Background
For over ten years I had done everything possible to postpone what is happening today – a massive spinal fusion from T-12 though S-2
What I’m hoping is that I will feel like most other people who have this type of life-altering surgery: If they’d known how much better they feel, they would have done it years ago.
Spine Diagram
That’s the goal. To feel great for the first time in about a decade. Looking at this diagram, you can probably understand why I delayed such a complex and painful surgery. The recovery time is 6-12 months. About a year before I am all the way out the other end of this process. That’s a mighty long time – and mostly why I put it off. Loss of earnings, loss of mobility, the physical and emotional wear and tear on my loving wife – and my adult children. It’s a lot to put someone through.
But when I weighed the impact of my condition over the last 10 years on the people I love, I owed it to them as much as myself to have this surgery and get back to being myself again. Being able to do more things together and have a better disposition in the process. The impact of long-term chronic pain combined with the mood-altering characteristics of narcotics is anything but positive (unless you’re a warthog).
In case you’ve been living in a cave the last few centuries or so, this is a diagram of a human spine. Not mine, of course. If mine looked anything like this, there’d be no reason for today’s surgery – or this blog – and I’d probably be on a dive trip in Cozumel right now instead of typing away in preparation for a lot of down-time…
The red line in this diagram represents the steel rods that will be bolted to my spine in today’s surgery.
For about the last 6 weeks – since the day we had the date for the surgery locked in place – the light at the end of the tunnel has gotten brighter every day. And today is the big milestone. Surgery Day!
I never thought I’d look forward to this very scary surgery, but when I went numb from my left hip to my pubic bone, everything changed. Not a big surprise, right? If the numbness should progress any further (or farther – you choose) ALL the fun is gone, if you know what I mean… (I don’t really have to explain this do I? – Seriously? OK. When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…)
When that kind of symptom pops up, I don’t know about you, but my first response is to dial my surgeon and say “FIX ME, DOC!” (and let’s not dilly-dally around about it, OK?)
So here we are. Here I sit, drinking coffee and editing my blog, just killing time before we head to Baylor.
Wait Just a Danged Minit there, buddy…
Coffee?!?!?!
WTF?
Just how in blue blazes do ya git to drink coffee (or anything else) the day of surgery?
OK, now. Just cool yer jets. Ya see I have friends in high places. Well… actually friends who get you high…
OK. Not really…
My Anesthesiologist called last night to make sure I was okey-dokey. While we were checking and cross-checking all the details of my Big Event (fairly important for the guy in charge of putting you to sleep, keeping you asleep – and here’s the really important part – waking you up), he told me I couldn’t have anything after midnight (that’s what we were planning for anyway) but then said since I had kind of a late start time that I had to avoid solids after midnight, but I could have liquids up to THREE HOURS before surgery. I said “Does that include coffee?” (oh please, oh please, oh please…)
And he said….
“YES!”
Yippeeeeee!
Whew!
Pre-Op Coffee
The next update will be in a few days, after I’m recovered enough to use my MacBook. C U Then.
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