Hey guys!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I am having good days and not so good days with my recovery and pain. I truly intend to post more frequently, but it may take a little while to get back in the swing of things. Thanks for sticking with me and for your patience! To be honest, even though I HATE physical therapy, I am actually looking forward to it once I am cleared to start it. At the moment, it won’t be until at least November 10th which is when I have my next set of CT scans and X-rays and my follow up visit with the surgeon. Right now I am afraid to move the wrong way and screw something up. The doctor does not have me in a neck brace/collar because he says “he does not believe in them”. According to him I can move my head/neck until my body says “STOP”. I am glad I don’t have to wear the neck brace, but I actually bought one anyway because I was having a hard time holding my head up straight. I wore it for a few days and the muscles seem to have gotten a bit stronger so now I can do it without the brace. Who knew the simple act of holding up your head would be a difficult thing to do?

Against doctors orders, I have actually taken Bonnie for short walks – so far without incident. I only do it when Jason is not home and Bonnie seems to insist that she needs to potty. When in reality, I think she just wants to go hunt for bunnies and squirrels. Usually I would let her stalk and chase them, but because I do not want her pulling too hard, I have just been keeping her on a short leash. Some good news is that the numbness seems to be getting better at times and I can almost start to feel her hair when I pet her! That makes me SO happy! I was afraid that the numbness was going to be permanent – and it is still early – but any improvement is a good improvement as far as I am concerned!

I know I have said it before, but thank you so much to all of you who have sent me well wishes via e-mail or by leaving a comment! It may sound silly since I don’t actually know any of you, but the support I received and continue to receive really helps lift my spirits! So, THANK YOU!

And now, here are the pictures you came here for!

Hey guys!

It’s true… I am still alive and kicking… well, sort of.

First things first. I have to send a GREAT BIG THANK YOU AND A BUNCH OF HUGS AND KISSES to EVERYONE who has left comments of well wishes and support! Also, to all those who have sent e-mails! I read each and every one and the love and support made my time in the hospital a little easier and gave me a reason to do what the doctors said and bear through the PAIN so I could get back home and posting again! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!!! ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜🤎🖤🩶🤍❤️‍🩹

Now to give you a brief (yet I am sure it will still be long) overview of what has transpired since my last post.

I went into surgery as scheduled. The surgery itself took a little over 4 hours. Before the surgery, I spoke with the anesthesiologist and told her that I do NOT want to remember ANYTHING from the surgery. Usually they take you to the operating room before they knock you out. This time she gave me something while I was still in my room and the next thing I know – I am back in my room recovering. Usually, I find all the pre-op stuff fascinating and like to see what the operating room looks like and meet some of the nurses that will be in the room, but my nerves got the best of me and I decided I did not want to do that this time.

I was in the hospital from September 18 – 24th. Slightly longer than they had anticipated. I cannot begin to describe the degree of pain I was in after surgery! The always have you rate your pain on a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being the worst pain you have ever experienced. From the day of the surgery to the day I left my average pain rating was about a 9. There were several days where I personally rated the pain at 13 or higher… They had a very hard time trying to find the right pain medication and dose that would help. They kept increasing the dose and then changing the meds and then increasing the dose… I have always had a hard time finding pain relief with medications. They had me up and “walking” the day after surgery. It was more of a step and then I would stop because of the pain. BUT they had taken the catheter out and I REFUSE to use that little urinal thing they want you to use while in bed lying down – lol. So my only choice was to SLOWLY shuffle to the bathroom using a walker and a nurses aid to get me there. All the while my butt is open to the world thanks to those stupid gowns they make you wear. I am not kidding when I say that the ENTIRE 8th floor saw my ass at some point. But, you know what, I could have cared less at the time. 🤣

What I don’t understand about being in the hospital after surgery is that they want you to recover… recovery requires rest… rest is impossible when someone is coming into your room to check your blood pressure, check your temperature, give you an injection, or draw some blood – every 10 minutes! The woman who drew my blood would come in between 11:00pm and Midnight! And then there is all the beeping! The IV machine, the nurse call button (which took forever for them to respond to), the beeping from other rooms down the hall… You get the idea. It is NOT a place to rest or recover if you ask me. I could not WAIT to get home, but I was having too much pain and a lot of trouble walking more than 10 feet. I thought that I would be going to an inpatient rehab facility they have at the hospital, BUT because the first physical therapist I had after surgery put a note in my chart saying that I was able to walk “unassisted” to the bathroom, the rehab facility and my insurance said I did not qualify. It was for the best though, because I REALLY wanted to be at home with Jason and Bonnie! Then discharge day came… and wouldn’t you know it, it was the ONE day that I had a REALLY cute and nice nurse named Immanuel. ❤️❤️❤️ He was so sweet!

Anyway, I am now home and slowly recovering. I am having good days and not so good days. Because doctors don’t like prescribing pain meds, I am limited on my supply – so I hope I can make them last. I have been in bed, mostly sleeping, on most days. I have made a couple of outings with Jason like to the grocery store. The pain is still there – although now it is focused more on my neck than on my arms and hands like before. They had to cut the muscles in the back of my neck to get to the spine. Those muscles pretty much control your arms. The doctor says that it will take a while for them to heal back together, in addition to my cervical spine and the fusion of the titanium rods and screws.

Jason has been taking good care of me, doing all the Bonnie walking, cleaning the apartment, etc. I miss my walks with Bonnie, but I am not supposed to lift anything over 5 pounds for 6 weeks and then 15 pounds for 12 weeks. When Bonnie sees a rabbit or squirrel – she can sometimes unexpectedly take off running and she is a STRONG 90 pound dog, so I would imagine that the force of that would probably be more than 5 pounds.

Anyway, I suppose that is enough about me for now. LOL… I told you it was going to be “brief”… so much for that! lol.

Thank you again for ALL the love and support and for your patience while I was away. One good thing is that since the surgery, my arms and hands, while still numb, do not hurt anywhere near as much as they did before! Which should mean more blog posts!!!! YAY!

Here are your Selfies for this week!

Enjoy!