My surgery is scheduled for November 2.
I am now doing all my preparations.
I go to my primary care physician on October 20 to get clearance for the
surgery. I have been fitted for my cervical
collar that I will have to wear for three months. I have paid my co-pays for all my MRI’s,
X-Ray’s, etc.
 |
| Oh what fun! |
I went to “YouTube” to see if there were videos of the procedure.
(The procedure is called
cervical anterior discectomy and fusion.)
There were.
I am having four discs removed, C4, C5, C6 and C7. I will be in the hospital a bit longer. To my surprise there were also videos of
others who had the same procedure.
They
shared their experiences.
This was very
helpful as it gave me firsthand information on what to expect before, during
and after surgery.
It was also so
interesting to hear other people talk about the exact same pain I have been
having for the last 12 years.
I can’t
believe there are others out there going through the same thing.
One thing most of them said (and I was
advised by the man who fitted my collar) is that you have to sleep in a
recliner while you recover.
It’s too
difficult to get in and out of bed.
My friend
Tom is letting me borrow his recliner.
I
also figured I should get some real good quality pillows.
I purchased two King pillows yesterday at
Costco ($80 for both!).
Another thing mentioned by people on YouTube was that eating is rough because
you’ll have what feels like a very sore throat.
During the procedure they have to move your trachea over so they can get
to your spine. The aftermath of the pulling
and moving of the trachea gives you the feeling of a sore throat. So, I am going to buy some “smooth foods” to
eat, such as pudding, yogurt, etc.
I’m so fortunate to have such amazing friends at my side (in addition
to Drew). Three of my friends, Tom, Mary
and Kelley are actually taking off work the day of my surgery so they can be
there for me. It’s almost like it’s
going to be a little party (that’s what I keep telling myself).
So, now I’ve got two and a half weeks left before I will be out of commission
for three months (or more). Time to get
the outdoor gazebo and furniture stored and covered. Get as many leaves raked as possible. And one big thing I want to do before my
surgery is to have a dinner at Clearbrook and Everyday People Café. Once I have that collar on I’m not sure how
much I will want to be seen in public.
Plus, I won’t be able to eat like that for a while.
One nice thing before my surgery is that I will be able to see Ray’s
sister, Susie, from Colorado. She is
coming up this week to visit with Marguerite.
They will spend some time in Detroit and then come back here and we’re
going to get together. I’ve been very
fortunate that the Riker family has kept me in their care. I’m honored that they keep in touch with me,
care about my well being and treat me like blood family. It’s nice because I feel like a part of him
is still with me.
It's hard to believe that in less than three months it will be six years since Ray passed away. The upcoming months will be hard on me as the memories of that time of year in 2009 will flood my soul again. - Jimmy
I decided to order "old school" at Everyday People Café. I ate items that have been on their menu since the beginning. In the past I've talked about photos bringing back memories - but WOW, flavors and smells really bring back the past. We had the drunken shrimp Sambuca as an appetizer. Then, I had the house salad with the "garlic, basil, creamy, dreamy dressing" (as Ray and I called it). For my entrée I had the gorgonzola pork chop. Every single bite brought back a memory. As I was eating I could totally picture just leaving the restaurant and walking right down the street to the Kirby House and taking a dip in the pool or hot tub. It was like going back in time. I even thought of my great friend Dawn Bloomfield who passed away last week. It was a really sentimental dinner.
