Dr. S Day

By now you all know how much we LOVE Dr. S. I am so grateful to that man for taking such good care of Rick. If it wasn't for him I am certain that Rick would still be in a lot of pain.

We got to go visit with Dr. S this morning. Rick had the usual x-rays taken, sans paper pants :( , and we got to visit with the PA we saw before the surgery. He was very happy that Rick was doing so good. It was nice of him to stop by and talk with us. He remembered us and made the effort to see how everything was going.

Dr. S said that Rick's fusion is starting to really look good. He is growing even more bone and it is getting more solid all the time. That is such good news. We are so thankful that this has worked out so well. It is going so well that Rick doesn't have to see Dr. S again for six months. That is a good thing, but also a sad thing. I will miss him! He has been so wonderful!! He is the one doctor that we both really look forward to seeing.

It is so reassuring to know that we did choose the correct surgery. We knew that this was going to be the bigger surgery and that there was some risk involved, but it was not an easy decision to make. Rick wanted to smaller surgery, the rest of us thought that the bigger surgery was the way to go. I am so glad that we went with the bigger surgery. Dr. S said that this was definitely the right decision. Rick has no leg pain or numbness, and minimal back pain compared to what he had before. Of course the arthritis causes him back pain as well, but this made such a big difference for him.

So this should be about the last time you hear about this back thing until his next appointment, six whole months from now.

Until next time,
Jaime

Paper Pants Part 2 and Bone Growth

Going to see Dr. S has become even more fun when we get to play with the paper pants!!! When life hands you lemons, wear paper pants. I mean, really, with everything life has thrown at us lately it is good to just be able to be silly.

And now that you are finished laughing, or maybe your not, it is time for the results. Dr. S said that there is early bone growth. Thank God!! There were two different angles of x-rays taken. The only x-ray that shows the growth is the side view. The bone growth wasn't able to be seen in the front angle x-ray which proves that it is early bone growth and isn't dense enough to be seen in the front view. But we are just so thrilled that there is finally progress.

Rick no longer has to wear his brace except for when he is at work. And speaking of work, he was released to work full time again too. He still has a weight restriction but it has been raised to 25 pounds. And Dr. S also wants Rick to start physical therapy 3 times a week for the next 12 weeks. He will be focusing on core work to strengthen his core and avoid any further damage to the back. Maybe he will get that 6-pack I have always wanted.

Rick will go back to see Dr. S again in 6 weeks for more x-rays. Dr. S wants to make sure that the fusion is solid by 6 months post-surgery, which is September. So that is the next big goal to achieve. Come on fusion!!!

Rick is doing really good lately. He has been painting the trim on the house and doing yard work. It is nice to have him back, but I also miss having all that time together too. Things seem much more normal again, but normal means less time together. Oh well, I would rather have him feeling this way!!

Until next time,

Jaime

It's A Tie!

We have decided that we have a tie for first place for Rick's best doctor. Dr. S (the surgeon) and Dr. C (the rheumatologist) have tied for best doctor!!

Rick had an appointment last week with Dr. C (yes I know this post is a few days late). Rick has some swelling of his joints and so it seems that the joint disease (spondyloarthropathy) is acting up a little bit. But with going back to work it isn't surprising. If things don't regulate themselves we will look into starting a different drug therapy to control the joint disease. There are a couple new drugs that have just been approved by the FDA. So at least there are some options.

Dr. C wasn't really surprised by the fact that the spinal fusion hadn't taken yet. He agreed with Dr. S that it is most likely due to all of Rick's disease processes. He did say, very adamantly, that he knew that Rick needed this surgery and that he never would have gotten better on his own. That is why he put himself out there and personally called Dr. S. In that phone conversation he made it very clear how important it was that Rick have surgery. And Dr. S was obviously very supportive and completely understood the reason that it needed to be done. And so the two of them worked together and made it the great experience that it was.

