Update on my Health Situation

LovingRadiance

Active member
Last Monday I got a new MRI done on my neck. Yesterday I went into the doctor to go over the results.
The basic is-my disk is MUCH worse.

The herniation was already significant, but now it's grown by more than 1/2 which means the "gel" inside of the disk (designed to stay inside) broke out-and started hardening. Enough has "leaked" out now and hardened that it's completely filling the space in the left side of the vertabrae where the nerves for my left arm "exit" from the spine.

That would be why the intense shooting pains in my arm and the increasing numbness in my fingers etc.

Thursday (Christmas Eve) I go in to see the surgeon and schedule emergency surgery. They are hoping to do the surgery before New Years.

Maca leaves tomorrow night for Washington to see our oldest son (he's 13) for Christmas. He's worried sick. He feels guilty about leaving and is worried about me, but our son has been there for 6 months getting psychological care and he needs to see his dad too. I told him (Maca) that I'll be fine, he comes back the afternoon of the 28th, so with any luck we can schedule the surgery for the 29th or 30th.

They have to go in through the front of my neck, clear out the hardened material from inside the vertabrae (vertabrae are shaped roughly like a triangle lying flat on a table). They have to avoid hitting the spinal cord (on the back "top" corner) and the major vein and artery (the other two corners of the triangle shape).

One night in the hospital. Then 6 weeks of recovery time at home. The first 2 weeks are complete bed rest. After that, no lifting anything bigger then a gallon of milk, pulling, pushing or generally doing anything that requires muscle work. I'm supposed to have someone with me at all times for the first two weeks. I have to wear a cervical collar for 3-5 weeks and they may have to do a bone graft from my hip to put in my spine....

More later-I'm still here, please send happy thoughts our way! I miss you guys!!!
 
One of my co-workers just had the same thing last year. You'll do fine LR and then you can really get Crrrrrraaaaaazzzyyyyy!!
:D
 
That sounds very painful and not fun at all (some people act like "o w0w you'll get all kinds of good DRUGS!11!~"). I hope you'll make a full recovery and feel better once and for all after this ordeal!
 
Thanks guys. I hope it goes smoothly too. I'm not big on the drugs. They have other side effects which are miserable and I'm not big on being so loopy and out of control of my own mind!
But one thing at a time!
:eek:
 
Yowch. Sounds scary for you and even more stressful with the other stuff going on.

But it also sounds like a successful surgery could make a huge difference for you in terms of fixing pain and increased mobility and all kinds of stuff.

Hang in there and I'll be sending good thoughts your way!
 
Yowch. Sounds scary for you and even more stressful with the other stuff going on.

But it also sounds like a successful surgery could make a huge difference for you in terms of fixing pain and increased mobility and all kinds of stuff.

Hang in there and I'll be sending good thoughts your way!

Thanks Crisare, it is scary-but for sure if it's successful it will be AWESOME. It's been 5 years of on again off again torment and pain. It will be amazing to be able to just BE again! Our youngest is only 2 1/2, it will be so great to be able to play with her outside, go sledding, swimming etc. I keep my focus on that as much as possible!!
 
Saw the surgeon today. They are supposed to call me tomorrow to tell me when I go in for surgery (on the neck).
 
Scheduled

So I go in tomorrow (Wednesday) for pre-op. Surgery is scheduled for Thursday at 11. I have to be there at 9 to get set up and all of that.

They said that they plan to send me home Friday (not sure WHEN Friday) if there are no complications, I am able to walk and my pain is controlled well enough with the oxycodone to allow me to tolerate it, and I'm not puking (from the anesthesia for the surgery).

FINGERS CROSSED all of those things will be ok and I will come home on New Years Day.

We were supposed to do Christmas that day (Friday). We don't do Christmas on Dec. 25th because of the "his/mine/ours" situation with the kids because the "mine/his" were always with their other parents that day. So we've always done Christmas on New Years.

Anyway-this year we're hoping to do it January 2nd if I do get to come home on the first.

Please keep happy thoughts coming our way. Hopefully by next week I'll be able to go back to my REGULAR amount of posting and participating in the board! :)

I won't have the laptop at the hospital, but the doctor told me point blank that posting was a GREAT outlet for after the surgery as it will "keep me involved with other people" and allow me an "outlet". I just have to rememember to "get up and walk regularly" because the walking will promote blood flow, reduce risk of blood clots and speed up healing.

The surgery itself entails a 1 inch cut in my neck above my collar bone. They go in and cut out, pull out and whatever other method-remove the hardened material which WAS the disk. Then they put a bone graft in its place in order to keep the two vertebrae apart so that the nerves have space. Then they bolt a metal plate to each of the two vertebrae which will keep the bone in place (as a "space saver")....

The hardened material is now crushing the nerves from my spinal cord to my left arm, reducing the space they normally have to run through, by over 2/3 and crushing into my spinal cord itself. It's pressing almost 1/2 into the spinal cord-risking a HIGH possibility of it "tearing through" the outer layer and causing permanent damage which could render me paralyzed from there down if it's not fixed.

SO wish me luck. Kind of scary-lots of stress. But hopefully it will be significantly better asap. :)
 
I hope all goes well and that you make a swift recovery!
 
I'm back at home. Surgery went smoothly all things considered.
There was more damage then could be seen on hte MRI-so it took longer for him to get all tlhe little pieces out. But he did get them out and I'm on the road to health again.
Lots of sleep and laying down. But the severe pain is already gone. :)
 
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