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A minor setback



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 8th 03, 07:36 AM
Christina Peterson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default A minor setback

No Fair, No fair, No fair. Especially with summer heat.

Sometimes the healing starts slow and then picks up speed. Hope so.

Take care, dear.

Tina


"Kathy Nicklas-Varraso" wrote in message
.com...
To the new folks: I had a spinal fusion in my neck in April, due to disks
that had ruptured so badly that my left arm was pretty much paralyzed.

The
paralysis is gone, but I still have residual pain. I've been wearing a

hard
cervical collar ever since, and it was scheduled to come off today.

I got to Boston Medical Center bright and early, only to find that my
doctor's office was being renovated and his new temporary quarters are
several city blocks away. DH drove, and amazingly found an on-street

parking
spot. I then had to go for X-rays, and for the first time in my life had

a
painful X-ray. The technician needed to see my neck all stretched out, so
she had me hold heavy sand bags while my head was in some sort of a clamp.
(Remnants of the Inquisition) Ow.

Finally, I brought the films up to the doctor's office. The doc's Office
Assistant, a total sweetie named Joann, reminded me that today was the day

to
get rid of the collar and brought a trash can into the exam room so I

could
be rid of it right away. The doc took the films and put them on the light
board. When he started frowning, I suspected the news wasn't good. When

he
broke out the sharpie and started circling areas on the X-ray film, I knew
it.

Unfortunately, my spine has not completely fused in the surgical area, and
the bone grafts haven't completely "taken." As I think about it, I'd bet
that it's because of my decades long steroid dependency, which

dramatically
slows down healing. Anyway, the upshot is that the hateful collar has to
remain in place at least another month, to give the area a chance to heal
naturally.

After the month is up, I have to have more of the stretch X-rays, and

we'll
see where to go from there. If the donor bone grafts aren't going to

take,
I'll need the surgery again, this time with metal plates and rods holding

my
neck together, and possibly a graft taken from my hip. The hip thing is
supposed to be unbearably painful, so I'm hoping that doesn't happen.

Oh yes, I am not allowed to go to the pain clinic right now -- my

appointment
was scheduled for Friday of this week. My surgeon feels that the neck is

too
delicate right now to let people massage it or do any manipulation. He
really wants me to wait until such time as I am totally healed. I am not
thrilled, but I see where he's coming from. I'll call and change my
appointment to sometime in September, which is the earliest the doc feels

I
can even consider the pain clinic.

Actually, I'm okay with that, because my pain has substantially lessened

in
the past week or so. I have been taking Singulair, an asthma medication

that
has the rare side effect of causing joint pain. Accidentally, I missed a
dose and noticed that my pain was a lot less horrid. So, I skipped a few
more doses, and the pain kicked down from about a 9 (at times) to maybe a

4.
To be sure it was the Singulair, I took a dose as an expiriment -- the

pain
was at full bore within hours. I expect that it's something in the
inflammation reducing qualities in Singulair that's zeroing in on my

injured
areas and really hurting me.

Anyhow, the collar stays. I am still prohibited from driving, and flying

to
Germany (I haven't given that idea up at all) is "out of the question."
[Insert sound of my heart breaking. How many of us have living

grandparents,
especially ones who are well enough to have big honkin' 90th birthday
parties? God, I want to be there.] I am still forbidden from going back

to
cardiac rehab or walking more than the length of a room without support.

My mom called to see how the appointment went, and was trying to be

chipper
when I told her that the collar stays. "Well, it's only a couple more
months."

Not very nicely, I snapped back: "A couple more months when it's a

hundred
freakin' degrees outside is not nothing!" A moment later I realized that
it's certainly not her fault and I apologized.

The only one who was moderately happy is DH. He has long suspected that

my
healing wasn't going as well as it could have, and feels relieved that the
doctor is taking the conservative route in treating me. To be sure, he's
rather enjoying driving my Bug, which would go away instantly if I had

lost
the collar today.

So, I'm lying low, keeping my fingers crossed to ward off further surgery
(Which would suck, big time.) The last "overnight" surgery kept me in the
hospital for a week. Any follow up surgery, where I'm already weakened

would
mean much more hospital time. My rented hospital bed is remaining in

place
for now, too -- the doc is worried about me getting whacked in the head or
back while sharing a bed with Bob, and he hates the idea of my using a
waterbed at all.

We're considering buying "twin queen" beds. Our bedroom is enormous, and
would easily accomodate two queen sized beds. That way, we'd still be
together, but we could accomodate my special needs and his desire to have

a
soft and squishy mattress. Sounds wierd, but it would work. Normal twin
beds would be out of the question: Bob is a seriously big person and

would
drape all over the edges of the little bed. And... the beds are close

enough
for ahem, visiting.

So, same old, same old. I'll have to be patient a little while longer.

I'm
concentrating on visualizing my neck healing and the graft taking -- it

can't
hurt, and it just might help.

Kathy N-V



Ads
  #2  
Old July 8th 03, 01:57 PM
Karen_AZ
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Bummer Kathy! I hope you've found an alternative to the Singulair in the
meantime.

I wish I could buy you tickets on the QE2....at least that could get you to
Germany gently. sigh

Lay low, take care of yourself and, pollyannaish as it sounds, enjoy the
fact that you ARE healing, even if it is slowly.

