Am due at hospital at 4pm Sunday for surgery at 4pm on Monday. Seems like such a waste of time to go to hospital the day before but hey, I'm not running this show.
Please send some good thoughts my way on Sunday night US time and thank you all so much for your help and advice. I am truly humbled.
I'll try and keep in touch via my blackberry but you never know. Otherwise I should be out by Friday so will let you all know how it goes.
You are prepared and will do fine. Good thoughts and prayers your way. You will be up and around before you know it - like 1am, Tuesday morning when they get you up to walk and go potty. Really, I am wishing you good success and speedy recovery.
Juliet, I wish the best of luck & will keep you in my prayers for a successful surgery. When you up to it let us know how your doing. Remember all the good posts you have read lately on fusions & think postive. Try not to worry all will go well. God bless, Sammy
It's probably already Monday--hope when you awaken, you see a smile on your surgeon's face--and the words that it went better than expected. My best to you and the best recovery and outcome ever.
geez, i am aways late for things. sorry i couldn't send you off with my good wishes too hon. but i am sure you will do fine juliet. you know all you need to now just to help yourself heal the right way. will be awaiting your next post hon. good luck, Marcia
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3-22-01,herniated C-6-7
11-20-01,placement of hardware for failed fusion
9-22-03,removal of cavernous hemangioma that was inside spinal cord. Neuro damage to L hand L leg and R leg.
Thank you for all your well wishes. Unfortunately my surgery was cancelled just after I was wheeled down to theatre. I was devasted. It was cancelled because the theatre staff had been working too many hours. My neuro has been great and rebooked it for tomorrow - unfortunately that was cancelled by the hospital the morning after it was booked due to more staff problems. It is now 21 May and I've been promised by the hospital that this won't change again. I really hope that this is the case because it's really hard to keep gearing yourself up only to have it cancelled. It's hard on my family too.
Always best to have a well rested operating room staff when you go in! I've had this happen when there's been an emergency surgery they had to put into the schedule or a surgery took longer than expected.
But here's the optimistic side(always try to find that!). Really big, bad surgeries end up going first at most hospitals so if your last or late day, you know your aren't a "big, bad surgery" but something seen as relatively easy by your doc. Nice to think of it that way...isn't it.
Yes, Jenny, it is nice to think about it that way. However my surgery is 'big and scary' in my eyes. It's a 3 - 4 hour operation and my surgeon usually operates of an afternoon and evening because he works better that way. His theatre hours start at 1pm and I'm first off - the only reason I wasn't last week was because I chose my own anaesthetist and he couldn't be there until later. I'm sure that there will be no big problems with my surgery but it is a big operation as there is a lot of damage and trying to think about it as something that it isn't makes me more stressed. Does that make sense? I know the risks and I accept them. i only wish that I had done so earlier so that I wouldn't have the lasting damage that I do now. However, with a dangerous thoracic surgery and a liver resection in the same period, I just couldn't face it.
Thanks Gaa, I know you are right and I'll be so relieved when it's over. It's not until next Thurs, 21 May. Can't wait to get it over with. Recovery time is so boring. I don't think the cervical stuff will be that bad - I'm more worried about thoracic pain. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the hard collar - 12 weeks with it won't be as bad as I thought (I hope!) a man came in and measured my neck and then made up a collar for me. For some reason I thought that there were sizes but they actually make them specifically for your individual neck - that's great considering how long we have to wear them. Thanks again. Juliet
