Painiac

The surgeries are over. Now, I can breathe a heavy sigh of relief. 

Yesterday started out pretty rough. I didn’t get any sleep the night before because I was in so much pain from the injections and I wasn’t allowed to take any meds before the surgeries. I woke up with a really bad burning and sharp shooting spasming back/hip/leg. I was aslo starrrvvvvving because I wasn’t allowed to eat anything before the surgeries. In case you didn’t know, Shelly minus food + pain= horrible mood. 

Actually, I wasn’t in a bad ‘mood’, just really antsy and ready to get this thing done. 

They moved my appointment up by an hour, so that cut some of the waiting time off. 

When we got to the clinic I was overcome with pain and emotions and sleep deprivation and hunger. It was a bad combination, especially when you throw in a heavy amount of anxiety. 

The main anxiety and fear surfaced because I was/am unable to lie down, the pain is just so severe that I physically am unable to flex into a straight, flat position, and it is killer. After spending about 30 minutes in tears and rocking back and forth (repetitive movement and rocking takes my mind off of the pain and burning of my back and legs) the nurse came in with a teddy bear (wearing scrubs and a scrub mask), and most importantly, she came in with drugs. I’m a pretty holistic minded person, not resorting to the use of a lot of pain meds (they usually make me sick anyway) but when I saw her coming in with multiple doses of morphine and several other major pain meds and anti-anxiety meds, I was pretty pleased. Anything to get me to lose the pain and get me to lie on the operating table. 

The Doctor, Dr. M is a saint. I’ve seen my share of physicians ( about 33 to be exact) and none of them have the bedside manner and calm approach that Dr. M has. He and his team took such good care of me and made me and my family feel at ease. Before we went into the O.R, Dr. M said a beautiful prayer for a swift and steady surgery and a speedy healing recovery. He is an exceptional healer and I am so fortunate to have found him as my physician. 

Once my spirits were lifted and after a few shots of the happy juice into my IV, I was a sleepy, woozy, and cooperative camper. I don’t remember this, but the Doctors and nurses said that I climbed right up on the operating table -with no problems. It was like magic. 

The procedure, three surgeries,  lasted for about 2.5 hours. I wasn’t asleep for the 2.5 hours, which is quite the mental trip, listening to the Doctors talk about your nerves, spinal cord and joints. I listened to my Ipod and music ( specifically Meditations for a Successful Surgery, courtesy of Morgan) and tried to go in and out of ‘sleep’. 

The procedure was pretty intense. They didn’t put me to sleep because I needed to be alert and respond to the Doctor when he was working on my nerves. I was numb from the waist down but could still feel major needles and incisions going into my spine. It felt like someone was drilling into me. At one point, I believe when he was performing the rhizotomy, I felt burning sensations and electric currents in my Right leg and foot. It was not really painful but not pleasant, and I was really glad when that part of the procedure was over! 

My Dad was in the OR again and that made me much more at ease. He was near my head at the table and held my hand when the procedure was more intense. It was great to have him there. 

Afterward, I was wheeled into the recovery room and bandaged up. When I got up to try and walk to my wheelchair, I felt an immediate relief of the heavy, pulling pain that I have lived with for over 3 1/2 years. I was/am really sore and my legs are weak from the nerve stimulations but I am much more capable of moving and standing. 

The Doctor said that my spinal cord had so much severe spinal stenosis (spinal cord narrowing) that he hadn’t seen such a severe case on a patient under the age of 90! 

Apparently I had all this, for lack of a better term, gunk blocking my canal and compressing on my nerves. He freed the nerve and blocked the pain receptors from being irritated again. 

We purchased a walking cane and some pain medication for me. It’s going to be a long road to recovery, but I’m on the right path now. I have to learn how to walk again and move with my body, and retrain my muscles to function properly. 

It’s a major step in the right direction and I couldn’t be happier!