I will be having my neck operation on September 29th. I will be in Saint Francis Memorial Hospital (I really wish they could do away with that memorial part), 900 Hyde St. San Francisco CA 94109. It is supposed to be a 4 1/2 to 6 hour operation which I will have to sleep through according to the doctor. Two to three days in hospital and then 3-5 weeks recuperation....I'm guessing I'll have plenty of time to write. I've said it before and I will say it again, I'm having great trepidation, fear and scairdy catness about this but everyone of my friends and family have assured me it will be just fine. More to the point, I am told I need to get my game face on and face this like a man because attitude is everything (I think that was Andre Agassi actually). So the next two weeks I will spend getting my attitude in order. Please no stories about friends or relatives who had a horrible experience. I can use that after the operation but not before, ha.
I'll keep you posted
-the John
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The Unkindest cut of all
Went to the doctor yesterday to review the "options" for my neck. Ginny went with me as usual to provide adult supervision. It started out poorly when the doctor said "I have the results of your electrical conduction tests and I've highlighted in yellow the abnormal or poor results". Two thirds of the page was highlighted in yellow. I immediately suspected that this wasn't going to be a cheerful conversation. I was right. So after reviewing the results, I said, I assume this is a buildup to telling me that I can't have minimally invasive surgery and he said "that is not an option". Well it turns out there were no options except to have fusion of the vertebrae.
I told the doctor that I would like to discuss some of the risks of the operation and Ginny volunteered that I was afraid of paralysis (which is true but I'm not sure I would have lead with that question). The doc said that if I was concerned with paralysis, then I should have the operation because there is a greater chance of being paralyzed from not doing anything and letting the spinal cord continue to be damaged. He took us through the MRI photos again and pointed out how there were compromised nerve roots going to the arms (hence the arm numbness and burning sensation in the hands), a few vertebrae out of alignment and pressing in on the spinal cord causing the nerve signals to be delayed (hence the high pain threshold that I have suffered/benefited from), and peripheral nerve damage which causes a lack of feeling altogether in some instances (maybe that is how I gave myself a third degree burn a few years back).
So I asked the important question "doc, will I be taller and more handsome, when the operation is over?" he responded that I was a pretty handsome guy already.....I took that as a "no" on being taller.
So the operation for those of you keeping score at home involves taking out the disc material between the c4-c5, c5-c6, and c6-c7 vertebrae, putting in bone shims between those four vertebrae, putting in a plate (not fine china) and attaching the plate to the c4, c5, c6, and c7 vertebrae making it effectively one bone. At the same time he would fix the backward angle of my neck which is part of what is impinging on the spinal cord.
I asked if I had to be totally anesthetized for this and he just rolled his eyes and said three or four different ways, yes you have to be totally out. Why would you even want to be awake. I tried to explain that I would like to make sure they don't screw up and remove a leg or something but I could tell that wasn't going to make points with the guy who would have a knife at my neck in the very near future. I dropped that line of discussion.
The doctor said it would be a 4+ hour operation and that I would be out of commission for "a minimum of three weeks" which was a mild surprise because I was afraid it would be much longer. He said he was back at work 2 weeks after having a similar operation and I said "I'm a pretty tough guy, I will try to come back in less than 2 weeks". He said he would be keeping a close eye on me to make sure I don't screw something up.
He asked when I wanted to go under the knife and I said what do you have open? I was appalled when he said the 25th.....of this month. I reacted poorly saying that I had to check on my disability insurance and all that. How about January I replied, he said in an ominous tone " you should have this done sooner rather than later if you don't want to do further permanent damage. You have to hand it to him, he doesn't sugar coat things.
I left the office with a little tear in my eye, I'm tough but mostly in the abstract. You can take off my leg, remove my foot, or even replace my knee while I am awake, but put me to sleep and mess with my spine????? I'm not that tough.