Dr. S had joked with us about wanting us to tell Dr. C to send more patients his way since we had such a good experience with him. So we actually did. And Dr. C said he had already sent a couple patients to Dr. S because of how willing he was to work with Rick, and because he knew how well things had gone. So because of us Dr. S got more patients and some patients got a fantastic surgeon.

We are definitely blessed to have two wonderful doctors looking out for Rick's best interest!!! And even Dr. C's nurse is wonderful. She was very excited to see us and really wanted to know how things are going. Don't get me wrong, he does have other doctors, and they are good too. But these two are exceptional!!

Until next time,
Jaime

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To Work He Goes!!

Rick left for work this morning for the first time in 3 months. Last night he had he girls help shave off his beard. I hardly recognize him now. Without the beard I can really see how skinny he has gotten.

I am a little bit worried about him since the fusion hasn't taken. He has so many limits and restrictions, and I worry that he is going to over do it. But he needs to get a paycheck again and he can't just sit around waiting for the fusion to work. So off to work he went.

Until next time,
Jaime

Health Updates

I have been procrastinating doing an update on our health situations. I am tired of always having health stuff to blog about but I need to get these updates out there.

First I will give an update on how I am doing. I saw my surgeon and he said that after putting my gallbladder under the microscope it showed as being chronically inflammed. So I guess it was a good thing to have it removed. I am starting to feel better but I am still having some fatigue. I tend to get worn out by the evening. But it is getting better so I am trying not to complain. My incisions are healing nicely and hardly bother me much anymore. I still have some occasional stomach pain but the doctor said that is to be expected because the inflammation affected other areas around the gallbladder.

Now on to Rick. You know, the more important one.

Rick saw his surgeon on Friday. The news was not what we were hoping for. It seems that the fusion has NOT started to take at all. There is zero bone growth. Which basically means he is still in the same position he was in eight weeks ago right after surgery. Although he is starting to get his energy back and he doesn't really have incision pain anymore, he is NOT healed. He has to continue to wear his brace for the next six weeks, which at that time he will have another x-ray to determine if there is any fusion happening yet. That will be 14 weeks since surgery. I don't really know for sure what it will mean if there is still no bone growth at that point. I don't really even want to think about that right now. I can't change the situation so I am going to just try not to worry about it.

Dr S thinks that all of Rick's other diseases are what is causing him to not heal. That makes sense because he takes immune suppressing drugs. But he needs the medications to prevent him from getting sicker. It is a tough situation to be in. He is going back to work next week. He hasn't been getting a paycheck for over 3 weeks now which is starting to cause him stress. Fortunately he will only be going back to work part-time for now. I can understand his need to get back to work. But I am nervous about it because I don't want him to get hurt or cause some damage since he isn't healed. We thought that by this time he would have at least had some bone growth, making him more stable and making it safer to go back to work.

This is not the position we thought we would be in at this point. I was expecting that by now things would be getting back to normal. And I use the term normal very loosely. But we deal with the cards we have been dealt. Nothing we can do to change it.

Until next time,
Jaime

Exceptional

Exceptional- beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable; well above average; extraordinary.

I have been wanting to write this post but I have had trouble coming up with the best words. I have always thought that Rick was strong, but the surgeon (Dr. S) caught me a little off guard with his words regarding Rick the day after surgery.

Dr. S has a personal experience with crohn's disease. He has crohn's and has been to The Mayo Clinic for treatment of his crohn's. Dr. S said that Rick is exceptional. I, of course, think that myself. But it was so amazing to hear the surgeon talk about my husband that way. He said that a lot of people in Rick's situation would just give up. That they would be living under a bridge somewhere wallowing in self pity. But Rick's ability to fight everything that has happened to him is exceptional. He continues to work very hard to provide for our family. He doesn't complain, he does what needs to be done. He takes his handful of pills every four hours without complaint. He goes through numerous procedures, sometimes with very painful side effects (remember pancreatitis?!?!). And I never hear him complain. He endures major surgery that will be life changing and doesn't even fret about it. I really do agree with Dr. S, Rick is exceptional.

