New Spine Doctor...

I went to see the new spine doctor that the neurosurgeon referred me to. The office is way over by my old apartment, but this guy is supposed to know his stuff. I was lucky that I was able to get in on short notice, because I want to get this process started before school is back in session. I got to the office on time, and filled out all the paperwork. I am taken back to a room, and proceed to wait for over an hour. Let me remind you, that sitting, standing, everything is uncomfortable unless I'm laying on my side. The pressure that sitting puts on my constantly numb backside makes it nearly unbearable, plus I'm still having the constant "zingers." The "zingers" are almost like electrical shocks. Sometimes, I'm lucky that they only occur in my left leg, but sometimes they'll run through my buttocks or even worse, my labia. Sometimes, they are pretty painful and I'll flinch or straighten (alerting Cody to the fact that I'm having one, which causes him to worry). The new doctor is going to put me on Zanaflex to help with the rectal spasms I'm experiencing. He has a different timeline than the neurosurgeon gave me for recovery. He says 2 years, the neurosurgeon said 3 mos. I'm glad because I'm not as close to back to normal as I'd like to be, and my 3 mos is almost up!! He wants to see me again in 3 weeks.

First Day of Women's Physical Therapy

Today I had my first "Women's" physical therapy. Thank goodness the therapist was a woman. We got to know each other a little bit, she talked to me about the Cauda Equina. Of course, she has no idea what it is, so she'll do research. I let her know that I am still numb in the saddle area, and she said okay. I had also called on Tuesday to ask if I could still come in for the Women's health visit because I had begun my period. So, here I am menstruating, and meeting the new therapist. She asks me to take off my bottoms and lie on the table. Then proceeds to spend the next 45 minutes with her fingers either in my vagina, or in my rectum. She asks me if I can feel either, I tell her no. She asks if I can squeeze, I try. She says that she can feel me squeezing, but sometimes she says that when I'm not squeezing. I'll see her again next week.

I also had my second visit for PT on my left leg. We continue working on balance, and setting my left foot down with a normal pressure instead of slamming it down. A lot of this reminds me of when I had a personal trainer at the gym. Its just basically someone forcing me to work out. It's funny though when I'm riding the exercise bike, because my left foot keeps slipping out. It doesn't matter how tight they have the strap, it just doesn't not want to stay on the foot grip.

After the therapy I am meeting with one of my new team members for brunch. We'll be starting school shortly, and I'll be teaching 3rd grade this year. I stop to use the restroom when we get to the restaurant, and as it turns out I've had a small bowel accident. Thankfully though, I've been carrying extra Depends and wipes with me. So I clean up and head out and have a nice lunch with Cindy.

Bah...

So today we were supposed to go see Trudy and the kids before they leave to go back to Michigan tomorrow. The plan was for Donna to call when everybody was up. Cody and I were going to head over for a bit, go grocery shopping and come home... hopefully before it got to hot out. I haven't heard from Donna and I call around noon (thinking everybody has got to be up by now). They are, and they are headed to the mall. They're gone for three hours, long enough for us to shop and put groceries away, and for me to develop a headache and have a bowel accident. Just lovely.

Baby Shower!!

Today I went to Jason and Carrie's for Jen's baby shower! It was so nice to see Jen. Last night I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it, because I had one of those stupid migraines that made me nauseous again. Luckily, I woke up and it was gone. I had planned to only stay for a little bit, but I was having fun. So I ended up staying for several hours. There was a point where one of the girls made me laugh, and I had a small accident, but I dealt with it. I hadn't really thought about what I would do with my soiled Depends after... luckily I had a baggie with my bathroom wipes, and I put the soiled diaper in that and was able to throw it away. This is a good idea, I think I will start putting my back up Depends into a bag, so I can throw away the soiled one easier!

Anyway, the shower was great, and Carrie did a great job with the food as always. I'm glad that I suggested we watch the video for the read aloud of "Go the F*ck to Sleep," everyone thought it was really funny. I got to just stay and chit chat with Carrie and Jen for awhile after everyone else left also. Even with the accident, it was a good day!

More Migraine Pains

What an evening, I've got a migraine that I tried to stop with the Percocet (since my back was hurting) but that didn't work. I ended up throwing up. I decide to try an Imitrex and eat some crackers (Ritz, because I keep forgetting to buy Saltines) and about 30 minutes later I'm sitting on the toilet, which I do a lot since the surgery because it takes longer to have a bowel movement with the lack of control for my sphincter muscle, and have to grab the bathroom trash to throw up in. I get sick some more and finally it seems like I'm done. I go lay down in bed, because I'm exhausted from going to the bathroom (yes, that tends to exhaust me now) and the throwing up, my head still hurts and I fall asleep. I wake up a little bit later, take another Imitrex, talk to Cody for a bit, and fall back asleep. During this whole ordeal I'm super frustrated because tomorrow is Jen's baby shower at Carrie's and I have been looking forward to this, since I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to see Jen again. Plus, I bought awesome books for the baby!

Bon Voyage to Another Cohort Member

Today was a pretty good day, I got the chance to see Erin and Amber from my Grad Cohort. Erin is moving back to Michigan next week. Amber, Cody and I wanted to make sure we saw her before she left. Dinner was good, we went to Chili's at Metrocenter for Happy Hour (no drinks, just food specials), and I had forgotten that the mom of one of my Kinders works there. She was working, and was our waitress. It was nice, because I got to ask her how her kiddos were doing (I'm set to have her 3rd grader this year), and told her to tell them both hello for me. Erin and Amber are both running a bit late, so Cody and I get a chance to enjoy some chips and salsa while we wait. I dunno why, but I love Chili's chips and salsa. I get to enjoy a steak and ribs (I picked that so that I would have enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow) and get to chat with everybody. It's been forever since I've seen Erin, and I'm glad I got to see her before she left. Dinner goes well, no accidents, and the rest of the evening ends with Cody and I relaxing and watching some Castle.

Let the Rare Side Effects Begin...

