Hanging in There, But Barely

Here I am....home from the hospital and still in one piece.



I arrived at the hospital at 5:30am on Thursday morning...yes that meant waking up at 4am. I was glad I got an induced sleep later, but I felt sorry for Tommy. Everything went as planned....kissed Tommy good-bye at 7:30am and headed back for surgery. I remember thinking as they wheeled me back, "Wait! Stop! I've changed my mind!" I was very scared. I assumed that I would already be sleeping when they wheeled me back, but I wasn't. The surgery doors opened and I remember seeing so many people scrambling around doing their part. It was very cold and I really started to panic. I had to just close my eyes and tell myself that I was going to be okay.



I remember being told by a doctor that this medicine might sting a bit....yep, he was right...my arm felt like it was on fire. That was the last thing I remember....scary how fast a drug can put you out and how you will never be able to recall those lost hours. This was the first time I had ever been put under general anesthesia, which is why it was very difficult for me to wake up in recovery. Apparently, I had been in there for 2 1/2 hrs, but never really fully woke up. I just couldn't open my eyes and was soooo tired.



The surgery went well. The L5 disk was as damaged as the doctor had expected, which is to say there was no disk left. The S1 disk was questionable and the extent of repair would be determined once they got in there. The S1 disk was in pretty bad shape and needed to be replaced and fused also. There was quite a bit of nerve damage that wasn't expected which has left my right leg numb from the knee down. The left leg had some numbness too, but has already regained most of the feeling there. This could take a few weeks to return to normal. It is very hard to walk when you can't feel one of your feet.

I have to say that I am a big fan of muscle relaxers and hydrocodone....it makes everything better! I feel 50 pounds lighter (now that's a way to loose weight) and apparently I can fly with the best of them. The warm and comfy feeling I get with those is wonderful. It keeps the pain away and lets me rest, which is what is important I guess.

Meanwhile, Tommy now has a terrible virus. He has been down in bed since yesterday afternoon and I haven't seen much of him. I hope he starts to feel better soon because I am exhausted doing things on my own without his help. Amanda has been in school all day and Josh has been here off and on running errands, going to job interviews and taking to boys to T-ball when needed.

I'm hanging in there, but barely...maybe tomorrow will be better!