Dr. S went on to talk about how our daughters are very lucky to have Rick as their role model. They have someone to look up to that works hard no matter what. That doesn't give up. Of course they are too young to understand this now, but they see it everyday and it will rub off on them. In time they will understand and appreciate their Daddy even more. It was very touching to hear those words spoken about my husband.

How amazing is it to have a surgeon that thinks so highly of his patient. Dr. S said that the main reason he agreed to do the surgery was because he knew how hard Rick would work on his physical therapy. He knew Rick would follow the rules and do exactly what needs to be done. And the physical therapist that worked with him at the hospital agreed. He called Rick a model patient. I am just so proud of him.

I do think that being exceptional also makes him bored. He isn't used to just taking it easy and doing nothing so he is very bored. I have to remind him that taking it easy and resting is how the body heals. He knows, and he has been following the rules. But nevertheless, he is bored.

I am so lucky to have Rick in my life. Of course this isn't what I had imagined our life to be, but I wouldn't change a thing because I don't think we would have ever been this close otherwise. We have a very special bond that is formed from fighting this together. Not separately, but together.

Until next time,
Jaime

The "Absolutely's" Have It

You readers are crazy, twisted individuals aren't you?!?! The "absolutely's" won in a landslide. So if you are the one person that voted "No Way Jose" please don't look. I promise it really isn't that bad though. The stitches are buried under the skin and the top is held together with glue. You can see the bruising around the site as well. The doctor said it would have been easier if Rick had any fat on his belly. Since it is all muscle it was harder to move everything out of the way because muscle is much tougher than fat. Obviously.

The first picture is Rick wearing his corset. He has to wear this all the time unless he is laying flat in bed. Looks comfy doesn't it?

I actually wanted to post a picture of the scar anyway, but decided that maybe you wouldn't want to see it. But since you seem to be interested in seeing it here you go:

What do you think?!?! Since 9 of you voted to see it I hope that at least 9 of you comment. That would be fantastic. I think Rick deserves some love for allowing you all to see his scar.

Until next time,

Jaime

ALIF Part 3

Rick had to lay in bed, flat on his back for the entire first day. The head of the bed was barely elevated. He couldn't get up or move. He had a big bag of ice on his belly to help with incision pain and swelling. He was hooked back up to the same type of pain pump that he had during the other hospital stay for pancreatitis. By now we are veteran hospital guests. When the nurse asked if he knew how to use a pain pump this time he was able to say yes. Ughh.

I sat by his bed all day and just rubbed his head and shoulder. Rick would tilt his head and kiss my hand. I really appreciated that small gesture. It made me realize that he enjoyed me being by his side. It was really hard for me to see him like that. Yeah we had just been through a traumatizing experience in the hospital a week earlier, but this was different. The thought that he no longer had a normal spine; that he had a major surgery on his spine was nerve wracking. I started to worry about the future. How will he heal? Will this affect his hockey or work? What if he gets hurt? A lot of stuff ran through my head that first day.

Rick was pretty groggy most of the day. He had a few visitors but for the most part he was pretty quiet. He was only allowed ice chips all day, so I dutifully fed him his ice chips in between naps. It was a fairly quiet day for him. Since he wasn't able to get up or move the only thing he had to do was keep up on his pain pump.

Of course I found myself a recliner and slept right next to him again. It felt normal this time around. Like it was old hat. It wasn't as comfortable as the recliner at the other hospital though. I never thought I would miss that recliner, but I did.

The next morning the physical therapist was in first thing. He helped Rick "log roll" so that he could get his corset on. (Rick has a special corset that he has to wear for the next couple months. it helps to keep his back stable and prevents him from accidentally bending or twisting.) Then he was taught how to get up out of bed by log rolling. The therapist had him walk a couple feet in the room. And then he had him sit up in a chair for as long as he was comfortable. Which ended up being only about 45 minutes. Rick then learned how to get back into bed, and took a nap. Later he got up again and we took a short walk down the hallway with the help of a walker. I really wish I had taken a picture of that but I was focused on helping him at the time.

