Here We Go Again...

Do you ever wonder, "When will it end? When will my life be 'normal'? Was it EVER 'normal' or is this it?" Well, if you have - you're not alone! I am 7 months post-op from my most recent surgery in late November, where Dr. Clements performed a washout surgery, repairing a tear in the dura (the delicate sheath protecting the spinal cord). A tear is rather common in any kind of lumbar surgery and given the extensive nature of what I had done last year, a tear is no less surprising than was the pain following the surgery.

So, the last 6 months has been full of exciting and not-so-exciting things. In January we listed out house (on a Thursday to be exact) and by Monday we had 9 offers and sold our house in record time! No one EVER expected that. A true blessing for sure. We moved to PA, to a small town in the county full of rolling hills, farms and farmers markets! The kids couldn't be happier - they've adjusted far better than I ever could have imagined. My husbands' 90-minute commute home is now just 25 minutes and we're knee-deep in making this house our home. New paint (top to bottom), new flower beds and even a fenced-off garden in the back of the yard. It's lovely, really. A covered front porch with flowers and a swing and a paver patio great for entertaining and BBQ'ing. Heck, it even has a fire pit set with paver stones and gravel. Everything is falling into place nicely.

UNTIL...a point in early May when the headaches I've been having for 6+ months got so bad that I went to see an ENT (convinced it was another sinus infection), who then referred me to a neurologist the next day, who THEN sent me straight to the ER with a suspected low-pressure, low CSF headache. I was admitted right from the ER, spent 3 days in a local community hospital, and then was transferred to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital under the service of their headache specialist and neurologist. He too, was convinced that my headaches stemmed from low CSF pressure and that the only way to fix it was via a 'blood patch' which with all my fusion and bone would not be accessible or surgery to repair the leak. The headaches build as the morning and day goes on...and when they're really bad, I feel really nauseous. They're headaches that respond to nothing, medication-wise, as far as relief goes. With these kinds of headaches, this IS no relief except to lay back down and pray that I'll fall back to sleep.

I saw 3 specialists and consulted with two over the phone, the overwhelming majority was undeniable. My orthopedic surgeon had me see his neurosurgeon specialist last week and he was convinced that I needed surgery to repair what he suspected and was 75%+ sure of was a CSF leak. After speaking with my orthopedic surgeon this AM, he told me that if I were to have the surgery, it needs to be now, sooner than later. He said that although he's done thousands of spine and scoliosis surgeries, he has never done THIS kind of surgery, where he has no idea of how long the surgery will take and has no idea how long I'll be in the hospital because he has no idea how things will go once he's in there. Having never come up against a "case like this" with a patient presenting with atypical low-pressure headache symptoms, he's just not sure what he's going to come up against once' he's in there. For once, just once, I wish something about me was 'typical' or 'commonplace.' Unfortunately though, nothing about me or my scoliosis is 'typical' aside from the curves.

I need time to think...pray...reflect...on what I am about to potentially have to face...again...with time come clarity - and hopefully peace. I just want desperately to live a boring life, enjoying my family and children...and not having to worry about when my "other shoe" will drop. So for now, I pray...