The Lovenox injections are no fun. I've given myself 4 now and they all sucked!! I'm getting better, but still cannot "dart" the injection. I guess one bonus of being numb in the "saddle area" is that I can't always feel the injection until after I'm done when it starts burning from the alcohol wipe, although, it is creepy to watch the needle going in. Unfortunately, even though diarrhea isn't listed as a side effect until the very bottom of the list of possible side effects, I'm experiencing it. Normally that wouldn't be so bad, but when you can't control your sphincter muscle, diarrhea is even worse than normal!! I call my PCP's office and they tell me to stop the stool softener I was taking with the Percocet, and to try the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast). The items on the BRAT diet tend to constipate you (so does the Percocet) so hopefully that should help to offset the diarrhea side effect of the Lovenox. I just need to make it through the weekend until I can see my PCP on Monday morning. Thank goodness I upgraded our Netflix account to get DVDs and we have lots of Castle to watch so that I can keep my mind off of things!

Home Again...

I wake up early at 6:30, because the night nurse has come to give me my next injection of Lovenox. Since this is the third time I've been woken up (4 o’clock to take blood, 4:30 to take my blood pressure) I decide I might as well get up. I arrange the chair so I can read until I'm able to order some breakfast (which the hospital actually does pretty well) and wait for Cody to get up. I havethe same daytime nurse again and she lets me know that I have to be able to get my blood thinner filled, and be able to give myself injections before they'll discharge me, so I know what the goals are. I check online with my ipad and the blood thinner is covered. It's normally $1450 for 7 days worth of the brand and $660 for the generic. Luckily, because the surgery caused me to meet my maximum annual out of pocket I won't have to pay for it. They call it in, so it will be ready, then the nurse comes to teach me how to do the shots. When my mom was learning how to do shots, she got to practice on an orange; I get to practice on me! So the nurse makes me watch as she gives me an empty injection (nothing in the syringe) then she makes me do it to myself. I'm kind of slow, but it goes in. The nurse does it again, explaining that I need to make sure I pinch hard and rub hard with the alcohol because that will direct the "pain soldiers" somewhere other than where I'm actually sticking the needle. She also tells me that I need to "dart" it, do it fast. She asks if I would like to try again, and I tell her no thank you. I check to make sure it is okay I keep taking my birth control, she says yes (and it is listed in my paperwork as medication that I am continuing). She also tells me I'll need to make an appointment with my PCP to check my blood levels for the injections, that I should do this on Monday. She gets the paperwork ready, and I get to go home. We stop and Walgreens and get alcohol wipes, 14 generic Lovenox injections, and the new blood pressure medication that my PCP had just put me on (Metoprolol ER 50mg). After we get the prescriptions I realize I'm missing coumadin. They told me I would have to be on Coumadin and Lovenox at the same time. I call the nurse at the hospital and she says that is something that my PCP will give me a prescription for. We continue having an okay day, until after I eat and I get ready to give myself my first injection of Lovenox. I take a look at my abdomen and HOLY COW!!! I have an enormous bruise; I don't remember getting one, what the hell, where did it come from. I think maybe something is wrong, so I call the nurse and she said that I had it when we were practicing injections (I don't remember seeing it). Okay, thank you. I give myself the first injection, I still can't dart it, but it’s done, only 13 more to go! :(

Here is the bruise on my abdomen from the injection the nurse gave me at 6:30 am HUGE

Another Trip to the E.R.

So, the weekend was pretty good overall, but my left calf muscle was still really tight. It felt like a constant charlie horse. The doctor's offices are closed because it was Memorial Day weekend, so I had to wait until today to call and make an appointment. I call my new PCP's office and they can get me in at 1:30. I come in and explain the systems and she tells me she can see 2 possible things it could be. 1 - it could be that I have a blood clot, which would be weird because I have been up and walking around and moving my legs, 2 - it could be that the nerves in my calf are dying because the ones they are linked to in my spine were compressed for too long, and they just can't recover. She sends me for an ultra sound at a place right behind the E.R., she said if they say it is blood clots, I have to go to the E.R. to get the first dose of blood thinner, and they'll send me home. I get in right away, and sure enough, I have 2 blood clots in my left calf that are not completely obstructing blood flow (otherwise they would have been way more painful)! Cody and I head over to the E.R., Cody has to work tonight, so he's going to have to leave me at the ER and Donna will come and wait with me. Cody comes and gets me checked in, and there are A LOT of people, way more than the previous 2 times I was here. I get checked in and he has to leave. I put in a call to the neurosurgeon, because he is at this hospital today today, and maybe he can get me in earlier, but I have to leave a message. Donna arrives a little while later, she tells the check in lady that my neurosurgeon is at the hospital today, but there isn't much they can do at check in. We get to triage, I'm not sure if the lady was new or what, but I was like, my neurosurgeon is here today, can you please let him know. She's like, uh I'll check on that. I explain that my ultrasound results should have been sent right over, she can't find them, I tell her that I have 2 confirmed blood clots. I call my PCP's office, who said they have them and will fax them right over. Donna insists that I get a wheelchair and as soon as we get out of triage they are calling me to be seen by a doctor. My PCP's office calls back to see if they have been received, I say they must because I'm getting ready to be examined again. A nurse comes back and says that I will be admitted, which really upsets me because I don't like spending time in the hospital, and that they will have to put in an i.v. I do NOT like needles... I talked them out of the i.v. the day after my surgery was complete because they are so very uncomfortable, but they insist I have to have one. Donna calls my mom to let her know that I am back in the hospital for blood clots. An EMT (or so I thought until she turned around and I read her t-shirt that says Pima EMT Trainee) comes and puts in an i.v. then another nurse comes and gives me my first blood thinning injection in my stomach. I'm not having a good time at all. I'm not sure if I've had a bowel accident, and they won't let me walk to the bathroom to check (they'll bring me a bedside toilet, uh no thank you), they tell me they are working on getting me a room. Finally about, 45 minutes later someone comes to take me to my room. They're wheeling the bed and we get to the room, but it isn't big enough for them to roll the bed I'm on into so they can transfer. The orderly asks if I can walk, and I say that I walked into the hospital, Donna doesn't want me to walk. But, I do and while I'm up, my first stop is the bathroom!! Luckily, no accident, but my bladder sure was full!! I'd gone about 6 hours without peeing which is like, a post-surgery all time best while awake! I get into bed and then there is just waiting. The day nurse comes through, but she'll be leaving in just a bit because of the change in shifts. She informs me that I've missed the dinner cut off, so Donna agrees to go get me something to eat, she doesn't want to leave me alone, but she hasn't eaten either. She brings us back some dinner and we eat. It's about 8 o’clock and Cody should be getting off of work soon, so he should be here about 9, I tell her to go home and see Gordon and Tiffany, I'll try and get some sleep, she reluctantly agrees. I let Cody know what I'd like from home since he has to go there first and give Castro his insulin and food (more Depends, some wipes, iPad, library book, fuzzy socks, birth control) and he brings everything except the birth control (I forgot to include it, even though I was thinking of it). We visit for a bit, he eats some dinner. We talk, I don't want to leave the cat alone, and I should be getting out tomorrow, so I think he should sleep at home. He doesn't want to leave me, but knows he won't get much sleep in the chair. He leaves around midnight. I do manage to get some sleep between poking and prodding.