I will finalize the operation date on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, I'll keep you updated.
the John
I told the doctor that I would like to discuss some of the risks of the operation and Ginny volunteered that I was afraid of paralysis (which is true but I'm not sure I would have lead with that question). The doc said that if I was concerned with paralysis, then I should have the operation because there is a greater chance of being paralyzed from not doing anything and letting the spinal cord continue to be damaged. He took us through the MRI photos again and pointed out how there were compromised nerve roots going to the arms (hence the arm numbness and burning sensation in the hands), a few vertebrae out of alignment and pressing in on the spinal cord causing the nerve signals to be delayed (hence the high pain threshold that I have suffered/benefited from), and peripheral nerve damage which causes a lack of feeling altogether in some instances (maybe that is how I gave myself a third degree burn a few years back).
So I asked the important question "doc, will I be taller and more handsome, when the operation is over?" he responded that I was a pretty handsome guy already.....I took that as a "no" on being taller.
So the operation for those of you keeping score at home involves taking out the disc material between the c4-c5, c5-c6, and c6-c7 vertebrae, putting in bone shims between those four vertebrae, putting in a plate (not fine china) and attaching the plate to the c4, c5, c6, and c7 vertebrae making it effectively one bone. At the same time he would fix the backward angle of my neck which is part of what is impinging on the spinal cord.
I asked if I had to be totally anesthetized for this and he just rolled his eyes and said three or four different ways, yes you have to be totally out. Why would you even want to be awake. I tried to explain that I would like to make sure they don't screw up and remove a leg or something but I could tell that wasn't going to make points with the guy who would have a knife at my neck in the very near future. I dropped that line of discussion.
The doctor said it would be a 4+ hour operation and that I would be out of commission for "a minimum of three weeks" which was a mild surprise because I was afraid it would be much longer. He said he was back at work 2 weeks after having a similar operation and I said "I'm a pretty tough guy, I will try to come back in less than 2 weeks". He said he would be keeping a close eye on me to make sure I don't screw something up.
He asked when I wanted to go under the knife and I said what do you have open? I was appalled when he said the 25th.....of this month. I reacted poorly saying that I had to check on my disability insurance and all that. How about January I replied, he said in an ominous tone " you should have this done sooner rather than later if you don't want to do further permanent damage. You have to hand it to him, he doesn't sugar coat things.
I left the office with a little tear in my eye, I'm tough but mostly in the abstract. You can take off my leg, remove my foot, or even replace my knee while I am awake, but put me to sleep and mess with my spine????? I'm not that tough.
I will finalize the operation date on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, I'll keep you updated.
the John
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Houston we have a problem
Well I heard back from my doctor about my spine test. He says "the preliminary results are quite suggestive for both a spinal cord conduction delay and some sort of peripheral nerve compression in your arms". What the hell does that mean? I tried goggling it and don't get much specific information. The doctor did tell me that my historically "high pain threshold" may in fact be somewhat attributable to the nerve and spinal cord trauma that I suffered from jumping into that hay loft oh so many years ago. The doctor then went on to say, "Clearly there is an objective explanation for your complaints and you will require specific treatment which we can discuss at your next appointment". And finally "It is highly unlikely you will do anything to worsen your problems as long as you avoid any overhead lifting, prolonged neck flexion or extension or any contact/collision sports".
Ok, why couldn't he just tell me what the "specific treatment" would be. And I know he has never seen me play guitar but some people swear I do that as a contact sport. This also means I probably won't be doing any off road motorcycle rides in the near future. That was definitely a contact/collision sport the last time I did it.
Either way, I now have an appointment for this Friday the 4th to see what this specific treatment will be. I'll keep you tuned in.
the John
Ok, why couldn't he just tell me what the "specific treatment" would be. And I know he has never seen me play guitar but some people swear I do that as a contact sport. This also means I probably won't be doing any off road motorcycle rides in the near future. That was definitely a contact/collision sport the last time I did it.
Either way, I now have an appointment for this Friday the 4th to see what this specific treatment will be. I'll keep you tuned in.
the John
Clem Jones, M.D.
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