Lumbar Fusion Done. Had A Heavy Drink. Would It Cause Serious Effects?

Posted on Mon, 10 Jun 2013

Question: I had lumbar fusion L5S1 Dic.3,2012,I drank 4 beers April.26,2013 It was my birthday i made a big mistake,how bad is it?and can i still recover?

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (12 days later)

Hello and welcome to XXXXXXX

Thank you for writing to us.

Alcohol intake is restricted for at least 2-6 weeks after the surgery, primarily because alcohol intake can interfere with the medications that have been prescribed to the patient. Small amounts of alcohol are still okay, but you should avoid having alcohol in excess. Let me explain why.

If you have been prescribed any medications and are still on them (eg. narcotics for pain management), then this can cause drowsiness and an altered mental state. If you are experiencing this, please report to your doctor immediately.

Other than the drowsiness, alcohol intake can interfere with the healing process, and my advise would be for you to visit your doctor, for a follow up and monitor your healing and recovery. If all is well, then there should be nothing to worry about. And I am sure you should still be able to recover well, but please do be careful from hereon.

I hope I have succeeded in providing the information you were looking for. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications. I would gladly help you.

Best wishes.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar