Day Seventeen

Today I basically did nothing but sleep. Did some work, did my exercises and made sure I got my walking in around the house, but mostly just slept. I think I was drained from Monday and Tuesday, plus I really have not slept for any more than 20-30 minutes at any time for over three weeks. And I'm sorry, but small naps just aren't the same as normal sleeping patterns! What was great today was that I was able to sleep for hours without waking up, so that's a plus. I actually slept for six hours straight last night - what a victory!

It's not a fun way to spend New Year's Eve - and it's even more pathetic that people need to keep reminding me that it's New Year's Eve! But it really doesn't bother me.

In terms of pain, it's pretty much the same except my knee and ankle joints are really killing me today. I can't take any anti-inflammatory medication, so I just have to live with it. I feel like today was a pretty useless day, but am hopeful tomorrow will be better.

I know 2008 was rough for a lot of people, so here's hoping 2009 brings everyone some much needed good health, happiness, laughter and good memories.

Day Sixteen - We're Home!

Brad and I woke up early this morning (3am for me, 6am for Brad), got some work-related stuff done, packed up the car and were driving out of the hotel parking lot by 10:15am. That was a good time considering I had a really bad afternoon yesterday and had an even more difficult evening, which prevented us from doing much pre-packing on Monday.

Instead of a lot of short stops during the ride, we did three longer stops along the 380 mile trip. With a pillow behind my back I found myself quite comfortable, with the exception of front incision and right hip irritation/pain. The weather was sunny and perfect, and we managed to make it home around 7pm.

Brad and I have never been away from home before this long; in fact, the longest was a ten day vacation we took back in 2000 when we lived in Minnesota. Pulling into the garage, walking in through the door and seeing our beautiful home was like being in heaven. Brad unpacked the car, I got supper ready (thanks to my mom, who had dropped off a home-cooked meal that just needed to be reheated), and then we sat down and had dinner at our home. It was wonderful.

The ultimate part for me is our couch. I love our couch; it has nursed me through hundreds of bad pain days. I've had this couch in my mind the whole time I was in Baltimore, and I must say it did not disappoint. The moment I sat down I knew my road to recovery was going to be that much easier. It's like sitting on a cloud, absorbing every ounce of pain I have and removing it from my body. I could not be more content right now.

There is truly no better place than home.

On a separate note, still nothing new to report on Brad's mom. She is still in the hospital; Brad will be talking to the nurses tonight to find out anything new from today. It's always tough talking with nurses on the phone, as the patients are first priority so most conversations are 30-60 seconds before they have to run off and tend to someone. I'm hoping he can get some much needed answers tonight.

Day 15 - Part 2

Brad wanted me to pass on his sincere thanks for all of the messages and prayers regarding his mom. She was transferred to Des Moines and has received a blood transfusion; she'll likely be in the hospital for a few days. There are still lots of tests being done, so there are still a lot of unknowns.

I received clearance to go home tomorrow. I didn't have a great afternoon, but hopefully Brad and I can get some much needed sleep tonight before the trip. The goal is to hit the road no later than 10am, and hopefully be back in Cleveland in the early evening. I know the car ride will be rough, but I just want to get it over with.

Hopefully the next time I blog I'll be doing it from Ohio!

Day 15 - Part 1

First, Brad's mom was transferred to a Des Moines hospital last night for tests and potential treatments. Brad is having a hard time getting answers from anyone at the hospital, so there is still a lot of waiting and we're still not sure what is going on. I think it's a given that he will be heading for Iowa, but he's struggling with when that should exactly happen. The situation with me complicates things, but I keep trying to tell him to leave me out of the equation. We'll do whatever we need to for things to happen. I would go to the end of the earth and back for him, to help him in whatever way I can for him and his mom. I could care less about my own situation at the moment.