--
KarenK
Desert Dreamer Designs
http://members.cox.net/desertdreameraz/
Ebay Sto http://www.stores.ebay.com/desertdreamerdesigns
JustBeads: http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=DesertDreamer



  #3  
Old July 9th 03, 05:22 AM
Christina Peterson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Kathy,

May I have your permission to send you Reiki occassionally? Pete and I work
together to send energy to people at a distance, 2 or three times a week,
usually around 11PM Alaska time (3AM on the East coast).

Tina


"Kathy Nicklas-Varraso" wrote in message
.com...
To the new folks: I had a spinal fusion in my neck in April, due to disks
that had ruptured so badly that my left arm was pretty much paralyzed.

The
paralysis is gone, but I still have residual pain. I've been wearing a

hard
cervical collar ever since, and it was scheduled to come off today.

I got to Boston Medical Center bright and early, only to find that my
doctor's office was being renovated and his new temporary quarters are
several city blocks away. DH drove, and amazingly found an on-street

parking
spot. I then had to go for X-rays, and for the first time in my life had

a
painful X-ray. The technician needed to see my neck all stretched out, so
she had me hold heavy sand bags while my head was in some sort of a clamp.
(Remnants of the Inquisition) Ow.

Finally, I brought the films up to the doctor's office. The doc's Office
Assistant, a total sweetie named Joann, reminded me that today was the day

to
get rid of the collar and brought a trash can into the exam room so I

could
be rid of it right away. The doc took the films and put them on the light
board. When he started frowning, I suspected the news wasn't good. When

he
broke out the sharpie and started circling areas on the X-ray film, I knew
it.

Unfortunately, my spine has not completely fused in the surgical area, and
the bone grafts haven't completely "taken." As I think about it, I'd bet
that it's because of my decades long steroid dependency, which

dramatically
slows down healing. Anyway, the upshot is that the hateful collar has to
remain in place at least another month, to give the area a chance to heal
naturally.

After the month is up, I have to have more of the stretch X-rays, and

we'll
see where to go from there. If the donor bone grafts aren't going to

take,
I'll need the surgery again, this time with metal plates and rods holding

my
neck together, and possibly a graft taken from my hip. The hip thing is
supposed to be unbearably painful, so I'm hoping that doesn't happen.

Oh yes, I am not allowed to go to the pain clinic right now -- my

appointment
was scheduled for Friday of this week. My surgeon feels that the neck is

too
delicate right now to let people massage it or do any manipulation. He
really wants me to wait until such time as I am totally healed. I am not
thrilled, but I see where he's coming from. I'll call and change my
appointment to sometime in September, which is the earliest the doc feels

I
can even consider the pain clinic.

Actually, I'm okay with that, because my pain has substantially lessened

in
the past week or so. I have been taking Singulair, an asthma medication

that
has the rare side effect of causing joint pain. Accidentally, I missed a
dose and noticed that my pain was a lot less horrid. So, I skipped a few
more doses, and the pain kicked down from about a 9 (at times) to maybe a

4.
To be sure it was the Singulair, I took a dose as an expiriment -- the

pain
was at full bore within hours. I expect that it's something in the
inflammation reducing qualities in Singulair that's zeroing in on my

injured
areas and really hurting me.

Anyhow, the collar stays. I am still prohibited from driving, and flying

to
Germany (I haven't given that idea up at all) is "out of the question."
[Insert sound of my heart breaking. How many of us have living

grandparents,
especially ones who are well enough to have big honkin' 90th birthday
parties? God, I want to be there.] I am still forbidden from going back

to
cardiac rehab or walking more than the length of a room without support.

My mom called to see how the appointment went, and was trying to be

chipper
when I told her that the collar stays. "Well, it's only a couple more
months."

Not very nicely, I snapped back: "A couple more months when it's a

hundred
freakin' degrees outside is not nothing!" A moment later I realized that
it's certainly not her fault and I apologized.

The only one who was moderately happy is DH. He has long suspected that

my
healing wasn't going as well as it could have, and feels relieved that the
doctor is taking the conservative route in treating me. To be sure, he's
rather enjoying driving my Bug, which would go away instantly if I had

lost
the collar today.

So, I'm lying low, keeping my fingers crossed to ward off further surgery
(Which would suck, big time.) The last "overnight" surgery kept me in the
hospital for a week. Any follow up surgery, where I'm already weakened

would
mean much more hospital time. My rented hospital bed is remaining in

place
for now, too -- the doc is worried about me getting whacked in the head or
back while sharing a bed with Bob, and he hates the idea of my using a
waterbed at all.

We're considering buying "twin queen" beds. Our bedroom is enormous, and
would easily accomodate two queen sized beds. That way, we'd still be
together, but we could accomodate my special needs and his desire to have

a
soft and squishy mattress. Sounds wierd, but it would work. Normal twin
beds would be out of the question: Bob is a seriously big person and

would
drape all over the edges of the little bed. And... the beds are close

enough
for ahem, visiting.

So, same old, same old. I'll have to be patient a little while longer.

I'm
concentrating on visualizing my neck healing and the graft taking -- it

can't
hurt, and it just might help.

Kathy N-V



 




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