Monday, May 17, 2010

My neck, it was worth it!

It all started with pain in my arm that wouldn't go away. For about six weeks I went from one doctor to another trying to find out what could be wrong with my arm. It was pretty frustrating. The doctor determined I had 'Radiculitis'. I have always had stiff necks off and on for as long as I can remember. Finally the doctor suggested xrays of my neck. The xrays showed some major problems, bulging discs and bone spurs, so that doctor sent me to another doctor. This doctor offered epidural injections to relieve the pain but first would need an MRI. I have to admit I was very anxious at this point to just get some relief. So two days later I was getting an MRI and two days after that I would have the injections. Or so I thought, I got a phone call from the nurse and was told that my neck was "a really bad neck" that they would not be able to do the injections. I was then referred to a neuro-surgeon 4 hours away. This doctor came highly recommended and I would like to say that I agree. He told me that I needed to have three discs in my neck repaired and fused. This sounded pretty scary to me, but after a detailed discussion the fear went away. The greatest concern was the disc that was pushing on my spinal cord. By this point the pain had turned to my arm being numb for about fifty percent of the time. It was decided that I would move ahead with the surgery as soon as we could. Although I was a nervous wreck about it, I knew that I'd be fine. Surgery went very well, I spend only one night in the hospital. Three weeks later I am still recovering but really do feel fine. The main thing I was worried about was losing mobility in my neck. I may not be able to turn my head as much as I used to but I am out of pain. It was so worth it.


The day I came home from the hospital. I couldn't wait to get home to my comfy chair and stayed there for three days.

I felt so much better on Mothers Day. Soon you won't be able to even see a scar. I go back to the doctor the middle of June for an xray and final check-up, I expect all good news. It's healing nicely, everything is good!

2 comments:

  1. We're so glad everything turned out ok! It's healing really well too. I still laugh when I think about how Kylie was scared to come near you the first day she saw you. :) Next time, I'll just keep my mouth shut!

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  2. you are such a trooper! my BFF I am just happy to see how well you are and how quickly you returned to work...just take it slowly and don't over do it....ok! and BTW YOU LOOK GREAT!

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