In regards to me, I got clearance from the home health nurse this morning. I'm meeting with the case manager at 12:30 at the hospital to wrap things up so we can head home. They believe the main cause of my pain is from bursitis, specifically in my right hip. If one of the fellow's is still around, they may give me an injection for the pain while I'm there.

I'll write more later, as hopefully we'll know more about Brad's mom soon.

Need Prayers

Though we are still trying to find out information, we just found out that Brad's mom is being taken to a local hospital at this moment. While she is awake and talking to Brad on his cell at this time, her health is such that we are very concerned. We are hoping that it is just a result of recent anemia she has been dealing with, and nothing more. Please keep Brad's wonderful mom Carolyn and the Fairfield family in your prayers at this time.

Day Fourteen

Today the pain got the best of me. Had a lot of trouble sleeping, and even more trouble getting comfortable today. I didn't really sleep at all during the day either, so I'm hoping to go to bed after I'm done with this and hopefully get a few hours of sleep in.

It was a very unproductive day, which is frustrating. My mind wants to do things, but the pain makes it difficult to focus. The biggest thing I did today was update my "story" on an online message board/information center regarding artificial discs. People who have had the procedure or who are looking to have it done usually find themselves there; I've been a member since February 2005. There are a lot of active discussions, and people are encouraged to share information so others may find benefit from it. Given the rarity of my situation, I have been doing my best to keep people up-to-date on my story. If even one person out there is suffering from similar symptoms, maybe my story/path can help them find a solution to their problem. I had not updated my status since before the surgery, so I had a lot to share.

The reaction on the message board has been amazement and shock, as no one realized that an implant reaction was possible. I found this interesting, since it is listed on all artificial disc literature as a potential danger. Even I knew that going in, and asked my surgeon about it. The surgeon blew it off, stating it was just a legal thing and there was no such thing as an implant allergy. I put my trust in the surgeon and dropped the subject, though obviously regret it now. Though there are people on these message boards who have success stories, there are more failures than anything. It reminds you that you are not alone, but also makes me angry that so many of us were mislead down this artificial disc replacement path when information is now coming out that trial results were falsified and other information was withheld. It pains me to know how many other people are suffering out there, and I hope that once things heal I can use what I've been through for some sort of good/purpose.

Tomorrow I meet with my home health nurse and also my case manager so I can be discharged. I can't believe that in less than 48 hours I should be back at my comfortable home; I can't wait!

Day Thirteen

If you believe in unlucky 13, then I guess it makes sense that today - day thirteen - was not a great day. I still don't know if the meds I'm taking are right; I don't want more, I just want something more effective. I went through a horrible pain spell last night and most of this morning, and nothing I did made things better. It's still focused around my hip/groin/leg area. It's been less than two weeks since the surgery, so this is expected for the short term. It's something I'll talk with the case manager about on Monday when I see her.

Brad spent most of the day with his relatives who live in the area, so I was on my own today. There was no way I could do a 40 minute car trip and back, plus sit in a house for several hours that was unlikely set up for a recent back surgery patient! I made it on my own here just fine, though it was definitely boring and lonely. I started writing some people back (I have a huge list of people to get back to), but would fall asleep in the middle of writing something. A typical day - can't sleep well at night, so then you start falling asleep in the middle of various activities throughout the day! I feel like a 90 year old about now. :-)

Tomorrow I'm hoping I'll have a bit more pain relief, as I'd like to get some job-related work done. My parents also bought me "The Office DVD Board Game" as something to keep me entertained after my surgery, so Brad and I will break that out tomorrow and try it out. We're both big fans, but I've seen the episodes a lot more. On the other hand, he's not on medications and has a better memory. It will be interesting to see who wins!

Day Twelve

I wanted to say that the staples were officially removed this morning. 36 in my back, 25 in my front. It all went really well, and I was thankful I didn't have to wait until Monday to get them removed. The nurse thought the ones in my back wouldn't have lasted that long, as they were already really irritating my skin at this point.