First Post-Surgery Dining Out!

To start the day off, Cody spoils me and we enjoy some chocolate croissants from Baker-Wee that go perfectly with my Starbucks Venti White Chocolate Mocha (non-fat no whip) with 2 pumps raspberry. It is a great way to start the day, yummmm. The rest of the day goes pretty well and I'm excited for tonight, which will be my first post surgery meal out. Cody and I are going with Jason and Carrie to try a place called Babbo's Italian Eatery. Since I'm still having issues with flatulence and accidents I wear my Depends to dinner. It's great to see Jason and Carrie because I haven't seen them since I was in the hospital. Plus, I'm not making dinner or having to do the dishes (my cleaning has basically only been dinner, dishes and laundry since I've been in the hospital). We discuss my progress and Carrie comes to the realization that the Happy Bunny Magnet I bought forever ago in Las Vegas makes sooo much sense now, as it says "Oops I pooped on your things!" I make it through dinner with no accidents, although my left calf is starting to bother me more than normal. It's usually a little tight, but it seems to be getting tighter. While we're at dinner, a couple of my other good friends, Donna K.and Kris, are at Phoenix's Comic-Con and have gotten me a surprise! Donna got me a Jamie Bamber (Apollo from Battlestar Galactica) autographed photo that says "To Kristi with love, Jamie Bamber." All in all though, a great day!!!

Big Day in Kindergarten!!

Today was great!!! I got to see my kiddos and attend promotion. I saw some of my coworkers as well. It also went really well. It was funny to hear some of the things that they want to be when they grow up (Power Ranger is just one example), they sang some songs and got their promotion pictures. I did a little walking around, and the kids all got the chance to hug me if they wanted (while I was sitting down, that way they weren't hugging my incision). All of the parents from my class came (except for one, the same one that didn't come to meet the teacher, or either of the parent teacher conferences, or anything) and so my one kiddo was stuck in the classroom after all the other kids had gone home with their parents while they waited an extra hour for their older siblings to get out of school.

It was also a good day for me. No accidents! Even when I bent down to tie some shoes which generally causes little bowel accidents. I was able to stay the entire time, although those 3 hours were really pushing it, and by the time I got home I was exhausted! It was totally worth it to see all my kiddos again!!

New Doctor

This morning Cody drove me down to meet with the new doctor that had been recommended by my colleagues at Heritage school, PCP. She did a standard check up and she is also concerned that my blood pressure is elevated. I never had a problem before the surgery, but now it seems the blood pressure is a concern. I also had the headache the other day, so PCP puts me on Zomig (this was the last thing I was on before I stopped having the migraines years ago) for some crazy reason my insurance company only allows 4 per month! She also keeps me on blood pressure medication. I also ask what I can do because I seem to have some irritation in my pelvic area where my skin is peeling, and I think it's "diaper rash" she recommends some Desitin cream on it and to let her know if its not getting better. We drop off the prescriptions and pick them up later. I take a shower, and blow dry my hair, putting on my diaper rash cream so I can put on my Depends. I head back into the bathroom to put up my blow dryer and come back to the bed and I notice some poop on the floor. I tell Cody I think Castro has had an accident, and he tells me he doesn't think it's Castro's. He's right, it's mine. Regardless of the accident, I'm totally excited for tomorrow and promotion for my Kinders at school! First time I've seen them since the end of April, last day of school!!!

Scholastic Sale

So anybody who knows me knows that I love to read and I love to buy books for my classroom! When I found out that I'd be teaching 3rd grade, I couldn't wait to get to the sale and get some new books for my classroom library. Since getting home from the hospital, I had been worried that I would not be able to do this sale (because it is lots of walking around in a big warehouse). Things had been going well, I have lots of farting going on that I can't control (because of the sphincter muscle thing), but haven't really had any accidents, so we decide to go. Since the surgery, every time I'd been out in public I've worn Depends, so I do that with this outing as well. We get to the sale, and I fart (it’s a bit stinky) Cody makes a face, and I let him know that I just made a stinky. We go through the sale and I look at tons of books, it takes about an hour and a half to get through it. I'm totally excited about my purchases and we head home. When I'm getting out of the car, Cody says there is a spot on the back of my shorts. When I get into the bathroom I see that I've had a bowel accident. This makes me sad; it had been a little while since I had one and I thought that streak was over. We relax and watch some t.v. then I start to get a headache around 4pm. I take a Percocet, drink a Starbucks DoubleShot and then take a nap. I'm out for quite a while, Cody makes me some soup for dinner and I take another Percocet because I still have the headache, put some ice on it, I end up throwing up and then I'm finally able to go to sleep. I haven't had migraines like this in forever! Good thing I did research and found a new PCP from all of the recommendations I got from my colleagues at school!

