Healing Of My Incision

October 25, 2023: The Isles Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Boynton Beach, Florida (https://ibnrc.org/):

While the long incision in my back is healing well, it is still causing me much pain in my back and in my legs, despite powerful opioid pain medications, plus itching in the wound's surrounding skin, which signifies healing. I am now receiving daily bandage/dressing changes. (Nurses took these photos.)

This afternoon, my nurse and my occupational therapist, who was also there, told me that my incision looks better.

My incision is from my second spinal surgery, which was on October 6, 2023, and which took six (6) hours to complete: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It involved the placement of titanium plates, titanium screws, and a long titanium rod affixed to my spine by my spinal surgeon due to osteomyelitis (bone infection) in three lumbar (lower) sections of my spinal bone. My surgeon told me that my spine was "collapsing" and that I required the serious surgery.

The incision in my back (34 centimeters long/13.3858 inches long) was then closed by my plastic surgeon so that the metal pieces do NOT form bumps that stick out of my skin.

My first spinal surgery was on September 2, 2023, when I had an infection (an abscess) removed/cleaned out in one of my spinal disks in my lower back. It was discovered at that time that I had osteomyelitis in that area of my spine.