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So at last the neurosurgeon called and I will be having surgery on my neck to fuse 4/5 and 6/7. Now we wait for the scheduler to call as to when and where. The surgeon says it will be a hour and a half surgery and no more then two days in the hospital. I will be unable to work for four to six weeks and will not be able to drive for the first ten days or so. He said to plan on little or no activity for the first four weeks and to make sure not to overdo it. Lots of bedrest will be required and he says I will be very tired. (not unlike now :))
He gives me 85% as the figure for the probability that the surgery will relieve my symptoms. He says that normally it would be 95%, but I have some non-specific nerve issues that cause him to lower the percentage. He says there is no risk to my life and a very slight risk of paralysis. He asked if I wanted to think about it, come in and talk about it more, or just go ahead and get it done and I chose what is behind door number three.
My heart doctor on further research discovered that occasionally my heart does not fill with blood when I am working strenuously which is normally a blockage issue or a valve issue or a blood pressure issue, but none of those apply. He put me on beta blockers to relax the heart, but I got terrific headaches and some major bloody nose issues while taking them so he is putting me on different meds.
He also suggested a sleep apnea study to determine if the heart issue is related to an oxygen deprivation issue. The test has been rescheduled for tonight. I get to sleep in a strange bed while strangers watch me. That feels a little creepy to me. :)
Kathy's new insurance does not have the provisions that she had in her previous job where anything done in the hospital was free, so we are accumulating lots of out of pocket expenses. We were used to get meds for $5.00 and suddenly we are paying huge amounts for our medications. I just gave Walmart $240.00 for a couple of bottles of pills. Yikes! And now I get to throw one bottle away because they make my nose bleed. Sigh... We also have to come up with a thousand dollars for the hospital stay so we are scrambling a bit until we get used to living in this new medical world.
Maybe in a couple months I'll be shooting hoops and playing golf and getting this fat old body back in shape. Maybe I'll be able to pick up the little kids and move chairs and cook a fantastic meal for the church in our brand new kitchen. Maybe people will be able to say, "Hi, Rod!" and slap me on the shoulder without bringing me to my knees. That would be cool.
Please pray for Dr. Norton and his assistants and for my family and for me. Thanks.
Rod | 