First Post Op Follow-up

The weekend was pretty uneventful, I had a visit from Cammy on Saturday because she was dropping off pictures from water day so I can add it to a cd full of pictures from the year.

Today I had my first post-op with the neurosurgeon. He is pleased that my bladder has pretty much come back, but a little disappointed that the bowels didn't come back with them. Usually the recovery of the bladder and bowels goes hand in hand, but not always. He lets me know that if we hit the 3 month mark and things still haven't come back that we will start to consider it a permanent thing. He checks out my incision and says that it is looking good. He also says that the numbness in my left leg is normal, and we're looking at the same time frame for the bladder and bowels. Cody asks how different my current situation could be if we'd gotten in sooner. The neurosurgeon thinks we got the surgery relatively early (he thinks the disc ruptured on Wednesday, so surgery on Friday was an early reaction). He also said that I need to start walking around more, trying to get back to normal. The only thing with this is that the numbness on the bottom of my left foot makes it a little uncomfortable and my feet are still pretty swollen. I tell him that my calves (even my right one) are numb and that I noticed it when I was shaving my legs the day before. He squeezes my leg and says that if there was a blood clot I would be jumping off the table in pain. He suggests that I just give it more time. I ask about paperwork that I need filled out for work. He says it will cost $25 and they can mail it out when it is done (The Tempe Doctor's Office was going to charge $25/page!). We leave the office and head to the library to drop off my library books that were due. Then we head to school so that I can turn in my signed contract. I get to stop in and see Lynn, and she is happy to see me up and around. When I get into some detail about what happened she is insistent that I don't go back to the Tempe Doctor's Office, since they dropped the ball. She suggests that I send an email out to the staff for recommendations. I'm not ready to see the kids yet because I'm afraid they'll try and hug me and they're incision height. I get to see some other teachers that I have been missing as well. We grab some McDs for lunch, then head home. Even that little bit has me pretty exhausted. We relax and watch some t.v. and I send out the email to the staff getting some recommendations for a new doctor's office.

Another Day at Home

Cody had to do some errand running for me today. I needed pictures of my kiddos using the Leapfrog Tag readers for my DonorsChoose.org project, he also picks up my contract and the drops off the book order information so that my sub can get the books out to the kids as soon as they come. Cammy makes sure that Cody gets around school okay, and Cody leaves an extra camera so that Cammy can take pictures on Water day (A day where the kinders spend the afternoon doing lots of fun water activities!). Luckily Cody doesn't work tonight, so he can stay home with me. I'm pretty sure he's uncomfortable leaving me at all, but he has done it for little bits. Driving to Tempe and back, however is a different stories. He'd be leaving me alone for about 4 hours, and I can't bend down yet. I'm glad he is able to be home and take care of me!

Oops...

It was so nice to sleep in my bed last night. Even if I didn't get to sleep on my stomach like I always do. The neurosurgeon said no more stomach sleeping, that it is bad for my back. So, I took Lynn's advice and laid on my side with a pillow in front of me, and another between my knees. I slept pretty well, and managed to make it to the bathroom with a full bladder, no accident. We spent the day watching some t.v., its uncomfortable for me to sit on my bottom, because it stretches the skin on my back, so I curl on my side with a pillow between my knees. I take the Percocet every 4 hours and it knocks me out! I end up doing a lot of sleeping off and on. Once, I wake up and I feel like I have to go to the bathroom and have a bowel movement, but I don't make it to the bathroom. One of the side effects of the Cauda Equina Sydnrome is that I don't currently have control over my sphincter muscle. I can feel when my bladder and bowels are full, but I can't always control them. So, as much as I hate to do it, I send Cody out to buy some Depends. While he is out the chiropractor calls to find out how I am doing. I'm on Percocet and not thinking clearly. I can't remember the name of the syndrome, so I don't tell him. I let him know that I am still numb and uncomfortable in my pelvic region and that I do not have control over my bladder and bowels like I used to. He asks that I keep him updated and let him know if there is anything that I need. What I need is to be back to the way that I used to be, but I don't see that happening for awhile. Cody gets home and I try out some of my new Depends underwear. It sucks that I'm 34 and wearing diapers again, but if it means I can sit on my furniture instead of staying on the toilet, then I guess it will work. I decide since I've already talked to the chiropractor that it's time to talk to my P.A.  at the Tempe Doctor's office and let her know about the major ball dropping that happened. I call and leave a message that I need to talk to her, not her nurse, but my P.A. herself, and to please have her call me when she can that day. A little later I receive a call back from her, she asks how the surgery went and how I'm feeling and I let her know (Cody had called her office while I was in surgery to let them know I was having it). I let her know that I had called her several times a day on Tuesday and Wednesday with my concerns about being numb and that I asked for a call back. She looks in my file and says that the only note there was is from Tuesday saying I asked about my x-ray results from the previous week. I ask if she even got my call from today, and she said no, she was just wanting to check on me. I let her know that I have been with this practice for 14 years, and even though I moved across town I continued to stay with that office because I trusted them, and genuinely enjoyed the doctors there. Having had this major miscommunication with the office staff and them not properly passing on messages is serious, and I let her know that I'm not sure I will be continuing with their practice because this misstep almost cost me the use of my legs. She says that she understands and she puts me on hold for a moment while she informs the Doctor/Practice Owner of the ball dropping. He is upset as well. The rest of the day goes by pretty uneventfully, except for the unfortunate news that Maurice Sendak (author of Where the Wild Things Are) has passed away.

Finally!!!!