Later in the afternoon an occupational therapist came and showed Rick how to do normal everyday things. Like get on and off the toilet, get in and out of the shower, put on socks. All of the things that he normally does has to be relearned. These activities have to been done without any bending or twisting. You would be surprised how many things have to be done completely different.

We thought that he would be going home on thursday but wednesday evening was not so good and so on thursday morning when the surgeon came in he decided that it would be best to have one more day. There was no reason to rush home. It would be better to have one more day to rest in the hospital with the nurses there to take care of him. So that is what we did. Besides, that gave him some extra time to walk and the physical therapist came in one more time on friday before we left. He helped remind Rick how to do things and give him a big pep talk about how he was a model patient. Rick followed all the rules and did everything how he was told to do them.


Once we were given the discharge instructions on friday afternoon we were outta there. It was nice to get home. However it is harder to be at home. There isn't room service to bring us food whenever we want. Yes there was room service at the hospital, even for me. We have been sleeping together on the recliner loveseat in the living room. That is the most comfortable place for Rick to sleep and I want to be with him. It really isn't bad. Our new loveseat is really comfortable. Thanks to my mom, my dad, my grandma, and Rick's parents for buying him the recliner loveseat.

So that is Rick's journey through spinal fusion surgery in a gazillion words or less. Since it appears that you all are crazy readers and want to see the scar I will be posting that tomorrow. I promise! And I have one other story from the hospital that deserves it owns separate post.

We want to thank everyone for praying and supporting us. This has been a crazy few weeks. Much more has happened than we could have ever imagined. And we really get energy from reading comments and knowing that there are so many people that care about Rick.

Until next time,
Jaime

ALIF Part 2

As you know I really suck at waiting. And this was probably the most nervous I have ever been while waiting for Rick. I found a seat in the waiting room and gave my mom and Rick's mom a call to let them know he was in surgery. They were both going to come sit in the waiting room with me so that I wouldn't have to wait all alone. While I waited for them to get to the hospital I found myself very upset. I tried to read my book but I kept realizing that I had no idea what I had read. I just kept stopping and praying that everything would go as planned. My eyes kept filling with tears but I didn't want to cry in front of the other people in the waiting room.

Our mom's arrived and they tried to talk to me and keep my mind off of what was going on. But I couldn't help but have my mind keep drifting back to what was happening in that operating room. I knew that Rick was hooked to a breathing machine and that there were doctors messing with his spine. That was a terrifying thought for me. I just couldn't help but think about what was happening. Part of me wished I could just make sure that everything was going okay somehow. But I also had complete faith in his surgeon. And that was comforting; knowing that his surgeon truly cared about Rick.

I pretty much have memorized what the little clock in that waiting room looked like. I basically couldn't take my eyes off of it. I was told that the surgeon anticipated the surgery only taking 90 minutes. At the two hour mark I couldn't take it anymore and I asked the receptionist if she could find out if he was okay. She phoned back and found out that at that moment he was being wheeled into the recovery room. The doctor would be out shortly to talk with me. At that moment I thought I should feel relieved to know that he was no longer in surgery but I didn't. I just wanted to see him for myself but I couldn't.

The surgeon came walking down the hall and I jumped up to find out how it all went. Apparently the disc was completely obliterated. It never would have healed on its own. (Take that you other stupid "wait and see" doctor.) The reason surgery took longer was because it took a lot of work to get the part of the disc out that was bulging into the space where the nerves run (I can't remember exactly what that is called). And they had to use a bigger capsule than what the surgeon thought he would need. They are measured 14, 16, and 18 mm (at least I think it was mm). The 16 was just too loose when he inserted it, so it had to be removed and the 18 had to be forced in place. Rick is now 1/8 inch taller. It took a lot of work to get the 18 in place, and it is apparently in there very snug. The capsules are filled with growth hormone that will stimulate bone growth and over the next year the two vertebrae will grow together, thus the fusion will be complete. But for now the capsules and vertebrae are held together by the fibrous tissue that makes up the outside of the disc. That part of the disc was left in place to hold the vertebrae together. The good news is that there was no need to insert any rods or screws. That was something that Rick was really hoping to avoid.

