After wearing my neck brace for two weeks straight, I had another appointment with Dr. Henderson on December 23, 2011. He asked if I had gotten any relief from the brace, if it had decreased my pain. It had! It was wonderful. :) When he heard how much lower my pain levels had been with the brace, he basically said, "So when do you want to do this?" He was 95% sure that this surgery was what I needed and that it would be successful. This was the best news that I had EVER heard!
We scheduled surgery for the evening of January 5th.
Dr. Henderson would remove a vertebral disc, replace it with a bone graph, fuse my third and fourth vertebrae, and secure them with a metal plate.
On January 4th, my mom took me down to Shady Grove Hospital, where we signed a lot of forms and I had a lot of tests done, some more pleasant than others. Because I was nervous about the surgery and hadn't eaten much that day, I fainted when they drew blood. Also, they tested my clotting time by cutting a niche in my arm. Six months later, I still have a scar! I hope they got the information they needed.
We also got a lot of helpful information, including my instructions for pre-op: no perfume, no makeup, no jewelry, only comfortable clothes, no eating after 12 A.M. the night before, and no drinking anything after 12 P.M. on the day of the surgery. (Keep in mind that I didn't have surgery until after 5 P.M.) Did you know that chewing gum counts as eating? Apparently it stirs up just as much stomach acid as eating solid food.
Also, because I was only seventeen when I had the surgery, I got to talk to some pediatric nurses the day before, asking them what to expect. Honestly, the thing I feared most was the nausea and disorientation that often followed serious surgery and anesthesia. They told me that I would be medicated after the surgery and that, if I needed them, I could receive medication to treat any nausea. This made me feel much better. Also, we got permission for my husband (fiance at that time) to stay with me and my parents in my room. It put me at ease knowing I would be surrounded with people who love me.
Before my surgery the next day, Dr. Henderson came into my curtained-off stall, which was crowded with Jon-Marc, Mom, Dad, and me. He made sure we were ready, and then he prayed with us. I can't explain how comforting that was. My family, my friends, and I, and even people I hardly knew, had been praying for this surgery for a month (really for years!), but having the surgeon himself commit my future, my health, and my life into God's hands gave me unknowable peace. As he left, Dr. Henderson said, "And now you're in the best hands."
Around dinnertime on January 5th, 2012, the anesthesiologist gave me the IV. The next thing I remember after the cool feeling of the medication flowing into my arm is hearing nurses talking about me and my mom saying, "Don't worry, Kate. I'm here." I faded in and out for a while, hearing only muffled noises. It wasn't until late that night that I fully regained consciousness. I was fairly disoriented still, but aware of my surroundings at least. I had trouble sleeping, mostly because I couldn't get comfortable in the hospital bed between the weird noises and my tender neck. With the help of a nurse, I tried to get up and go to the bathroom, but I couldn't stand yet. I almost got sick when I tried to get out of bed. I still had to go, though, so I surrendered my privacy, and they gave me first a bedpan, and then a catheter. I believe it was only the next morning when I was able to get out of bed.
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| January 7th, 2012 |
One issue I had was my reaction to the anesthesia. I had a very low blood pressure the whole night after surgery, and I kept setting off the heart rate monitor, which made it even more difficult to sleep. Also, I'm not sure if it was because of the low blood pressure or because of something else, but I had to wear an oxygen mask overnight. The ICU nurses took good care of me, though, especially since my mom and Jon-Marc were there to make sure they did!
The pain wasn't bad. Twenty-four hours after the surgery, I was only on extra-strength Tylenol, which had not been enough to manage my pre-surgery headaches. I was uncomfortable, though. My neck muscles were very sore, and for the first week or so I was unable to lift my head from a lying position. Once the soreness passed, which it did within a couple of days, I had complete relief from my pain. I spent one more night at the hospital, just to make sure I was good to go, and then I came home!
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| My mom, dad, and fiance on January 7th |
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| My mommy. She slept in that chair all night. |
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| A few days after surgery |
After a month or two, I had a recheck with Dr. Henderson, who said I was recovering very well. I soon got his permission to try running! It has been a year and a half since my surgery, and I am running three days a week, I go shopping, I am a full-time student and I work part-time, I clean my apartment, and I keep house for my husband. I could not have done any of these things before surgery. :) I owe my life to God, for providing this opportunity for treatment, and to Dr. Henderson.
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| Two weeks after surgery |
I highly recommend Dr. Henderson to anyone who is dealing with Chiari, Ehlers Danlos, or similar issues. He really knows his stuff.
For anyone who wants to share their experiences or ask about any of mine, please email me at kfluke12@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!
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| June 28th, 2013 |