Cody comes back in the morning after giving Castro his food and insulin. Hopefully today will really be the day that I can be discharged. The neurosurgeon's partner comes to see me this morning and finally gives me the okay to leave. The neurosurgeon's partner and attending physician are both concerned that my blood pressure is still on the high side, but give me a blood pressure medication to help keep that under control until I can see my PCP. The neurosurgeon's partner tells me to schedule a follow with their office because they fill up quickly. I should be up walking around, I have Percocet for the pain, a steroid to help with the swelling, the blood pressure medication, an antibiotic and Valium for nerves. I ask if I can please take a shower before I leave the hospital (because they have a shower chair), and am told that I can, but then it seems like they are trying to rush me out. I insist that I'm not leaving until I take a shower, they ask when I think I'll be ready to leave and I say about an hour. Cody helps me carefully take a shower. I can't stand for long periods of time, so the shower chair really helps. We check out and head home. I'm so happy to see Castro and our house, but I am exhausted from not really having slept the night before. So I end up sleeping for a bit. Cody runs to the store and gets some essentials, my prescriptions filled and a McDonald's Mocha Frappe (if I can't have a Starbucks this will do!) while I nap. I hurt, and my back feels tight, so I take one of the Percocet. I still feel numb down my left leg and in the saddle area. The neurosurgeon's partner had said that this could take months to come back. I had Cody take a picture of the incision because I hadn't seen it yet. We take it easy relaxing in the bed, watching t.v. shows that I missed out on while I was in the hospital, and call it an early night.

Sunday...

Normally, Sundays are one of my favorite days of the week. I get to relax (usually kick back with a Starbucks) and take a look at the Sunday paper. I love to look at the ads and check out the sales. In the hospital though, this is not as fun. Besides, the fact that I'm still sore and the medications are driving my blood pressure and blood sugar all over the place, I just can't relax, I want to go home. Cody makes an effort to get Castro his insulin and food early so that he can be with me when the neurosurgeon comes to check on me. Cody gets there nice and early (since yesterday the neurosurgeon came around 8am) and we end up waiting for a bit. As soon as I step into the bathroom to try and pee, he shows up. He talks to Cody, and me through the bathroom door. He says that he's not really comfortable releasing me with the blood pressure issues, the fact that I'm still working to control my bladder, and I'm still retaining even after peeing. He's not ruling it out, but he'd like to re-evaluate later in the day to see how I'm doing. I ask if I can at least take a shower, and he said that would probably help me feel better, so to do so with the help of Cody or a nurse. When I ask later for showering supplies (towels, soap, etc) they are told that there is no record in my file that I was given the o.k. to shower, so it is put off again! Later in the evening Cody and I relax, (he brought his laptop from home) and we share the little overbed table. Him on one side playing a game on his laptop, me on the other. I do some reading, I put in a Scholastic book order so my kiddos get their books before the last day of school, I play some games on my iPad. The neurosurgeon does not come back to check on me. The attending physician comes through and says that a urologist will be coming to see me at some point today because they are worried that I might have a secondary urinary infection because there had been blood in my urine (because they make you pee into a cup so they can measure your urinary output). I once again state that of course there is blood in my urine, I am MENSTRUATING!! (Really... how many times do you have to state the same thing over and over and over). I pee again, and they scan and it shows I'm only holding 100ccs (just over 1/3 cup), this has been considered acceptable. So a couple hours later a urologist comes through. He had been told I was on a catheter (I'm not), he had been told I was retaining large amounts in my bladder even after peeing, which is also no longer true. I also let him know that they put me on an antiobiotic just in case I had a urinary tract infection. He leaves a card and tells me to follow up later with my PCP or with his office to ensure there really is no urinary infection. By now its getting late into the afternoon, and I'm starting to realize I am not going home today either. The attending physician comes through and says that I will be staying again, until I have more control over the bladder, blood sugar and blood pressure. My blood sugar is apparently too high, so I get another 2 units of Inulin Lente before dinner. Cody leaves to get Castro his insulin and food, as well as some dinner for himself. I take a small nap, and wake up as I realize I have to pee, but just can't make it fast enough. Small accident, but this is what they were talking about with control of bladder. Cody comes back and we relax some more together, but I convince him to go home and try and get a good night's sleep so he'll be better ready to take care of me when I come home tomorrow.... because it has to happen... I have to go home tomorrow or I will go insane. Cody goes home to get some sleep. I try, but after about 30 minutes I can't sleep. I get up and walk around the floor, I watch some Netflix, I watch some t.v., I read, I get up and walk around some more and I pee a lot. It's finally 4am before I fall asleep, then at 4:30 they draw more blood, and take blood pressure and blood sugar. I finally fall back asleep for until around 7am.

The Day After Surgery

Cody stayed the night with me, but he needed to leave to get Castro his morning food and insulin. I'm still very sore from the surgery and my saddle area is numb. I fight with the nurses to remove the catheter and to be able to wear underwear and sanitary napkins. Donna arrives and is with me when neurosurgeon comes to visit this morning. He is upset that I didn't get up and do any walking around the night before. This is just as the nurses are changing shifts (7:30am) and I get the same AM nurse as I had the day before. She said she knew that I was clear to walk without a brace. I explain that the night nurse did not know this, and there was nothing in the notes to indicate, and normally they don't allow patients to walk after back surgery without a brace. He says that we can remove the catheter and see how I do on my own for peeing. He says if I can manage my bladder and get walking there is a chance that I can go home today. I ask if I can please wear underwear and a sanitary napkin now, and he says yes. Luckily, Cody not only brought me my favorite Starbucks breakfast (Venti White Mocha Non Fat No Whip with 2 pumps Raspberry and a Perfect Oatmeal yummmm), but also some undies and napkins so I put some on. Now I've just gotta get walking around. Cody is disappointed that he didn't get a chance to see the neurosurgeon, who'd have thought that the doctor would be in at 7:30 on a Saturday! Donna leaves because she has to do Karaoke that night (and she's barely seen Gordon or Tiffany since this all started) and Cody takes me for a lap around the floor. When we get back, Cody leaves to go check on Castro, he's been home alone a lot! While Cody is gone checking on Castro, I convince the nurses to remove the I.V. and Jason and Carrie come to see me. I'm looking totally awesome since I haven't had a shower since uhm Wednesday (4 days) and am not feeling too confident in hospital gown. At least am sitting in the little recliner that they have, and Jason and Carrie take the other chairs. They are so sweet and bring me some pretty purple flowers and gift cards to Mimi's Cafe and Rock Bottom Brewery so that Cody doesn't always have to cook when I finally get to break out of this place! The attending physician comes in to see us. He is concerned because I haven't peed since they removed the catheter and its been about 4 hours (hello, teacher's bladder). I pee a little, but they can feel my bladder and tell it wasn't nearly enough. They tell me everytime I pee, I will have to have a bladder scan (ultrasound) They come do the ultrasound and I'm holding about 300ccs still, which is like 1 and 1/4 cups. So they reinsert a catheter to drain it. The nurse tells me that the catheterising should hurt, but I don't feel anything, still numb in the saddle area, then they remove the catheter. They are also concerned about my blood sugar (which was up around 300) and my blood pressure (162/109). They say that these can be related to the steroid, dexamethasone, that I am on to help with the iflammation from surgery. Before dinner they give me 8 units of Inulin Lente and my blood sugar drops to just over 100, and that is after eating dinner.  I get up and do more walking. The attending physician comes back and says that because I'm retaining too much urine and my blood pressure is high (due to being in a hospital AND the steroid they have me on for the inflammation in my back) I'm not going home today. I am devastated. Cody stays the night again tonight after going back to check on Castro, but I know that sleeping in the chair can not be comfortable for him. The night nurse comes and checks my blood sugar again, and its high (about 150) but she decides not to give me any insulin, because she wants to check it again later to make sure its not related to the dexamethasone. She checks later and it is closer to normal, so no more insulin tonight.