I thanked the surgeon, I wanted to hug him but I didn't. And then even more waiting continued. Family is not allowed in the recovery room so I wouldn't be allowed to see Rick for another hour and a half. I think that wait was almost harder because I knew he would be waking up in pain and I wouldn't be there with him. I just wanted to hold his hand and be there but I couldn't. So yet again I just stared at the clock. I did break down a little at that point.

As soon as I heard a nurse say Wallace I jumped up out of my seat and I could see Rick being wheeled down the hallway. I was able to get in the elevator with him. He looked so pale and when I asked him how he was doing he just made a little noise. The elevator doors opened and I was told to wait in another waiting room while they transferred him to his bed. I was NOT happy about having to wait again. I did not wait in the waiting room, I waited in the hallway. And then after he was transferred to his bed, using a back board and pain apparently, I was told to still wait because the nurse wanted to check his vitals. The heck with that!!! I waited about one more minute and just walked into his room. The nurse didn't seem very thrilled with me but I was not going to wait any longer.

I knew he was in pain. I could see it all over his face. And that totally sucked!!!!

I think I will continue later. That's probably enough for now. I will have a couple pictures for the next post. I didn't really take pictures this time.

Until next time,
Jaime

ALIF Part 1

It seems that a lot of you enjoyed the play by play of the pancreatitis experience so I thought I would do the same thing for the surgery as well. Now remember the surgery was called an ALIF, which stands for Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion. So here it goes:

We woke up way before the sun on tuesday morning. I am not a morning person and I should never be up before the sun, but its just one of those things I will do for my hubby. As I was finishing up getting ready we got a phone call from the hospital asking if we could come in early because the guy scheduled before Rick had a big cup of coffee before coming in for surgery. What an idiot!! So we were out the door in about 5 minutes.

We arrived at the hospital a few minutes before 7 a.m. We didn't have to wait at all. Rick was immediately sent back to a room to get prepared for surgery. I got to go back with him right away, which is how it should always be but I won't get into that now. He put on his gown and crawled up into his bed. At this point I was so nervous. The thought of what was about to happen was almost too much for my nerves. But I of course held it together.

The nurse asked a lot of questions and got him all entered into the computer. Then another nurse walked in and said that she had the blood and would be sending it to the operating room. I saw the 2 units of blood she was trying to hide behind her back. It was a little disturbing to think that Rick could possibly need a blood transfusion. Luckily he never needed the blood though.

He was then rushed up to another pre-op holding area where lots of different doctors and nurses talked to him about what would be happening. They kept asking him if he was nervous and he said he wasn't, but I think he was just trying to hide it from me. His IV was started and he got to put on his very fashionable blue hospital cap. The surgeon came and talked about the surgery. He was a little worried about the pancreatitis getting stirred back up because of the surgery, but it never did. He explained what was going to happen. And the general surgeon that was working with him came and talked to us as well. The incision was going to have to be made a little higher on the abdomen because of where the herniated disc was, and because of the abnormality of Rick's back. He also told us that there is a chance that the leg pain won't be completely relieved, in which case he will go back in and remove some more disc from the back. But that wouldn't be a major surgery and wouldn't slow the recovery time. We are just hoping that doesn't happen.

So after the anesthesiologist came and explained how Rick would be intubated during the surgery, and the rest of the nurses were done with their stuff, it was time to say goodbye to Rick. The anesthesiologist gave him some IV versed (very good happy drug) and I had to kiss him goodbye. I watched as he was wheeled out the doors and I was escorted to the dreaded waiting room. My heart was beating like crazy and my stomach felt like it was in my throat. I hate saying goodbye, but this was a very different circumstance than what we are used to. Major surgery is scary. I was very scared!

