Hi Everyone!!!!!
I am finally up enough to plug in my lap top and talk to you all!!!
The nurse thought it funny when I asked her to find the phone cord and plug me in. We had to unplug the ice pump (damn) that they have had running nonstop on my back which just broke my heart to no end....
I'll give all y'all the scoop from day one to now but first I want to thank everyone. Big kisses and hugs from me to you. I know all the prayers worked and I was so calm before surgery knowing I had such spiritual and loving support the could have almost done the surgery with no anesthesia! (ahem, maybe not...)
I received beautiful flowers from Tommy, a really big basket full of snapdragons and lilies, carnations and other beautiful flowers. Thank you Tommy and all at DWA!
Bruce Silvara sent me balloons with a big happy face and others with lots of colors. Sammie won't see this happy face so all should be well there! Thank you Bruce!!
Peggy sent the most beautiful, really, yellow tulips I have every seen. They are long stem and are opening now. I've had to hit some nurses over the head with my catheter bad to keep them away from them!
Mr. BSL sent me what looks to be a great book. Unfortunately, because of the medication they have me on, reading is impossible. Words bounce all over the page so I'll have to catch up on it when I get home! Thank you!
Preston and his wife sent the most stately and beautiful live orchids that my friend has taken home to repot and love until I get there. She has found the perfect place for them. Thank you, you two!
Viking Warrior, the lurker who came out just to start a prayer session also sent a basket of live plants that are going to grow into gorgeous plants. I'm going to pot them into single pots and with the daffodils that I received from another friend, I'll put them into the basket from Tommy's plants. It will look fabulous in my living room. Thank you so much VW for starting the prayer session and for sending the lovely plant!
My love Jorj gave me some cutesy flowers (I saw his comment about them being diminished because of Tommys basket) but I love them just the same. Besides, he brought the Cheetos!
I also got two stuffed animals! One kitty that is a Siamese with long hair and very soft. The nurses thought she was real! I've named her Princess :-) The other is a bunny that I got from a volunteer here, one I worked with for a while. I haven't named the bunny but I looked, it's a boy. If anyone has any ideas let me know.
My niece, her boyfriend and my nephew brought a huge bouquet of flowers and a cookie monster balloon to make me smile!!!
OJ called me! I was so excited! I never talked to him before but I have to admit I was so waked on drugs I have no idea what we talked about!!! You will have to call me back!
MPH called a couple of times but I always had to get off 'cause someone wanted to poke at me or something. These nurses, always pokin' and taken temperatures and stuff...
Thank you all again. I can't tell you how much the flowers, cards, phone calls and prayers have meant! You are all very special people and have proven to have wonderful powers to heal!
Well, what has happened.
I couldn't wait to get to the hospital. I wasn't allowed to take any pain medication 12 hours before surgery so by the time I got there I was chewing on furniture. The nurse was rushed or something and had me walk back to the bed by myself which proved to be a mistake. My right leg just collapsed under me. Luckily (I think) there was a trash can thing there that I grabbed to stop my crashing to the floor. They paid a little more attention after that. Then the drugs came and I felt a little better.
My Girlfriend and I were reading the Dr. Drew and Adam book (you may have seen them on the talk show circuit) and were cracking ourselves up. It was all about sex. Apparently, the patient next to me behind curtain number 4, wasn't amused and they nurse asked us to whisper. She of course stayed in my little stall to hear the stories and giggled away. I guess my neighbor was 68 or something. Hell, my Dad is 78 and loves that kind of stuff!
I didn't have to wait long and at 1:30 they wheeled me up to the docking bay for surgery. The gurney guy I know from volunteering days and we whooped it up. In the docking bay the nerve testing guy had to hook up my toes and electrodes to my head to get a base line for my nerve impulses. This is so during surgery if the doc presses on a nerve or something goes wrong, the nerve guy throws a shoe at him and tells him to stop.
After this the anesthesiologist came in to give me more happy juice but quickly found I have a hard time with narcotics. Then he gave me Benadryl for the side reaction I got from the Delodid but I had a reaction to that. So he said "you aren't a druggy are you?" We got it figured out and I was comfy. Stuff wore off quick though.
Then they wheeled me into this room that I swear had every machine in the hospital in it. I wasn't sure where they would put me! The table was set up that my butt would have been raised about a foot off the table! About 5 pillows! And all men in this room - maybe one woman. I'm happy to say that I don't feel anything suspicious at this time down in that area so they must have been good boys and girls but you know my naked bum was there in front of God and everybody!!!!
All I remember is them fussing about putting on an oxygen mask, a little sting where the IV was and that was all she wrote. No lullabies no rocking in arms - just out. Gone.
