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In 2012, I had 2 operations back-to-back. It was an excruciating and grueling recovery. I was doing well until about 8wks post-op when I broke my back (T12 transverse process) in therapy. I spent another 10 days in the hospital and a month in an acute rehab facility. I was in a clamshell brace for over 8 months with no improvement. I underwent surgery #5 on 11/20/12 and required a 6th surgery on 11/24 due to serious complications. After spending another month in the hospital, I finally came home on 12/21/12. Recovery has been difficult and challenges seem to pop up whenever they get the chance. My most pronounced challenge are these terrible positional headaches that started in early 2013. I had a prior CSF leak in Nov 2012 however both the neurosurgeon and ortho surgeon believe it's occurring all over again as my brain MRI shows "clear & obvious indications of a CSF leak." I had at least 1/2 dozen consults with various specialists to determine what would be the best course of treatment and since bed rest hasn't worked, surgery is the only option left. Surgery #7 is full of unknowns regarding length of surgery, stay and recovery.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Here we go again...Surgery #5

Well for any of you who've been following me and my blog, I thank you and wish I had this earth-shattering wonderful news to share with you all...BUT, after another visit with my orthopedic surgeon, such is not the case.

Back in March (24th to be exact), I somehow broke my T12 transverse process.  I was fitted for a TLSO (a back brace) and spent a month in a rehab hospital getting strong enough to come home. I came home and was doing fairly well but continued with pain of varying sorts.  Slowly, "things" started getting harder, my balance was getting worse, my strength seemed to wax and wane. My entire right side from my knee to my shoulder blades started to hurt more and more. But my doctor kept saying "Everthing looked fine" - everything was clearly NOT fine. I fell on my bedroom floor last weekend and my right foot continues to turn purple if I, my leg goes numb when out for breakfast and my right foot is always soooooo much colder than my left.

Today, the orthopedic surgeon was clearly disappointed to see that the T12 has not healed at this point. It should've healed by mid-May, so by 4 months it most definitely should have healed. It is still broken clear thru side to side, left to right thru solid bone (SEE BELOW: dead-center eye level)




So with that news, the only way to fix it and stabilize the spine and vertebrae is to extend the fusion up to T2-3.  He would leave the current screws in place in my lumbar spine, add more screws on either side of my spine up until the point at which he was satisfied, remove the current bars on either side of my spine and then place new ones (bars) the entire length of my spine.  Sound familiar?? Didn't we just DO this??  Ugh.  I often wonder why he didn't do this to begin with but at the time, his answer was "Your thoracic spine is solidly fused at this point so there would be no point in refusing that area."

So, I don't know...that's where I am...Oh yeah, on Monday my god-father is taking me to have spinal injections into my SI (sacroiliac) joint and tibial nerve under sedation. Thank GOD for sedation, and for poor uncle who will be here at the not-so-bright but very early time of 6am.  His hope is that it will help with my leg pain and numbness and my right hip pain.  Fixing T12 by fusing all the way will hopefully fix the very painful areas along and just right of my spine.  Dear Lord, I pray it works.
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