A Happy Medical Update

I will definitely be having surgery on my back. The bad news is I’m going to be extremely sore for at least two weeks afterwards. The good news is it will be worth it!

The surgery will be on February 29th. I was surprised when they said that date. I wasn’t expecting it to happen so quickly. My mother said I’d have to celebrate my surgery anniversary on a different day and I said “or only every 4 years!” I may have laughed a little too hard at that in my relieved/overwhelmed state but she’s been through this so she understood.

My surgeon said it will be minimally invasive and I should only have to be in the hospital for two nights. I almost jumped for joy. When my mom had a similar surgery she had to stay longer and had a long recovery time. The difference is she had to have the rods and screws on both sides of her spine and I only require them on one side. The doctor says it means a shorter recovery time normally. I’ll set off all the metal detectors I encounter.

When I asked how long I would not be allowed to drive, I expected him to say 6-8 weeks. Instead he said (and this is Not a direct quote): Basically don’t be stupid. What he really told me was to listen to my body and to use common sense.

I found out the disk is now bulging more than when I first had an MRI (back in June or July). The surgeon called it an “impressive” amount. I translated that to mean I had the right to feel sorry for myself the last few weeks when my pain got worse. Obviously I knew I was in more pain but now I feel validated, haha.

The most surprising thing today was I didn’t cry. I truly thought I would, no matter what I was told. I figured even if it were tears of relief it would happen. The tissue never came out of the bag, but if I hadn’t been prepared I probably would have bawled like a broken-hearted teenager.

I’m nervous as can be but I’m looking forward to all this as well. It might not fix everything but it will help with at least one thing and that’s a vast improvement. I’ll post an update after the surgery as soon as I can.

I don’t know if I’ll be doing any writing during the week of my surgery but I have high hopes for the rest of my recovery time. I’ll try not to only write stories about hospitals, surgery and doctors!

21 comments

  10. I don’t know your situation, nor am I a surgeon, but I had a massive herniated disc and it was removed. However, they didn’t remove the one on the left side which has increased in size. Nor did I have rods put in. If I can make a suggestion, please make sure you are going to the best possible teaching hospital your insurance can provide. I am already feeling pain down through my legs, 10 months later. I know this has nothing to do with writing but it does have something to do with one who I one day hope to call a friend.

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