Uncategorized – Renée Gaubert, LCSW

8 Weeks Post-Op

My week started at a 10/10 pain on Monday and is ending with 3/10 pain today, so I’d say it’s been a great week for my surgery recovery! My best friend of 26 years (aka chosen sister) came for a visit last weekend. It was so fun hanging at the apartment together and also exploringContinue reading “8 Weeks Post-Op”

Officially Re-Opening My Practice!

I am on the other side of my spinal fusion surgery and officially re-opening my practice as of today, February 2, 2026! To give me time to ease back in slowly, I’m taking February to work mostly administratively- informing former clients I’m re-opening, determining who is interested in resuming therapy, working out a regular schedule,Continue reading “Officially Re-Opening My Practice!”

6 Weeks Post-Op

Like all trauma recovery, surgery recovery is not linear. My back pain has returned to an 8/10 the past week, which has had me pretty down. At my 6-week follow-up with my surgeon on Friday, x-rays showed my hardware’s still in place and many of my restrictions were lifted. My surgeon said my incisions haveContinue reading “6 Weeks Post-Op”

5 Weeks Post-Op

My recovery is still going well! My back pain is down to a 1/10 most of the time without any medication, and my hips don’t hurt at all. My nerve pain has reduced to just my feet, and the quality of it is different, which hopefully means my nerves are almost fully healed. My onlyContinue reading “5 Weeks Post-Op”

3 Weeks Post-Op

At my 2-week post-op visit last Friday, my surgeon was impressed with my mobility and said both the front and back incisions are healing well. She prescribed a 7-day course of Prednisone to help with the nerve pain, and between that and the Gabapentin, the pain in my legs is now more of a dullContinue reading “3 Weeks Post-Op”

2 Weeks Post-Op

I’ve been moving through my milestones in PT quickly. I’ve transitioned from a walker to a cane (it’s leopard print, of course), and I get to use it for some of my upper body PT exercises, too. I’ve been walking up and down the apartment stairs since last Friday, and this morning I walked outsideContinue reading “2 Weeks Post-Op”

1 Week Post-Op

I’m a week out from surgery, and recovering strongly! Walking with the walker gets easier every day. My legs still feel like they are not totally awake, and I have cramping in my calves and thighs that is a challenge to control. Hopefully that will go away as the nerves heal. I’m no longer feelingContinue reading “1 Week Post-Op”

Heading Home!

Here’s what my lumbar spine and pelvis look like with my new hardware. My surgeon did have to place screws into the ilium. She discovered that the pedicle bone on the left of my L5 was missing (part of the congenital deformity that made the vertebrae wedge-shaped), so she wasn’t able to place a pedicleContinue reading “Heading Home!”

Surgery was a success!

I’m out of surgery and I can wiggle all my toes! Will post again soon. Feeling grateful and loved!

Surgery Day!

Surgery is scheduled for today, December 15, 8am-2pm EST. At our pre-op visit, my surgeon reviewed my most recent MRI and an EMG and said they confirm a pinched nerve at L5 due to stenosis at L4-S1. She also said it is worse than my MRI last October showed. She said she wants to proceed withContinue reading “Surgery Day!”