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).