I have one more home health visit on Monday to go through the official discharge paperwork, and I'll meet with my case manager at the hospital sometime on Monday as well. Until then my plan is to continue to improve yet take it easy; I really want to make sure I'm in prime condition for our trip back home next week, which we're hoping to do in just one day. I'm really, really ready to be back home - we both are!

Day Eleven

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it. I hope everyone had safe travels and were able to spend time with their families, as much of the country seems to be struggling with cold, snow and ice.

Brad and I just hung out at the hotel today. We had saved all of our Christmas cards, so we had those to open throughout the day. For the first time I assisted in making lunch and also our Christmas dinner. I'm still having that nagging pain in my right hip and groin muscles, but the medicine is helping and time will eventually take care of it. Tomorrow morning at 8am I'm having my staples removed, which I'm thrilled yet a bit apprehensive about. They are really starting to irritate my skin, so I'll be glad when they are gone.

All in all it was another good day. I think tomorrow is the point for both Brad and I where we can really start getting things together for our trip back home. As of tonight, only four more full days here and then we're hitting the road back home!

Day Ten (Carrie)

Not much news to report today. I think the new medication levels are a bit too much at this point, as I've found myself sleeping most of today. I've been really struggling to stay awake. Since the pain is better I'm going to start lowering the doses a bit, plus making more of an effort to make sure I eat more. My appetite these last few days hasn't been much, but I should probably be eating more than I have.

On an unrelated note, I want to wish my Iowa relatives a Merry Christmas Eve. It's tradition in our family to always gather at my grandparent's Iowa farmhouse on Christmas Eve, and it's weird not being there with them today. Our thoughts are with them, and we hope they all had safe travels. I'm also thinking today about my Grandpa Grimm who passed away three years ago; this was his favorite holiday; not just because of the ham sandwiches, but because he was all about family. He was one of my heroes, and I think about him all the time. He gives me inspiration to get through each day, so I think it's fitting to mention him today, on his favorite holiday.

Day Nine (Carrie)

It's amazing what a day or two a difference can make. I've said with the last two surgeries that there is usually a pattern; two days of no change/or feeling like you've gone backwards a bit, and then on day three you find yourself leaping ahead. This surgery appears to be no different.

Yesterday I suffered from pain all day, struggling to get comfortable and trying to sleep when I could. By evening I had my medications slightly increased/tweaked to combat this pain wave I was having such a difficult time getting over.

Today, being a day "three", brought a huge leap of progress with it. First, I was able to sleep in bed for almost six hours last night. Amazing! I woke up several times, and at a few points had to struggle to find one spot that brought me some pain relief, but in the end I was successful. I was even able to get to sleep after a midnight cell message from my brother telling me the Bears won in overtime (go Bears!).

I woke up at 3am and decided to make my way into the living room and into my chair. For the first time, I was able to position the foot stool and chair on my own without any help, got settled in, turned on the tv for noise and managed to sleep another three hours. What a great start to the day!

When Brad got up I was able to get out of the chair and get myself breakfast. I then spent the rest of the morning getting some work done, doing some light cleaning (without bending, twisting or lifting), and getting some good exercise being on my feet, without my walker. Also, another first.

I got ready and had my home health appointment, which went by quickly. Things look great, and confirmed that they will now be taking out the staples on Friday as my contact is not working on Christmas. They recommended this antibiotic cream with a pain reliever in it that I was told to put on an hour before they arrive on Friday, which should make the process easier for me. I'm told it's not painful, so I'll trust them. Even if it is, what choice do I have?

We had a quick lunch and then my physical therapy guy arrived. When he knocked at the door he indicated he was housekeeping (just kidding around), so when Brad opened the door I was standing, no walker, and after a moment he said "Are you actually the one who had surgery?" I told him yes, that I was able to walk around the hotel room without the walker, at least today. He was pretty amazed. He asked me if I was up for taking a walk without the walker, and I agreed. We then walked the whole length of the floor and back (it's actually a very long hallway with lots of little adjoining buildings), and then I climbed up and down a flight of stairs and then walked back to the hotel room. The guy was stunned and basically indicated that I had "passed"...no further need for physical therapy visits at this point. In what must have been the shortest PT visit ever, he was gone in less than 10 minutes.

