painful, but not unbearable to return to horseback riding (if it works). I may be skeptical but it seems like a worthy idea, and I'm willing to try anything while i wait for my Appt. with a pain specialist.