This is one update you will want to read as I have both exciting and surprising news to share!
Before I begin to share I want to give thanks to my Lord for His goodness to me.
Psalm 9:1,2
1 I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Healing comes in many forms and I believe that what is about to happen will be a healing from some of the pain I'm in. Although this healing will come at the hands of my doctor; I fully give the credit of this potential healing to my Lord.
If you remember back a few months, you will remember that I had a violent coughing event (read more). It caused a great amount of unexplained pain in my neck, and then just a few days later I once again experienced a violent coughing event that caused the pain to go away as quickly as it came. It was also around that same time that the doctor order a CT Scan as a precaution (read more).
This past Friday I went into see my neurosurgeon to get the results of the scan and to beg him to do something, anything, that would reduce the amount of pain I have been in with my neck and left arm.
When he came into the room he said that he had both good news and bad news... the good news being the scan showed that the hardware in my neck was intact. The bad news... there was no explanation for the pain I was in. I begged him, please figure out what is wrong, as each day has passed the pain has become more severe then it has ever been before.
After spending about 3o minutes between reviewing the scan, moving my head around, and asking me to move my hands and arms around, he discovered an answer that I know surprised me and I'm thinking will surprise you as well.
The following is the only conclusion the doctor was able to come to.... when I had the original coughing event back in November the cough was so harsh that it blew the bottom left screw out of the cervical spine (my neck) that it was screwed into (this causing the intense pain).
Later, when I experienced the second coughing event, the screw was forced into, and is now wedged into what is called a 'root canal'. From what I understand, this is an opening in my spinal cord in which nerves run in and out of. Every time I move the pain radiates throughout my arm and neck; this, not to mention the inflammation (and the pain caused from the inflammation) which is being caused by this screw being stuck where it doesn't belong.
Something to remember, discovering this was like locating a needle in a haystack... the x-rays, MRI's, and CT Scans that have been done all showed that the hardware is in place and that nothing was wrong.
I had not shared with any of you that I was at the point of begging God to allow the doctor to see what the problem was... I knew that this pain was reaching a point that was becoming nearly impossible to deal with.
Some of you shared with me that you had been in a great deal of prayer for me leading up to this appointment, but had no idea what was going on. God answered my prayers along with the prayers of those who have been praying for me by allowing the doctor to locate the origin of this pain.
Now for the answer as to how to resolve this problem.... surgery!
As I have mentioned before, since I am not in great health, surgery isn't the preferable option. However, in this case it is the only option... I have been in contact with my general practitioner and she will approve the surgery. My responsibility will be to get my sugars down as low as possible and to get as much weight off as possible before then (I've been able to shed 15 pounds over the past few months so far).
When will the surgery be? Although it will still be a few weeks away (probably March or April) it will take place as soon as possible. I'm currently waiting for insurance approval (sometime this week), and then for an opening in both the surgeons and hospitals schedule. The surgery itself will be a 6 - 10 hour surgery and hospitalization is estimated to be 5 - 10 days.
The really exciting news for me is that this has made it so that the back plate and all four screws need to be removed.... the bones have fused enough from the initial surgery that I had in 2004 that this can be done. This means the pressure in the back of my neck should end... in other words... this should be the end to my headaches.
I will be counting on my children and friends to see me through the surgery and hospital stay... then my parents will be flying out to stay with me for the at home, round-the-clock recovery.
The only other thing (or should I say person) that will be holding me back from a surgery date is a friend of mine. She shall remain nameless... this lady needs shoulder surgery and I was trying to accommodate her in not having my surgery at the same time as her. I was hoping that we could take turns in the spotlight and not have to share it, but nooooo... she decided to cancel her surgery so she could fly off to Chicago and have some fun. Those of you who know her might want to help me put some pressure on her to pick a date and stick to it so that when I need to choose a date I'll know what my options are! Just kidding.... love you girl and have one last hooray in the windy city before you go under the knife....
And finally, when you think about it please say a prayer that all schedules will come into place, my sugar, cholesterol, and weight will continue to fall in preparing for this surgery. Pray also that I don't have a COPD exacerbation or lung infection of any sort that would induce intense coughing, or delay this surgery. And most important, that God will remain in control before, during, and with the result of this surgery, whatever it may be.
Love to all,
Diana