Carrie says that this should be our Christmas Card for this year!

Surgery Day

I luck out and get to have an early surgery. Cody spent the night with me, and Donna came back. They want me completed naked, which I am not comfortable with because I am menstruating. They tell me I can wear some special mesh underwear (think fishnet tights) and their special sanitary napkin. I meet the neurosurgeon and he tells me that he is going to remove my L5 disc because it has herniated and it is pressing on the lumbar sac and compressing the nerves that control the lower half of my body, including my legs, bladder and bowels. I have something called Cauda Equina Syndrome, which is why there was the numbness in the saddle area (it is one of the tell tale symptoms for the syndrome). I, like the idiot that I am, ask how long I'll be out of work after (I'm thinking of my appendectomy where I was only out a week). He tells me that I'll be out for several weeks. I start to cry, thinking of all I'll miss, because that's the end of the year. I tell Cody he has to call Lynn and request some subs, I need Mrs. Grasso or Mrs. Pearson, or someone who is going to take care of my kids. Donna tells me that she will keep my mom updated. Then they wheel me away. The next thing I know I'm waking up in a bigger room, and I have no undies (not even the fishnet guys!) First order of business is I NEED underwear. Cody has gone while I was in post-op and given Castro his insulin for the morning, but Donna is still with me. I'm allowed some ice chips, and I'm so thirsty. After a little while the neurosurgeon comes to visit. He says that the surgery went well. The disc was the 2nd or 3rd largest he has ever removed and he even took a picture (it's graphic) and emailed it to me. He said if I had waited for a day or more I would have likely been paralyzed from the waist down. He tells me that with any luck if I get up and walking around today that I can go home tomorrow. I have to be able to pee on my own (they have me on a catheter). Cody brings my iPad, a magazine, a book, and a picture of Castro on his phone. Donna stays until early evening, we ask the nurse if I can get up and take a walk (which is what the neurosurgeon wanted me to do) but she says there is no order for a back brace, and she can't take the chance that I hurt myself walking without a brace, so no walking for tonight. They also won't remove the catheter. Which means I need to practice walking and peeing tomorrow if I want to go home tomorrow. Donna leaves to go spend some time with Gordon, and Cody stays the night (after he goes home to give Castro his insulin).

You Have Got To Be Kidding Me (Part 2)

Cody drives me back to our side of town so that we can go to the E.R. for the MRI. I call my mother in law and let her know where we are headed, she says she can leave work, but I tell her not to worry and we'll keep her updated. Thank goodness the P.A. gave me the shot of Toradol, or the pain in the car ride back would have been unbearable. When we get to the ER, we get another wheelchair, because the left leg is giving me problems still. I let them know every step of the way that I was just here a week ago. We have to wait for about 90 minutes before we get to the back. The pain is escalating, the Toradol must be wearing off. They ask for me to get into a gown, I do. The insurance lady comes to get my card and info. I have to give a urine sample. So I wobble over to the bathroom (I'm almost as far away from it as you can get) wait for the person who is currently in there (because of course there is only one) and then finally work on the urine sample. When I take it back, they kind of freak out. But, because if all of this back stuff isn't bad enough, I'm also menstruating, isn't it just great to be a woman? They nurses come back and ask about the symptoms again. I let them know that I'm experiencing numbness in the pelvic area and left leg. They ask about the urine, I tell them. What is my pain level, I'm at about a 5. They ask me to turn over, they're going to perform a rectal exam. I do, they put on the gloves and I know they're getting ready to stick their finger in my bottom... but I don't feel anything. They ask me to squeeze, I tell them I can't, I can't even feel their finger. Now they're worried. They give me a shot of Valium and Demerol to prepare me for the MRI. They leave... I start to get a little sleepy, Cody is still there, then all of a sudden I'm on fire. I feel like every nerve ending in my legs are on fire and as if someone has scooped out my uterus and its hollow. I'm now at like a 20 on the pain scale that goes to 10. Cody is very concerned that I'm going to pass out from pain. As I'm writhing around in pain the insurance lady comes back in and wants us to put down some money (we just gave them $500 last week when we were here). Finally a nurse comes in and gives me a shot of Dilaudid and things start to come back under control pain wise. They wheel me for the MRI, and the Dilaudid is starting to wear off and my left leg feels like it is on fire, but I have to stay perfectly still during the MRI or they will have to do it again. I somehow manage it. I get back to a room, and Donna is there talking on the phone to my mom, Kathy, because Cody had to go home and give Castro his insulin (for the first time by himself). I want a glass of water so badly (those of you who know me, know I'm not a water girl), but they say that I have to wait for a neurologist to review the MRI before I can do anything. A nurse comes back in and tells me that I will be having back surgery in the morning. I can have some dinner or something to drink, but nothing after midnight. I call my mom, and try and reassure her that its going to be okay, I'm going to be okay. Cody comes back, then leaves to get me a salad for dinner. I'm put in a bigger room for pre-surgery. I'm allowed to have Dilaudid to help control the pain, and the goal is to make it through the night.

