Chapter 7

Week 31

I have had a week of very good days. No pain. Only very mild soreness at the bottom of my right scapula. I have been looking at on-line anatomy books and wondering if I have something muscular or neurological going on. No plans to address this for a few months. I am really only aware of the soreness at night if I roll over on my right side and when I find the tender spots with the thera-cane. Sometimes I can feel a very slight ache down my right arm and into my fingertips.

 My energy is good, although I slept for 2 hours late in the afternoon on Saturday after a full-tilt day. Saw a cousin over the weekend when he was in from St. Louis and found a soul mate! He had a double fusion two years ago and is doing great. We commiserated over the lengthy and painful process prior to surgery, the endless research, and the relief after the surgery. He is a business consultant and approached finding a surgeon and deciding about the type of surgery like closing a business deal.

 I also just received a copy of the neurosurgeon’s bill, fully covered by insurance. With the hospital charges, it amounted to $17,000. Truly the gold seal treatment for cervical disc disease with bone spurs. I feel lucky to have been able to make the choice. Driving through one of the poorer neighborhoods in the metro area this week, I was struck by the number of chiropractic offices. Perhaps the fact that only 20% of CDD sufferers have surgery has to do with (1) the complexity of the decision-making process and (2) the cost of the surgery, in addition to the natural healing that takes place for many people. The relief and peace of mind that I feel is partly the result of the resources I could access and mobilize.

 Week 33

Another very good week with no pain and very little soreness. Went for my post-op 5 week x-ray and visit to the neurosurgeon. I was surprised that, walking into the hospital’s admitting area and radiology department, I was very nervous and had to practice deep breathing so as not to hyperventilate. I have had a lot of trauma associated with hospitals over the last 18 months. I was by myself and realized how important having my husband  or my mother-in-law with me has been this year. Took the x-rays up to the doctor’s office with me. The waiting room was packed, and  very, very quiet. I looked around at people and felt very, very lucky. One middle-aged couple in the corner made me want to cry. The wife was sitting in a wheelchair, asleep or perhaps drugged. Her husband sat across from her, knee-to-knee, cradling her face in his hands. He sat that way for at least a half hour. So tender, so sad.

 Visit with the surgeon was fine. I am released from the collar. The x-rays, which I chose not to look at, indicated that I am healing just fine. I do have a slight thickening on one end of my incision, called a keloid. Not much to do about it, although I can visit with a plastic surgeon for a consult. I thanked the doctor and chuckled that he, along with the rest of the medical professionals I have seen over the long haul of this ordeal, will be prominently featured and thanked in the acknowledgement section of my dissertation, which I should finish in about 4 months. He smiled, and gave my arm a squeeze. The crisis is over. I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Table of Contents