Based on history I know the next couple of days will be stable or a downturn, but today has been quite amazing. I am just floored by how good I feek today. The pain medicine is doing it's job keeping the non-spine pain issues down, so I'm just feeling great. Today is a good day. And, I think that after only 8 days after surgery I am officially done with my walker - success!

Day Eight (from Carrie)

Yesterday afternoon, evening and this morning has been a major downturn for me. The pain levels are out of control, and I've only been able to sleep in spurts in the arm chair.

I spoke with my case manager nurse, and it appears that all of this is "normal." It doesn't happen to everyone the same, or every time, but in my case it appears that two surgical procedures are now taking their toll. The worst of the pain is on my right side, from my hip/groin and down my leg. I guess this is not unusual based on what they had to do to me during surgery. I've been told to start taking the valium on a regular basis for the next few days, and they are going to determine whether my pain meds need to be changed or increased temporarily as they are currently providing me with no relief. There's also some question as to whether the IVC filter they put in about 10 days ago - which is made of nickel, the metal I'm allergic to - is possibly causing some additional pain as it's in my bloodstream and won't be removed for another few weeks.

Besides the huge pain issue I'm still very mobile and able to get around well. The pain is just so overwhelming at this point that it's tough to do anything else. I had wanted to get to emailing people and doing some work today, but now I'm not sure that is going to happen. I can barely type this blog I'm so groggy and uncomfortable.

A home health nurse came by yesterday for her first visit; typical stuff. The good part was that they do work on Christmas day, so they are going to schedule a time for someone to come out and remove the staples that morning. That will be a wonderful Christmas present! We still have to stick around until the 29th to see the case manager, and then will start heading home on December 30. Turns out if we stay until the 30th we get a much better hotel rate per night and save money, so we'll stay the extra night. This will mean we should be back home no later than January 1, 2009.

That's all for now.

Day Seven

Good morning, everyone, today I (Carrie) decided to do the blog. Brad is in an unusual spot this morning - a local Baltimore tv station newsroom. In fact, about 30 minutes ago I saw him walking in the background with a security guard, behind the newsroom desk. It turns out one of his college classmates from Northwest Missouri is the Sunday morning news anchor on the local NBC affiliate, so she invited him to stop by, watch the broadcast live, and then they'll probably head out for coffee afterwards. He was really excited, so I'm glad that he's there and hope he's enjoying himself. My mom leaves this afternoon for Cleveland, so it's really the last break away from me that he gets before we return to Ohio!

I'm still hanging in there, recovering a bit more every day. My biggest challenge against me has been the hotel room and the furniture, none of it which is really comfortable. The bed is the worst; I've nicknamed it the body buster. It somehow finds a way to penetrate every part of your body that hits that bed and inject it with torturous pain. You lie there feeling horrible, and when you get up you feel like you've just been severely beaten. It goes without saying that I feel it's working a bit against me at the moment. The only other piece of furniture I've been using is an arm chair, rigged with several pillows and a ottoman that the hotel loaned us. This is the most comfortable place to be, but sometimes even this just does not do the trick. I do get up and walk around a lot, but am getting frustrated that I don't have one truly comfy place to go that soothes my aching body. At home I have a couple of great places to be, especially our living room couch, so I am counting down the days where I can be home again. With my mom leaving today I might try out the couch here at the hotel, but just based on looks alone I'm not hopeful.