I will continue later. Now I am going to hang out with my hubby.

Until next time,
Jaime

Home Sweet Home! Again

Rick is home. He is in his recliner sleeping at the moment. He has some really good pain meds that have knocked him out. I am very tired. I will write a better update later. For now I am going to unpack and rest. It is going to be a lot of work taking care of Rick. He has some major restrictions. But for now I am just going to enjoy the fact that we are home.

Until next time,
Jaime

Nerves

I am a bundle of nerves. So much so that I was actually physically sick this morning. I am so nervous about tomorrow that my stomach is in knots. Rick says he isn't nervous, but he hasn't been himself either.

If you have a spare minute during the day today and tomorrow I am asking you to please say a prayer for Rick's surgery to be successful and without complications, and for me as I am struggling with everything that has happened and is about to happen.

I will not have computer access again during the surgery. I will Twitter all day, and update my facebook. If you haven't signed up for Twitter yet it is easy. That way you can keep up to date on how things are going by getting text messages to your cell phone. You don't have to Twitter yourself, but you will need an account to get the messages. Make sure you turn your device updates on too. I know it is silly, but I have found it a good way to update when I am away from my computer.

I don't know when I will get a chance to do an actual update again. If there is a patient computer at the hospital I will try to update with that. And when I come home for a bit I will try to update if I have time. I will miss my computer, and checking for any comments that have been left by my supportive friends. Thank you all so much for your support and prayers. We really need it right now.

Until next time,
Jaime

Surgery

I want to thank everyone for the prayers and good thoughts for us as we awaited the scheduling of Rick's surgery. We met with the surgeon this morning and he explained everything to us. We were told about the different techniques of spinal fusion and shown models of how it works and what it will look like. He was very supportive of our decision and thinks we made the right one. He feels that this will really help Rick to get back to his old self. That is definitely what we are praying for.

The technique that will be used is called ALIF. It stands for Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion. The surgeon will go in through the abdomen and remove the damaged disc. It will be replaced with a cage full of bone graft material and growth hormones that will stimulate bone growth and fuse the vertebrae together. There will also be a metal plate to stabilize the vertebrae. If the surgeon feels that the spine is unstable after all that he said that he will go in through the back and use screws and rods to stabilize the spine. That is hopefully not going to happen.

Surgery is scheduled for March 10. Check in at 7am for a 9am surgery. As long as everything goes smoothly it should only take 2 hours. We have a lot to do to get ready. I have already found tank tops for Rick to wear underneath the back brace. And some comfy pants to wear that shouldn't bother the incision. But that is the least of my concerns. I still have a ton of stuff to do around the house as well. It needs to be accessible for a walker and have things in convenient locations for Rick. So much to do, and only 18 days to go.

Until next time,
Jaime

Decision

We have made our decision. Rick has decided to have spinal fusion surgery. You can read more about the surgery here. I called the surgeon's office to let them know about our decision and the scheduler said that she would have the doctor write the orders and call me back as soon as she receives them. Hopefully in a couple days we will have a set date for surgery.

This is a major surgery and Rick will be out of work for around 2 months. He will have a hospital stay that could be close to a week. He will not be able to lift anything for at least 6 weeks, nor will he be able to drive. He will have to wear a back brace to keep his torso from twisting.

The fusion will happen at L4-L5. Luckily a fusion in this area of the spine results in limited loss of motion. With physical therapy and healing Rick will most likely not even notice much of a difference.

We have lots of things around the house to do to prepare for having Rick out of commission. Thankfully my Mom will be taking care of the girls for a while after the surgery so that will be a big help. This is going to be a difficult time, especially since Rick doesn't have quite enough sick time and vacation time to cover the 2 months. We just have to pray that the benefit is successful so that can help with the lost paychecks.

I am sorry it took so long to post our decision. I had a busy day and this was the first time I have been able to sit down with the computer.

Until next time,
Jaime