Hey all, thank goodness Wednesday is finally here huh. The rest of the week usually goes pretty fast once Wednesday finally passes.
Anyways, new prayer for me...I know I am supposed to put this in the prayer request thingy but didnt want to start another thing...My sister in law is having surgery on her back. I dont remember exactly what they are doing, but I think they are going to go in and fuse together disks in her back. Pretty serious though it must not have been life or death because she went to the docs last week and they are operating on her Friday. Though they told her that if she waited she could end up paralyzed. Oy...A little scary, so she needs prayers.
So whats everyone else up today. Another replacement for me is sposed to be here today, hopefully she will be able to do it.
Hey, all. I just got up ten minutes ago - this is becoming a habit, lol, sleeping late, that is. It's almost 10 o'clock. Life in the slow lane appeals to me!
Hey all, thanks for the prayers. She said the surgery is called a Cervical spinal fusion...Kind of scary, sounds like a serious surgery for someone who is only 28. Seems like shes too young for something like that.
Anyways, kae thats awesome you got to sleep in..I think next week when I am not working I will try that sleeping in thing.
I know that it sounds scary, but it is actually very common. My husband was really nervous beforehand, though.
It CHANGED HIS LIFE! He had been in ongoing pain, with no meds working anymore. The morning following the surgery, his hands worked just fine, and within one week, he had lost ten pounds from fluids that he'd been retaining, due to the medications. The ones that weren't working...!!!
Also, he had been having breathing difficulties that we thought were asthma related, so he'd been using an inhaler. After the spinal surgery, that all went away! Apparently, because the nerve bundles were being squeezed, his chest wall muscles didn't "know" that they could expand, so they didn't. There was never anything wrong with his lungs, or their capacity to expand. It was simply nerve misfiring.
Your sister-in-law is going to be very happy that she had this surgery done. The recovery time is fairly quick, and the only thing that she'll need to pay attention to is lifing stuff for a while, or moving her head dramatically in any direction for a couple of weeks (like chin down to the chest, or head all the way back to look at the ceiling.)
Hope this makes you and your sister-in-law feel better. Really -- my husband is like a new man!
-- Edited by Moore ideas at 11:51, 2007-08-22
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Shelly, copy and paste Moore's post for your sister. I'll bet it will cheer her up immensely!! (Sometimes I think we were all destined to get together on this little board.)
I totally agree Kae about us destined to meet each other.
And Moore thanks for the info, I did copy and paste it. I will let you guys all know how it goes. Her doctor said she may have trouble swallowing because while they are doing the surgery someone will have to hold her esophagus to the side. And they said she would have to wear a neck brace for a couple months. The good news is she works for State Farm so she knew better then to not have good insurance.
She was sposed to come out here for Vinnie's reenlistment in October but now we dont know. I hope she can still make it just so I can see her..
Anyways, enough about me...Hows everyone else doing
Yes, they go in through the front of the neck -- very simple -- but my husband didn't have any issues with that afterwards! And, you can barely even see where the incision was...!!!
One of my friends had brought us a powder to use in protein drinks, and some frozen fruit. For a couple of days, I made lots of protein shakes for my husband, and soups. But it was really only a couple of days before he wanted to begin eating more "regular" food, though soft like scrambled eggs, etc. I don't think that your sister-in-law will have to go too long without regular food.
He also had the option of whether or not he wanted to wear a collar, but his surgeon said that it isn't really all that necessary to wear one, as long as you follow post-op instructions. Maybe your sister-in-law won't have to wear one after all, depending on which disk is involved, etc. But, that's between her and her doctor.
I'm telling you that the surgery wasn't as scary as my husband had anticipated, and his recovery was relatively quick. Tell your sister-in-law NOT to hold her head too stiffly when she's recovering. She may be a little bit afraid to look from side to side, but she's not only allowed to do it, but also will probably be encouraged to make small motions with her head. If she holds it rigid, her muscles will begin to freeze up, and she'll be in even more pain.
Also, when my husband was allowed to drive (I THINK that it was within about a week!), he noticed that looking over his shoulder was initially a bit uncomfortable, but that was all related to the fact that he hadn't been moving his head enough.
She'll do just fine! It really sounds scary, but surgeons do a gazillion of these every day, and the disks are very accessible.
And, I can't imagine why she couldn't make that trip in October. My husband had his surgery in June, and as you guys know, he just drove all the way to Arizona with our daughter. He's doing just fine. He and I are taking a trip at the end of September down to Asheville, NC. Driving...
-- Edited by Moore ideas at 14:12, 2007-08-22
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
oh such a relief Moore, you are awesome. I will forward this info on. Her parents will be there with her when she has it, and they will stay with her probably though monday.. Surgery is at noon friday and they are probably going to let her go saturday
Tell your sister-in-law to INSIST that they give her ANTI-NAUSEA medications with the anaesthesia!!! Sometimes the anaesthesia can upset a patient's stomach, and your sister-in-law doesn't want to have to deal with the aftermath of that!
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