You Have Got To Be Kidding Me (Part 1)

I wake up and I am still experiencing numbness in my pelvic region, extending down my left leg. I call my P.A.'s office and again let them know that I am numb and I need her to call me back. Then I call chiropractor's office and grab the first open appointment. Cody drives me over there, and I'm so slow... I can barely feel my left leg... my buttocks are numb, my pelvic area is numb, I'm slow and hurting despite the medications that I am on. I know.. its unusual to say that even though I'm numb it's painful, but it is completely possible. I get into see the chiropractor, he takes a look at me, palpates my back and says that the x-ray came back clean. He said it looks like there could be some calcification in the kidneys, which is a sign of a kidney infection, so he palpates my kidney and asks if it hurts, which it doesn't. He tells me he is not going to adjust me, I need to call my P.A./PCP and arrange for an MRI. He tells me again that the numbness is related to the bed rest and how I'm doing it, nothing to be concerned over. We leave and I book an appointment for my P.A.'s office, insisting I still need her to call me back about the numbness. Now, let's keep in mind that I live in Peoria and my P.A.'s office is in Tempe (a 40 minute drive). Sitting in the car for the short trip to the chiropractor was painful, I know that heading to the P.A.'s office is going to be torture, so I try and time taking the Percocet so it will be the most beneficial. When we get to the P.A.'s office in Tempe for appointment, I'm headed to the back walking with Cody and my left leg feels like it goes out from under me. They bring out a wheelchair and wheel me back. The P.A. takes one look at me and asks me what I'm doing there. I'm not really in the mood to bring up the fact that I've been calling. I tell her that the chiropractor recommended that I get an MRI, to get an MRI I need a prescription from the doctor. She asks me about my pain level and I tell her I'm at like a 6 or 7, the highest it has been, but I'm more concerned with the numbness that I'm experiencing in my pelvic region and down my left leg. The P.A. says that the best way to go about this is for me to go to the ER and have an MRI done. If she were to just send me for an MRI they would have to wait for her to get the results, but if I go to the ER they can have a neurologist look at it right away. She is very concerned about the numbness and wants to know if there have been any issues of incontinence with it. I let her know that there have not been. She gives me a shot of Toradol to help make the trip to the ER more bearable, and tells me if there are any issues admitting me, to please call her and she will talk with them. She expresses that I must tell them about the numbness in the pelvic area because this is very important. As we get out to the car I see I have a voicemail from the P.A.'s office telling me that my x-ray has come back normal.... lack of communication.

I Am Slowly Going Numb.... Numb Going Slowly Am I...

After bedrest on Tuesday, I wake up Wednesday and am concerned because my butt and pelvic area are going numb. I put in a call to the Tempe doctor's office when they open at 8am to see if they have the x-ray results yet, and to ask if she can call me because of the numbness. I call the chiropractor's office at 9am when they open to ask about the numbness. His office staff checks has him call me back and he says that this is normal becase of how I'm doing the bed rest. I take him for his word, I mean... he is the expert right, this is what they are supposed to know. I'm still taking the Percocet that was prescribed by the ER and then the Flexeril that was was prescribed by my P.A. at the Tempe doctor's office. I'm icing my back like the chiropractor said to, but as the day progresses the numbness continues... my left leg is getting tingly, and my butt feels extremely numb. I call my P.A. at the Tempe doctor's office again around 4, because I know that they leave at 5, and am very clear that I need for the P.A. herself to call me back becaue I am experiencing numbness. Time passes and now both offices are closed, the P.A. has not gotten back to me, despite the calls I put in, so I resolve to make it through the night (I sleep a lot, the Flexeril tends to knock me out), and plan call the P.A. and the chiropractor's offices first thing in the morning.

Total calls to the Tempe doctor's office today = 2

Another Day... Another Pain...

I woke up, every intention of going in. I went to bed nice and early and set the alarm for 5 am. I get up, head out to the kitchen, come back into the bedroom for my laptop so that I can print something out for school (because I had this great idea). As soon as I bend down to pick up my laptop, I know that is it… I’m not going in today either. I wait until a decent hour (6 am) and call Cammy again. Now I’ve just got to wait for the chiropractor’s office to open up. He has been out of town since Friday, and I remember him saying he was coming back today when we met on Wednesday last week. Have some breakfast and coffee, I call the Tempe doctor's office and ask if they’ve gotten the x-rays. They say that they don’t have them, so I call the radiology place and have them resend the results to the Tempe doctor's office and ask if they can send them over to chiropractor’s office too. I call the chiropractor’s office as soon as they open and they can get me in by 10am. Getting in and out of the car is rough; I’m walking slower and more stiffly than before. The chiropractor takes one look at me and says he’s not adjusting me, he’s not doing anything. He recommends that I take the rest of the week off of work and stay on bed rest (on my back, pillows under my legs so my knees are at a 90 degree angle). This kills me, I miss my kids, we have field day this week. I want to be at school. Plus, there’s the whole financial thing, I don’t have any paid time left… I ran out of that last week. But, okay… if you’re telling me you can’t even touch my back because it’s that bad and I need to rest, then I’ll rest. We get home and I call Lynn to let her know what the chiropractor said about not coming back for the rest of the week. She again tells me not to worry about it. This was a plan of improvement offense in my last district, the type of thing that would keep you from getting 301 funds, from being offered a contract for next year. She tells me not to worry, Peoria isn’t like that, she’s already offered me a spot for next year, I just need to worry about getting better! This is why I told Lynn back in December, I don’t care where you move me, but let me stay at Heritage! Everyone is this great, not just Lynn… all the other staff is supportive and helpful, the parents are involved and the kids are the best!! I try to relax and just take it easy, which isn’t easy for my type A personality.

