So with the speaker phone on my cell he comes on and thanks us for speaking to him.. He goes on to tell us that his first suspicion of the screws being loose and cage moving was not right. Because what he sees in the CT scan is a fracture of the sacrum that is 30% displaced, and he feels that since week #3 it started as a hairline fracture maybe being pulled from the strength of the screws and it has just grown over the weeks, until it became the current fracture all the while pressing down on the nerves as it was pulled away from the sacrum. That he would show us the films on Thursday when we came in but that he wanted to let us know that it wasn't his first thoughts from last visit. He said this is a major surgical complication, and he would have to do some research as to the proper way to fix it, as it's a rare occurance for a break. But that he'd see us Thursday.
After hearing the news it was something to have a couple of days to "think" on and to know it's going to be another surgical fix. Ashley was listening and so when it was over and we had asked our questions and hung up.. We had her show us on the internet skeletal websites we'd pull up just what the heck was he talking about and where is the sacrum.. so we knew where it was and now just had to wait to see how it applied to me.
While to the dr and staff, they are hustling to get me into appts that are a week apart, I am still SUFFERING daily with the side affects. How the burning and vice squeeze on the left foot and the "cracking" with certain adjustments just plays with the pyschee and on the body.
Thursday we arrived for the 1:30 appt and we waited, and waited. Oh yea we were finally called back at 2:30 (I hate to wait) and than we sat in the exam room for some more time, but Veronica brought in the CT films and placed them into the wall viewer for Gregs amusement. As he looked them over I laid on the exam bed and waited, sleeping some. So when the Dr. came in and he started to explain the pictures and pointed to where the problem lies.. It made sense from his phone description and we could see the fracture and the little triangle piece. I'm sitting in the chair now after seeing the picture knowing that "this is going to hurt" resolution. So the Dr and Greg are discussing devices and angles, where they go, and how the devices work .. I'm hearing it. We were in the office for about 1-1/2 hrs. So we agreed with him, and he told me to get in to see the Vascular surgeon Dr Acker, ASAP which I took to mean like today or tomorrow. And "that he would do surgery on any day that worked for Dr Acker as his schedule is must busier than mine"
As we get in the car, I immediately call the vascular surgeon (who DOES NOT have a compassionate receptionist Suzanne but instead when your in the office and open the door she does not call your name out of the crowd, she glares at you and than when no one stands up, just says "are you coming" as she looks in your general direction, good grief). So yep, she answers and when she gets my name says "oh I just pulled your file" and than proceeds to give me an appointment for the end of next week on Thursday, and I said you have nothing sooner.. she replies "No, he's not in the office"... So I take it and hang up. Greg hustles back into the office and tells Veronica what day we got and she says "oh she is really a piece of work, but I will set up surgery date with her before Thursday".. When Greg came back to the car and told me that, it didn't set right that I was going to have to wait another week for just an appt to hear the "scary" details, most of which we heard before the first surgery. As we head home, I'm thinking and I dial Veronica's office only to find that her mailbox is full. So I redial and get the appt desk and that we just left office appt and I MUST speak to Veronica, so she takes my name and transfers me. When she picks up I tell her what I am thinking that "it is going to drag this way out if I have to wait for an appt just to hear the scary details can I waive that and we just schedule" and her response was that "I can certainly try and call them and see if he would do that and than to call her back". I said "well I am going to speak with the office manager Sheila" and she tells me "her name is Shellie".. So I dial Dr. Ackers office back and ask to "speak to the office manager Shellie" who happens to be the surgeons sweet wife and I've spoken to her before. So I begin to tell her the predicament that I'm in "that I need surgery and want to waive hearing the scary story that he generally has to tell you prior to surgery and that the appt I got from Suzanne was the end of next week." She replies that "the two dr's had talked a week ago and so she was somewhat familiar with it and she than says that I must also tell you that we will be on vacation Sept 8-15" and when she says this I START BAWLING and sniveling "that I have been in pain for weeks and that I have a fractured sacrum and if anyone else had one they'd get it fixed right away and I'm now going to have to wait for three weeks" and she starts sputtering "I will try to reach him as he is on trauma call today and not in the office and she what he says, maybe he will waive it, but he'll want to explain the procedure since it's different"... and I'm sniveling and "saying thank you, oh thank you" she asked "for phone number to reach me back".
We were home about 10 minutes and than my cell phone rings, it is Dr. Acker. I was just about going to make the long walk upstairs and than turned and walked over to the couch where Greg and Ashley were sitting. I put him on speaker phone and he asks me "are you giving me signed consent over the phone" "YES YES" is my response. And so he goes through explaining how this procedure compared to the one done on June 29th and the how the incision would be located differently on the abdomen, what he would or might encounter.. and so he asks "do you have any questions" and I reply "having understood that it is going to be tricky, and a possible danger, but that I trust him completely as he did excellent with the first surgery and am trusting him again", he asked Greg if he had any questions and he did not so he says "well, I believe they are working on a Tuesday schedule, do you want to see me Monday in the office?" I reply "no, I am good with having heard it". He says, "okay it would appear that the next time I see you will be in the operating room".. I tell him "thank you for reacting to this situation so quickly and I appreciate Shellie having given you a call"..
So once we hung up, I had an overwhelming sense of relief that soon.. it would be dealt with.
Please pray for;
- the doctors as they will operate in the early morning, their ability with the technical tools that are needed to make this procedure successful will be at it highest level.
- for Greg, and the kids as they wait on surgery day for the answer from the dr and than as they care for me when I return home.
- for Lorinda, as with all that has occurred over the last several years with the two ankle lesion surgeries, and this back surgery needing to be corrected, that she will have an upbeat and appreciative spirit for what has and can be done medically.
Should anyone in our local area have the ability to provide a main dish that can be frozen, or a dessert.. this will once again be a long period of recovery for Lorinda. The family has been living on the occasional home cooked meal, lots of sandwiches and to much fast food, so it would be nice to have some things they could draw on from the freezer. This will be much appreciated.
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