Home Sweet Home

For today Sept. 11th this is a memorable day in that we remember those whose lives were lost in 2001 by terrorists using planes to steal, kill and destroy. The horror of that event you will never forget

What have I been up to the last 11 days?
Today I came home from the hospital / Physical Rehab after a total of 11 days post surgery Sept 1st. The first incision was made Dr. Ravessoud on the lower back (9 in staples & straight as an arrow) the two rods & 4 screws were put into to pull the fracture up & off the nerves that the broken piece had fallen away & join back up with the sacrum it originially came from. When all was deemed well, they closed up & rolled me over. Dr. Acker than made the 2nd incision from my belly button down to ..... about 7 in. & he got the opening made past the organs, blood vessels etc & than Dr. Ravessoud went in an removed the first fusion cage screws and somehow got it out of the area (hmm pain causer..? yep) & than he installed the new but older version of a fusion cage that has upper and lower "keel blades" which the blades go into the vertebrae with the turn of a key like tool from the front. He than is done and Dr. Acker backs him out putting everything back in place and staples me shut.

Now in the days after surgery I was SO VERY SORE having pain from incisions generating from the front and back but mostly the back. Moving was not exactly impossible it just took some strategic BREATHING out deeply and yet it's easier to just hold you breath in those moments. My physical therapists and Ashley who was there quite often were reminding me to breathe out all the way when rolling or sitting up.. But than being that an incision was made low in the front and the stomach / intestines were moved, they can somewhat go dormant and that becomes a concern for a couple days as you try to sip not drink, no eating or very little from the liquid diet plate. So by the time that Saturday came around that they would have sent me home, I stayed till Sunday as I WAS NOT READY and had I gone directly home it would have been a burden for Greg and I probably just would have stayed in bed and not made much progress. Stomach /intestines were still not working in cooperation. Now there is more detail to that but I will pass on explaining...

So on Sunday night I was wheeled on short notice from the 4th floor to the 1st floor Memorial West Rehab for 3 hours a day of physical therapy. P/T is great for moving the correction of the stomach/intestine issues with walking & also to gain a better knowledge for how to work with the incisions, gaining strength, muscle tone. I went in weak & within a couple of days I was moving about so much better. Now consider for a moment that I have been mostly bed ridden for 10 or so weeks since June 29 surgery & I had lost alot of strength/muscle tone as no rehab could be done with the situation I was in. I remained at the rehab wing for 5 days & came home this morning at 10:00 am & it was so good to be heading home after an 11 day absence. "There is no place like home, there is no place like home". The noon lunch of Taco Stew was soooooo delicious..

Life goes on and I look forward to it. Slowly at first trust me...