Overall I'm doing quite well. I'm having a lot of incision pain, and a lot of pain in my right leg. It's a different leg pain than I had before the surgery, as the pain is only on the outside of the leg and not the entire leg, plus I no longer have pain in my foot. My left side feels great - no pain at all - so I've been taking advantage of that. Yesterday I was able to take a real shower for the first time, which was wonderful. Was able to easily get ready on my own, which is a big deal. I'm still taking the Vicadin pretty frequently for the pain levels, and occasionally take a Valium for muscle pains/cramps. I'm slowly starting to eat normal food, though my portions are still small and I'm very picky; it really depends on what few things sound good to eat at that moment.

The last two days I have found I'm running fevers around 100 degrees that usually start around 2pm, but find if I take two Tylenol and sleep for an hour it goes away. I'm thinking I need to break up my days a little more, at least for now. Take more short naps throughout a 24 hour period instead of trying to sleep through the night. It's something I'll probably start to try today or tomorrow just to see if I notice a difference.

In terms of my brain, I think it's functioning pretty well. Played online Scrabble with mom yesterday and actually won...though she's always a tough component! On Monday I am going to start working approx. 2 hours a day, which I think I'm ready for. I won't have a set schedule, but I'm looking forward to dipping my toe back into the work-mode pool. I have amazing staff so I'm not worried about anything, but obviously have my own projects I want to work on during this typical "slower" time in the office. I also have three new books to read that I got as gifts before I got here, so I'm going to start reading those; I feel I'm ready, like my brain can start to absorb things again!

Also, while I'm thinking of it, a few people have asked and yes, I did have to have a blood and platelet transfusion. Unfortunate, but expected. The surgeon told me the amount on Tuesday morning, but have since forgotten. I remember one of the numbers was "3500 ml", but forget what it was in reference too.

That's really all for today. It's a long post, but it catches everyone up. I'm floored at how many people are reading this thing! Today the major thing will be my mom leaving, and though I will miss her I'm glad she's able to head back. I don't think I'll be too much of a burden on Brad alone at this point, though maybe you need to ask him that in a few days! I think it's a little hard for my mom to leave, but she knows we'll be back home soon...less than two weeks! It has been so wonderful to have her here. The woman is the first one to jump up and do anything you need, get you anything you need...she has so much energy! She's also a good out-of-box thinker, so she's good at coming up with solutions to any challenges we've faced along the recovery route. And of course the love and support she provides is invaluable; she is my mom! And now that I'm getting a little teary-eyed, I think I'll end the blog for now. And hey, now Brad's sitting in the "newsroom" behind the anchor desk, so I'm seeing a lot him now. Looking good, Brad - you were ready for your close-up!

To everyone out there, I hope you had a great weekend and managed to survive all the snow and cold that has been hitting most of the country (though surprisingly not in Baltimore)!

Day Six

Carrie seems to get better every day, which is good. She still seems to have a hard time getting comfortable. She says the staples they used to close the incision really bother her. Of course they would me too. I try to tell her that I understand, but we both know that I don't. After all I've never had two incisions, one each in the front and back, closed with staples. I don't even want to count how many there are.

Sorry, this is starting to be a post more about me, than her. Anyway, Carrie is doing better. I hope all is well on your end so far this holiday season.

Brad

Day Five

Just a short note today.

Carrie was discharged from the Hospital today. She has been resting in the hotel room since she got back. The hard part is trying to find what is comfortable. I'm sure that will be the same when we get back home. She is doing very well, considering what she has been through.

I would like to extend my personal gratitude to those who have been caring for Carrie for the past five days, the doctors and staff at St Joseph's Medical Center in Towson MD. The care she received was much better than she had received in her last surgery at The Cleveland Clinic. We really felt like the staff at St Joseph's really cared about how she was doing, and that it was more than just a paycheck to them.

I'm sure Carrie will be back to posting regularly soon.

Brad

Day Four

Hi everyone, it’s Carrie. Brad was kind enough to lend me his computer here at the hospital, so I thought I would do a blog update.

