Deb's Surgery

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Deb was having a lot of increasing pain with the pain and some numbness going down her legs. After several MRIs and mylograms (a special CT with contrast that has been injected into the spinal cord through a spinal tap) it was decided that surgery may be the best course of action.

We know that surgery will not fix what is wrong - Deb has spondalosis. All we were hoping for is less pain and maybe she could do more.

She went into surgery at 12:30 and was in recovery at 4:30. Longer by 2 hours from what we had been told to expect. The doctor talked to me and said he stopped the surgery when he finished what was needed (one additional flexible vertebrae with a decompression). The surgery was 'complicated' and Deb was bleeding too much. She was given two units of blood when she got to her room. Of course she was not in her room until nearly 8:00.

We did all the pre-op last week and this week she went to surgery. Now they (the hospital) knew that she was going to be admitted since last week but was not actually admitted until she was ready to be released from recovery. Of course this meant no pain meds for over 2 hours. The nurses could not order it because the admission folks had not completed her admission therefore the pharmacy had no order.

Her pain meds did not work and her doctor ordered more. Her pain doctor saw her today and ordered additional 'enhancing' meds. Deb has been on pain meds for so long that they do not work like they would for you and me. The extra med seemed to work and she is finally sleeping - nearly 48 hours since her surgery.

She still has her IV, leg compressions, and catheters. No one has even mentioned going home. She was supposed to be up and walking and doing the 'daily tasks of life' by now. Seems no one read the doctors notes or the pre-op work up. They were not aware that she uses a wheelchair or a walker. She will start in-patient rehab sometime next week.

Deb has three complaints - yep the food is one of them. (It is pretty bad.) The rehab tech is another (she is a meanie, won't take no for an answer), and the nurses being so busy that they cannot delivery meds on time.

She does have a TV with the Hallmark channel. She would really be mad if she had to do without her Little House or Golden Girls.

"I love you Deb."
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