Total calls to the Tempe Doctor's office today = 4

Still Not Happening

I made it through weekend. Nothing eventful happened, I just took it easy. I realize though, that I am not going to be able to make it through work on Monday and keep my fingers crossed for that maybe I can do Tuesday. I emailed my principal, Lynn, and ask her what I should do. I don’t have any time left, I don’t want things to go badly at school, I don’t want to be missing my kids. She tells me to take the time that I need, everything will be fine. I call my teammate, Cammy, and ask her if she can make some copies of worksheets for my kiddos, because I don’t think I left enough to have made it through last Wednesday, Thursday and now Monday too. She tells me not to worry about it, and put in for the sub. She’ll make sure that there are things to do.

Off to see the Doctor

I head to the doctor to see my P.A.at the office I've been with since 1999. I've been with this P.A. for about a year and a half of that time. The office is in Tempe and I live in Peoria, its about a 40 minute drive. I know I should find somewhere over here, but I like that the office knows me and my history. They know about my appendectomy, the history of my migraines; and all the approaches that we took for that. Plus, I like the P.A. she is friendly, listens and is knowledgeable. She recommends that I get an x-ray taken so we can see what is going on. She changes me from Valium to Flexeril, which is an actual muscle relaxant. Cody and I leave the office and I call the radiology place near our house to find out what their wait time is, it’s about an hour. The radiology place near the doctor only has a 30 minute wait, so we decide to head over there. At this point the pain isn’t too extreme; I sit a little uncomfortably in the waiting room reading. The process is fast, the tech was awesome helping me move (I’m still slow and twisting at the waist for some of the different images is painful and hard. They let me know that the doctor should have the images by Monday afternoon. I head home to start the weekend.

Another Long Day... This Time in the E.R.

I woke up at 6am while Cody was still asleep to use the bathroom. When I stood up from the toilet I screamed and nearly passed out! The pain was horrible. When I feel like I’m about to pass out, something in me tells me to lie down on the floor. I don’t know why, that’s just my go to reaction. I lowered myself to the ground. I was hot and clammy, and in pain. Going to the ground was the dumbest decision I could have made. I spent an hour trying to get up from the bathroom floor. Even with Cody trying to help, the pain was overwhelming. I was on my stomach and tried going onto my knees, I tried rolling over, and I tried pushing up. Every little movement of my back was horrible. The only thing that got me up off of that floor without just calling for an ambulance was Castro and the fact that I had to give him his insulin. Once I was up and Castro was taken care of, I got dressed and we decided instead of the appointment that was scheduled for chiropractor's office, it was time to go to the E.R. Cody drove us over to the nearby hospital, and the wait wasn’t that bad. They got me back and I saw a PA who said that it was something called sacroiliitis. She said that she didn’t believe that any imaging was necessary at this point because of my age (34). She gave me a shot of something in the E.R. (I think it was Toradol) and prescriptions for Valium and Percocet. She was using the Valium as a muscle relaxant; even though that’s not really its function (I worked in pharmacies for 9 years before I became a teacher). I was feeling pretty good when I was at home that night, thankful though that we didn’t have school the next day because it would give me extra time to relax and let my muscles loosen. I even felt well enough to take a shower and watch some t.v. (Thursday night is Vampire Diaries night!)

Trip to the Chiropractor

I woke up and went into work because I needed to finish getting things ready for the sub to come in and work with my kids. I had to go in that morning, because I had spent after school on Tuesday hobbling around on campus trying to locate my favorite subs to see if they would be available to fill in, and I couldn’t stay late because I had the appointments for the pedicure and massage. I called the chiropractor’s office recommended by my mother in law, as soon as they opened, and they were able to get me in right away in the morning. When I got there, the chiropractor did a basic exam, palpating the muscles and did a small little massage on my back. He used some kind of tool (I don’t even have any idea what kind) that sounded like he was using a stapler on my back. He said that it would help get between the discs and loosen up the muscles. He told me the same thing that the masseuse had said, the lower lumbar muscles are tight, and we need to loosen them up. He recommended bed rest, and that I come see him the following morning and I booked the appointment. I put in for a sub for the next day at work, thankful that I had left a lot of worksheets on my desk, so I won't have to go in tomorrow morning and make more copies. I didn't really notice a change in the pain or discomfort during the evening.

Long Day

I attended a professional development at another school in the morning. I noticed I was moving a little bit slower, and even sitting was uncomfortable at this point. When I got back to school I took 600 mg of ibuprofen and was thankful that I only had the kids for a little bit that afternoon due to specials and recesses. I made an appointment for a massage, called my mother in law (Donna), to find out who her chiropractor was and made arrangements to not be at school the next day. I treated myself to a pedicure (which was a little hard to sit through), and then had my 45 minute massage. Samantha (one of my favorite masseuses at Dolce Salon and Spa) spent the entire time working on my lower back. At the end, she even did a few extra minutes no charge stretching out my glutes. She had said that all the muscles in my lower back and butt were tense and that was probably what was causing the pain and discomfort. After the massage I did feel a little better… not a lot, but a little. I made it through the evening and was looking forward to getting into the chiropractor the next day.

Not So Bad

Today was bearable. I made it through work, although it hurt a little to bend. nothing notable really pain wise.

In the Beginning...

It all started really on Saturday, April 21st. I had a minor backache.... nothing unusual. I figured that I was about due for a massage; the stress was just starting to build because the end of the year was coming and I knew that there would be a lot to do for school. I didn't do anything differently; I hadn't picked up anything heavy, or twisted funny... I was just feeling a bit sore. I went about business as usual, maybe took it a little easier on Sunday than I normally would have (okay, not really, I kicked back and read a book).