First of all, regarding the surgery - per my surgeon, it went better than expected. The surgery took about 4 hours, which was an hour less than projected. They went in through the front, took out the artificial disc, put in a spacer and a few screws. They then went in the back, took out the screws/rods from surgery #2 and put in several new rods and screws. They were able to “clean the area up”, meaning removal of things such as bone spurs. The surgeon said it was much easier than they expected, and that he was really pleased with the way things turned out. Though initially they thought they may need to go and stabilize the L4 level, by the time they fused L5/S1 they felt that L4 looked good and didn’t need to do any work at that level.

Tuesday and Wednesday were very rough days. Tuesday my only task for the day was to sit in a chair for 20 minutes; I ended up being in it for three hours. Wednesday was a big day – they removed most of the tubes, plus I had two sessions with occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT). I spent most of the day in my chair, though during the daytime hours I found it hard to stay awake when I had a few minutes to myself. The pain was pretty bad both days, which was expected.

Today has been my best day. I got to have liquids for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast was wonderful; apple juice and jello. Sounds simple, but it tasted like liquid gold. Lunch was pretty dreadful – beef broth, grape juice and orange ice. Even just writing it makes me queasy! Luckily I have now been given permission to have a “regular” meal for dinner, so I’m looking forward to that. I went to PT/OT twice today and passed with flying colors. I’m able to walk up and down the hallways with no assistance, and can handle steps and other day-to-day things that you don’t think about until you have surgery! The only negative today was that the IV in my right hand swelled too much and they had to take it out and put it in my left arm. Both arms are bruised and battered, so I was glad they were able to find a spot for the new IV.

Unless something unexpected happens tonight, I will be discharged tomorrow. I’m looking forward to being back at the hotel, with my familiar surroundings and comforts I brought from home. The one thing I will miss is that the hospital does have better tv channels, but at least I have my DVDs at the hotel!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am so unbelievably grateful for everyone’s support. The encouragement and prayers I’ve received mean so much to not just me, but my family. It truly helps me get through each day. You are all in my prayers and thoughts as well.

Day Three

Well, day three only has six hours left. Carrie continues to improve. She sat up in the recliner today for several hours. Also had two Physical Therapy sessions, where they made her get out of a chair and walk three times. She is pretty pooped, but not as much as yesterday. And they are getting ready to remove the suction tube that goes down into her stomach. Sorry, but it kind of makes me cringe.

In short though she is continuing to improve. Keep your fingers crossed.

Brad

Day Two

Carrie had a pretty good day. She was in good shape when we saw her this morning. They did get her up for the first time since the surgery, and had her sit in a chair. It was supposed to be for at least 20-30 minutes, but she fell asleep in the chair, and she was in it for nearly 3 hrs. That took a lot out of her, and of course, getting out of bed for the first time is always a significant act, and causes a lot of pain (just the way it is). She was pretty much out of it for the rest of the afternoon, and early evening.

Day three will be interesting as well. The physical therapy people came in, and said she would have two sessions tomorrow. Plus they have a couple of minor things being done (removing this and that). I imagine she will be pretty pooped tomorrow as well.

Over all though I think she is doing pretty well

Brad

Hi from Carrie

This is Carrie. About an hour ago I made it to my nice, private room. First time for a private room - I lucked out! Pain is intense, but they are doing a good job keeping it under control. I'm looking forward to talking to the surgeon tomorrow, as I still don't know exactly what they did.

I'm pretty tired, so I'm off. I just thought I would say hi and that I survived! And another good thing...my care here has been EXCELLENT.

Surgery is done, all seems OK.

Just want to let everyone know that Carrie is out of surgery, and we have seen her. It took an hour and 15 minutes less than what it was scheduled for. She seems to be doing OK. I haven’t seen any of the surgeons yet, other than passing in the hall, so I can’t say everything went well. But I am assuming that since no-one was too eager to come find us, there were no major problems.