I woke up well. I never got sick and felt good afterwards. Everyone but my Dad and Linda had gone since surgery took a little longer than we thought.
So here is the scoop.
When they got in there, they had to cut bone away from a previous surgery (10 years ago) where there was a fusion. I guess they use some suction and the suction itself popped the cyst and drained the fluid. This was unexpected but not serious. Then the neurosurgeon, Dr. Venrnal, went in a repaired the spinal cord where the cyst had been. This went well and they were pleased they didn't have to do more work inside the spinal cord. Then they found bone that had grown into the nerve root canal and had caused a bone spur, fairly big. I guess with all of the bone I had back there from past surgeries, this was not detected on the scans. So, the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Coe, removed the bone and cleared the area completely. He also went over to the left side to make sure I didn't have the same thing happening there. I didn't, be he did do some sort of cosmetic stuff on that side but not much. Then the neurosurgeon took a very long time removing the scar tissue I had on the nerve on the right side. This was very delicate surgery and he is described and obsessive compulsive - which is good and what you want with a neurosurgeon. I haven't met him but I hear he is quite handsome. Probably married. But, then who'd put up with me and my back thing...different story.
A sheath of material was put around the nerve like a blanky to keep from becoming scared in the future. It won't stop it entirely but I guess the nerve couldn't move at all in this canal. The doc said between the cyst, the spur and the scaring the nerve was severely pinched.
My doctor, Dr. Coe, is very stoic. He was a hard nut to crack. When I first met him he never smiled, walk in said his peace and left. Now, I get him laughing and we have a good time. Very nice man and excellent surgeon. I trust him completely.
I had a wonderful team. The neurosurgeon is from what I hear above reproach, the antehtesiologis is a peach and very good at what he does. He spend a great deal of time talking to me about what options I have now going forward. He had back problems and knows nerve pain. Nerve pain isn't like anything else. If you haven't had it, there is no way to describe it to you. I wouldn't wish it on anybody. Debilitating, that's it. You lose everything with nerve pain.
So now what? I'm recovering very well from surgery. They yell at me for not taking enough pain medicine. I have that button that I can push and am supposed to 10 times an hour. I was doing it once. So now I try harder 'cause it supposed to help me heal faster but I think at my best effort I've gotten up to 4 an hour. They gave me sleeping pills last night which just knocked by booty out cold! Yeah! I hadn't slept but three hours a night and was needing it.
I still am having problems with the right leg. What I'm told is that the nerve from being so severely pinched is damaged. It will get better in time but we have to give it some help. They are giving me steroids to reduce the swelling and some nerve pain medication. But, this hasn't been enough. I still can't stand on that leg and it is weak. Physical therapy had me up briefly yesterday and I had to hold onto the walker to keep from falling.
Today I go into a minor surgery where they will put in a spinal pump that will send medicine directly into my spine. This will help the swelling and will hopefully train the nerve, remind the nerve, what it is like not to be pinched. The damage on the nerve has the nerve thinking it is still pinched. So, I'll be in the hospital a little longer. Into next week I believe. Won't go home until the nerve gets a clue. I'll be doing that at 3:00pm and it is a quickie thing, I'll be sleepy but not out. The only thing is there is a high probability of a spinal headache. But, at least I'll be in the hospital. Although, these guys are good and I have a feeling I'll just be fine.
The biggest emergency is that I am down to the last 20 or so Cheetos in my bag! I don't know when Jorj is coming back in town but I think I'm going to have to have someone bring me an emergency bag. If I have to stay in this hospital for another week I need my supplies!!!!
Well, maybe it won't be a week but I'll be out of Cheetos by noon today and that is serious.
Also, they don't have CNBC!!! By a cruel fluke, the TV did switch to the B channel and I had CNBC for 4 hours! I was so excited even if it was after market hours I didn't care. They right before my drugged up eyes, it switched back to A. I was all over that nurses call button like Jorj on Cheetos. They said there was nothing to be done, it was a fluke. I figured if it did it once it could happen permanently!
So, now, I watch those shopping channels 'cause there is nothing on TV! TV sucks!! I saw Montel once and Matlock. Half of the stuff I don't remember. The medicine makes me a little forgetful.
Well, this is long enough!!
I hope I didn't miss anyone that I needed to thank. I have kept all of the cards so I'll have to double check.
You all are the most wonderful and I'm carrying you all in my heart. I can't wait to be back on my feet and feeling 100% so I can contribute and continue to be here for all of you. Thank you so very much!
Anyone can call me although you may get a busy line now that I have my computer screaming away!
Big hugs and kisses XOXOXOXOXOXO |
