Thursday 4 February 2010

Big Day

Hello people,

Well I slept really well thanks to two little white tablets - tamazepam maybe? One minute I was sobbing and shaking and overwhelmed with fear and apprehension, the next I could feel my breathing settle and according to Ian I was snoring for England while he watched one of the many movies on demand...

Staff coming in this morning did something of a double take when they saw the bed was empty and unslept in - I opted instead to share the sofa bed which was actually quite comfy and much less lonely.

So - this morning I am sitting here with electrodes glued into my hair (the neuro-physiologist commented on how much she liked the colour). I've had all the spinal cord monitoring tests which involved some pretty painful electric shocks to my feet. We got up to 11 (volts?) and apparently during surgery it will be 20 - the two clinicians will be able to advise Mr Tucker if he is too close to the spinal cord so he can draw back. They also explained how they monitor the level of anaesthesia to ensure I don't wake up too soon - lovely as they both were I am hoping not to see them again.

Mr Tucker popped in after that. The man exudes confidence! Signing the consent form was as easy as filling out a Gift Aid Declaration - just felt like the right thing to do. He reckons I will be down by 11 and done by 4pm - though I doubt I will be updating this blog personally this evening...

I'll not go into too much detail as to what's going to happen as it's elswhere on this blog - suffice it to say he will be removing a rib, loosening some discs, fusing my spine (with bone from my ribs...), scaffolding it all with titanium rods and screws then sewing me up and sending me off to HDU for a few days. Anyone else got such an exciting day to look forward to...?!

Thanks by the way not only for the comments here but also the FB messages and tests. Did I mention this room has free wi-fi?! For some reason Outlook doesn't work but I can still pick up email via webmail so keep the messages coming - they are such a great distraction and survival technique - thank you!

Well time to get gowned up - very fetching pale blue floral number with some oh so attractive paper pants and stockings! To reduce risk of dvt sadly - nothing more exciting than that.

See you on the other side people xxx

1 comment:

  1. Thinking of you Linda. Hopefully by now the surgery will all be over and you will be residing in ITU. Praying for good healing, minimal discomfort and a real knowlege of God's peace surrounding you and yours at this time.

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