They went in through the front to remove the old artificial disk, and do the majority of the fusion. They then flipped her over to remove the screws from a previous surgery, put new ones in, along with a rod to stabilize the area. If you would have combined the two, you probably could have seen daylight through her. She was in quite a bit of pain when she came into the recovery unit (for some reason). They seem to have a handle on that though.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that things continue to go well.

Brad

What to Expect

I know there will be many of you checking the site for details on Monday, making sure I made it through ok with few/no complications. While I'm sure everything will be ok - I am in good hands - I thought I would at least let everyone know what to expect.

My surgery will begin around 7:30am. The first part of the surgery, where they go in through the front, take out the artificial disc and fuse, will take about 3 hours. The second part of the surgery consists of them going in through the back, taking out the screws/rods put in during surgery #2, replacing them at L5, and then probably adding some hardware at L4 as they believe that area has become unstable and needs the support. The second part is anticipated to take two hours.

So in total, I'm looking at a minimum of five hours in the operating room, and it could easily be longer. Brad will try to post an "all clear" message to this blog from his phone, but it could technically be evening hours before he can do an actual, real post.

I will likely be in the hospital until at least Thursday or Friday, and will definitely be kept in the Baltimore area until at least Dec. 29. before I'm cleared to go home.

As this will be my last blog before the surgery, I just have to say this. I am so grateful and lucky to have such wonderful family, friends and co-workers. I've often said that while I've been unlucky with health, I've certainly been nothing but lucky when it comes to the people in my life. I want to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and support, especially these past few years. It's been a long, rough road, and I couldn't have gotten through it without the people around me.

And of course I could not go without saying thank you to those closest to me - my parents, brother, and especially Brad. They have gone on this journey with me, every step of the way, and I'm so glad they will be with me tomorrow. My disappointments and frustrations have been theirs as well, and I know they will be very happy when all of this is over and a positive end result is achieved.

I look forward to talking with you all soon, whether it be by email, mail or phone. I will certainly be thinking of all of you all from my hospital bed!

First, a Little Fun

Today in an effort to forget my impending "doom", Brad and I went on a little trip. We officially hit Delaware and New Jersey for the first time, and spent a few wonderful hours in Philadelphia. Though we did absolutely no research ahead of time, we managed to easily find our way to downtown Philly and Independence Hall. We saw the Liberty Bell, toured the Hall, and then walked several blocks downtown until we found an open restaurant, Jones. It was a great day, until I saw the Welcome to Maryland sign...now it's back to business!

Almost There

I've been working to get to this point for years, and finally it's just around the corner. We met with my case manager on Friday, so I now know every little thing to expect from start to finish. The Cleveland Clinic once tried to ruin things by refusing to release my pre-op records to the surgeon. It was quite hilarious, as they first tried to tell me they had no record of any pre-op work being done. What a joke, since that's what lead to my first scheduled surgery date being canceled! I finally got things worked out and in the appropriate hands; just one more reason I will not be stepping foot into a Cleveland Clinic establishment ever again.

This morning I had my final bloodwork done, and now all there is to do is enjoy the final few hours of freedom. Tonight Brad and I are going to his relatives for dinner, which is always guaranteed to be a good time. Tomorrow we're still not sure what we're going to do - we can go to D.C., or take a drive through Delaware and New Jersey to Philadelphia. The second option would allow us to add two more "states we've been in" to our list, plus Philly - a city we have not been in before - is only 90 minutes away. Then again, I love D.C. Maybe a visit to the Lincoln Memorial is just what I need before I face Monday.

Round 1

I made it through the first round yesterday - the IVC filter. It was a very simple, quick procedure; I spent only 25-30 minutes in total in the procedure room. Every single person we encountered at the hospital was extremely friendly and they all seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and the patients. It was a far cry from the care I've been receiving in Cleveland these last few years. I feel like I'm in good hands.

