DH

Absolutely, Dyan.
 
I would advocate for letting the surgeon know the regular doctor says it is an infection - just keeping the surgeon in the loop and all.  And if there's not more improvement by tomorrow, get pushy.....

Dyan - I had to laugh cause my DH is the same way, which is why I never ask him to take the dogs to the vet.  If I do, I get information like "well, she said to give Sassy one of these every day and call if there's no improvement". I say "improvement in what?"..DH- "I don't know, maybe you better call her" [:@][]
 
I agree about letting the surgeon know what's going on, but I think it might help if you were able to tell him (the surgeon) what kind of infection it was, or he's going to be just as confused.  Would it be possible to call the regular Dr. and just ask one of the staff to tell you what it says in the chart?  I hope it's nothing serious.  My best friend who had back surgery in Nov. is also having some other medical problems too, so I'll be sure to remember your DH in my thoughts and prayers at the same time I'm praying about her.

Thanks Guys!
Callie mentioned Phlebitis,,,and I asked him if THAT is what the dr said it could be and he said YES!   Not that it is, but looks like it.   So when I mentioned called the surgeon back of course he said no,,,they told me to call the regular doctor.   
Today is Good Friday,,,since a lot of people are off a day or a half of day from work, AND its not getting worse,,,the swelling seems to be down from yesterday...I will let it go until Monday.  Meanwhile..I'm going to look up Phlebitis...seems like a word out of the past..I used to hear that word years ago.

Meanwhile..I'm going to look up Phlebitis...seems like a word out of the past..I used to hear that word years ago.

 
I remember Nixon suffering from it, but I actually think it's fairly common, especially in people with limited mobility.  I hope that it's nothing more serious than a side affect from the surgery and being less active and the meds clear it up quickly.

I did a search....it goes from Phebitis to  thrombophlebitis/phlebitis in a hurry though...and that could be serious.. BUT not sure where the difference lies..but I am going to watch it and show him about how PROLONGED INACTIVITY could be the cause...  I do know the surgeon said before his surgury WALK WALK WALK,,,and it is SITTING SITTING SITTING!  HE was walking around the house what I thought was quite a bit when he first had surgery...now he isn't honestly doing much more...except as I said I have been getting him to walk outside with Bubby and I every day...but now we are in the midst of a snowstorm.  YIKES!

thrombophlebitis is simply a progression ... but a lot can affect that. 
 
It's actually more common in women, but the high profile cases have all been men (look at that Wikipedia link I sent you).
 
It's easy to say 'walk walk walk' but when you hurt it is HARD.  My solution has always been to carry a small stool/folding chair with me.  I walk until my low back hurts and then I sit!  But I go a long long way this way. 
 
Wal-mart has this nifty little folding stool (white/black and white/red).  Very easy to fold (it just flips up) and it's stable enough that I almost use it as a cane sometimes.  It's $10 Dyan -- he couldn't use it on soft ground -- but he could to take Bubby for a walk.  Pride takes a beating but it makes walking DO-ABLE.  I carry one in my car all the time -- it's the only way I can shop and do a lot of 'normal' things. 

I hope it's nothing serious Dyan.  We are thinking of him and you too and Bubby. 

Thanks guys.   swelling has gone down a little more,,,hope that means he is healing.
Callie,,,I know I will sound mean when I say this,,,and I don't mean to..but basically DH is a very lazy person. He has retired from his job where he worked a lot of overtime to make ends meet...so I am not knocking him. He also had a part time summer job at a golf course which last year he couldn't do because of his back,,,and he won't be able to this year either. BUT all in all he enjoys sitting and watching TV and working crossword puzzles.  He LOVES it!  Me on the other hand...before I took Bubby out for the morning I shoveled the whole drive...DH will say "why did you do that?"     He really IS taking advantage of his situation in a way. There IS soo much that he can't do because he is wearing that body brace...its uncomforatable and he can't bend or lift anything.  But he can walk,,and he is free from pain. He stiffens up a bit but of course, but is relatively free from pain.  He can't really walk Bubby because she sometimes darts out...that would kill his back if he got yanked.    BUT he could walk by himself with no problem.  I call him on my way home from work and tell him to get Bubby ready for a walk and most of the time he says "I dont' know if I am going today!"  I just say,,,"get Bubby ready,,,the three of us are going!"   He goes..but THAT is what he does..he really finds walking boring and uses "healing" as an excuse. I printed out the info about Phlebitis from the Internet. where they say "often from inactivity" and told him "Here read this,,,your digging your own grave!"  THAT sounds mean,,but what can I do???   I need to MAKE HIM help himself. 
Callie,,,what kind of department do you find that folding stool,,,in housewares?     I am telling my older sister who has a terrible back and knee problems,,,her hubby just died and she is on her own,,I'm so worried about her as she fell last month. This would be perfect for her!

Wishing your husband good luck and good health (it amazes me how women are all alike (that's a good thing - i think!).

I hope the swelling continues to improve Dyan; I'll say some prayers for him. Do you have a treadmill; maybe he would use it while watching TV.

Dyan, I hope your husband's condition continues to improve over the weekend.  My mother had phlebitis a few years ago - she has to wear special hosiery/stockings as often as she can stand them to help with circulation.  At the time, she had a second job that required her to stand on her feet for long periods of time.  She quit that, and since retiring from her main job, now works half-time in an office where she's doing desk work with breaks of walking here and there to the copier, fax machine, etc.  My mother hates to exercise (a gene that she passed to me), but she enjoys walking with neighbors so they can chat, and she took ballroom dancing not too long ago and found it to be very fun as well as a good workout!   She hasn't had any recurrence of the phlebitis for at least 3 years I think.
 
I know how frustrating it is to have a DH who prefers sedentary "free time."  My DH works 55-60 hours per week at a very demanding job that he doesn't enjoy, so his time off is spent doing more "resting" than I'd like.  I appreciate his exhaustion, but I keep telling him one needs BALANCE in one's life.  The opposite of hard work is fun, not inactivity.  In all the years we've been married, I've only convinced him to take a walk with me twice.  And he complained the whole time.  He walked Tonka fine, but that's because there was a purpose -- not just walking for exercise.
 
Anyway, I hope you can continue to prod him to walk with you and Bubby.  Walking is a good gentle exercise for people with back issues -- too much inactivity is actually bad for backs.  Keep encouraging him, and keep us posted!

Thanks guys.  
We do not have a treadmill Janice,, I just gave it away...I had a manual one...and holy cow...I couldn't use it for longer than a few mintues at a time....    I replaced it with a stationary bike AND a health rider. But dr. told DH just to walk,,,no other exercises at this time.
For anyone that doesn't know,,,he had disks fused and also had surgery for spinal stanosis Jan 31. He has to wear a body cast for about 90 days--hopefully not longer.  He can't even sit in a regular chair....and he does lay down to rest in the afternoon mainly because he can take the brace off when he lays.     He can't really do too much yet...until the doctor says its okay. Walking he can do!

Dyan... I'm late replying to this but I'm sending out positive thoughts and prayers to your DH & you (and Bubby too!).