My Healing Back Incision

November 12, 2023: The Isles Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Boynton Beach, Florida (https://ibnrc.org/)

COMPOSITE PHOTO: 1. the incision in my back soon after my (second) spinal surgery; 2. my incision healing; and 3. part of my incision today

This afternoon, my nurse put in a cloth drain into the upper part of the (34 centimeters long/13.3858 inches long) incision in my back. My bandage is changed every day.

After my second spinal surgery, I had two suction-tube drains and one tube attached to a wound vacuum in my back; all three were removed weeks ago. My incision is healing well, except for that one location.

My second spinal surgery, which was on October 6, 2023, 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 immediately.

The incision in my back was then closed by my plastic surgeon so that the metal pieces do NOT form bumps from pushing on my back from the inside. My incision has been healing (mainly) quite well.

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.

After being here at the rehab facility for several weeks, I am scheduled to return home (my decision) on November 17, 2023, a day after my 11 weeks of daily intravenous antibiotic has been completed. I was on a six-week-long regimen of daily intravenous antibiotic for a blood infection and for possible osteomyelitis in one of two fractures in my right ankle from two falls in April. My infectious-disease doctor added another six-week-long regimen of daily intravenous antibiotic for the osteomyelitis in my spinal bone. These two regimens overlapped by one week.