Thanks to my dad genes, I've inherited this "quirk" where if I haven't eaten anything by around 1pm I get a migraine, and yesterday was no exception. The procedure was scheduled for 1:30, but by the time I didn't get in the room until after 3pm. By the time I had anything to eat it was around 4pm, but the damage was done. We left the hospital at 6pm, I had some soup for dinner and then crashed for the evening. I'm still dealing with a slight headache this morning, but am otherwise feeling my usual brand of "normal".

The ironic part about all of this is that we found out the filter they put in is made of nickel. Yes, the very same thing I'm allergic to. This means I'll have to go in a month from now and have it removed. It's small enough where it shouldn't do too much damage, but it's obviously something I don't want to leave in for the long term.

Nothing much is on the agenda for day. I have some work to do, and we might make a quick trip to the IKEA store down the street to pick up a few things to cook with here at the hotel.

It Begins

What seemed impossible a few weeks ago has now transformed into reality. Brad and I made it to Baltimore late last night and settled into the Residence Inn we will be calling home for the next few weeks. It's not the ideal place for me to be recovering in - after all, nothing can beat the comforts and familiarity of one's own home - but it will do.

Today I go in for the IVC filter, which is to take place at 1:30. The medical professionals I spoke to made it sound pretty bad, so I had avoided reading anything about it until this morning. From what I've seen it's nothing compared to other stuff I've been put through in my life, so I'm not concerned. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the hospital today so I can get a better feel for what I'll be experiencing next week.

Moving Forward

Despite the setbacks of the last couple of weeks, I am officially a "go" for the December 15 surgery. My health has improved dramatically over the last couple of days, and I'm ready to go.

Another Road Block

It turns out I had a right to be concerned about the high dose of steroids I was put on over Thanksgiving. I'm now suffering from an infection caused by the steroids, and I'm in pretty bad shape. If I don't notice a large difference between today and tomorrow, I will have to cancel the surgery on the 15th. I know it sounds like I should have more time, but I also have the vascular procedure that was to happen on the 10th, and in my condition it could never happen.

I know that what's meant to happen will happen, so if the surgery is canceled so be it. There is nothing I can do at this point.

A New Date

It appears - at least for now - that the planets are aligned and I will be having back surgery on Monday, December 15. It's not my first choice for a date, but it should work out ok.

On another positive note, the steroids raised my platelet count to 373. Unfortunately the side effects that came with that drastic change are still making me miserable. I'm actually looking forward to the point where I'll be hooked up to an IV!

Getting Closer

I had two appointments with a hematologist this past week. After running a myriad of tests, the doc has come to the conclusion that my low platelet count is likely due to the implant reaction. In fact, the only things that showed up as something to be concerned about support the implant reaction theory and are not consistent with anything else. He agreed with me that as long as I had the artificial disc in my platelets would be low, so it would make no sense to further postpone the surgery since the surgery is likely what I need to correct the issue. This being said, he is giving his approval for me to move forward with the surgery, with the suggestion that they have platelets on hand for a transfusion during the procedure.

The one slightly sticky point is that my platelet count tanked even more this past week. It was at 21, and as of Wednesday I was at 13. The 13 is unbelievably low, so I'm now on a heavy dosage of steroids to bring the count up. I'm taking 10 of these things a day for four days, and then will go into the doc on Monday to see what the platelet count is. I'm guessing that if it does help bring up the count, he may recommend I take them leading up to the surgery to keep the count higher. Though the count is very low (should normally be at least 150), the good news is that the platelets I do have seem to be very healthy, as I'm not exhibiting issues that most people with that low a count would be having.

On Monday I will be working with my Baltimore surgeon's office to reschedule the surgery, which I'm hoping can still be done in December.

Surgery Canceled

My surgery has been canceled due to a low platelet count. It will mean a delay of a few weeks until they can get it back up again. A big, sincere thank you to all who have sent me your prayers and well wishes.