Story Of My Life

Undoubtedly, my favourite season is autumn and this year I welcomed its arrival with a sigh of relief. More than anything, I was completely ready to bid adieu to this particular summer. While it could have been worse, it's a period I certainly won't look back at fondly. I had looked forward to this summer with great anticipation. We had finally recovered from that initial haze which encompasses those first few months with a new baby. We survived way more than our fair share of ailments. I honestly didn't think it was possible to have the stomach flu four times in the span of less than a year (alas, I was wrong). I laid great plans for this summer you see, activities, a vacation, time to relax and engage in those quintessential holiday events. But there was the question of this nagging back injury.

 

The back, my back that somehow managed to evolve from sore to excruciating over the course of a few months. I will spare many of the details as admittedly I've droned on about them for far too long. But a brief recap…"how I spent my summer vacation". I slogged through those last few weeks of the school year, thinking to myself things can only get better when I have time to rest, to recover. Famous last words. Cue the first week of summer vacation. Boys home, husband home for a rare week off, adventures planned for every day. All plans summarily cancelled, there I was completely laid out on the couch, barely able to move. We played Guitar Hero, which I'm surprisingly adept at in the prone position. Only thing that could distract me from the nearly unbearable pain. Too much Guitar Hero as I will recount later in the saga.

 

I possess a fairly high pain tolerance (I've had a baby without drugs), and that was likely part of the problem. That and the fact that I generally don't complain, I like to wallow in my misery, internally. The next week, my left leg went numb, and a muscle in my calf stopped functioning. The pain had transferred from my back to my leg, severe nerve pain, ugh. Not a great sign. Saw the neurosurgeon, the CT scan showed a herniated S1 L5. Now they will not operate on 95% of herniated discs, only those 5% deemed severe enough to warrant it. Guess which camp I fall into. I languished in the hospital for five days prior to the surgery, on more medication than I believed humanly possible. Late Sunday night I'm whisked down to the operating room. Kind of freaking out (had never been under a general anaesthetic), but relieved to get in there before being bumped by another trauma. Wake up with a sore mouth and zero pain…amazing. It's microsurgery, the incision only about 2 cm long. Try not to think about the fact that they drilled into my spine, and dispensed of some disc. I consider myself lucky on all counts.

 

One day later, I'm home feeling surprisingly well. My leg still numb, the muscle still not functioning. Likely these areas will improve after some months of rehab. But the major problem, I cannot lift more than five pounds for at least six weeks. The neurosurgeon reiterated this point several times, in no uncertain terms. Something about disc shooting through the hole drilled in the spine. Problem two, the baby who weighed at that point nearly twenty pounds. I'm the independent type, I hate to ask for help. We muddled through somehow with the help of an amazing babysitter in July, several helpful family members in August. I did not lift that baby, my sweet Elizabeth for two months. Oh how I missed her sweet smell, that cuddly baby feeling in my arms. That was the most trying thing.

 

Finally, I can lift her again, and each time I do so with great appreciation. Life for the most part is nearly back to normal. I can’t run yet, will probably be at least several more months. I cannot push off from my toes, the ball of my foot, the muscle still refusing to innervate. Eventually though. I'm working out with my trainer three days per week and just started back to yoga. On my way back to healthy, with a renewed appreciation for all my body can do, without pain.

 

My boys (husband included) weathered the storm remarkably well. Patient, despite the changes in plans, frustration and disruption. William and Thomas are both remarkably resilient creatures. A few weeks ago we are in the middle of dinner, the five of us, plus my brother-in-law. Thomas the master of inappropriate comments in his uncannily deep voice enlightens us with this charming tidbit of information . I will recount the words of my five year old "I know the number of the beast, it's six – six – six!" I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. My brother-in-law nearly fell out of his chair, I'm guessing an Iron Maiden fan from back in the day. Yes, proud parenting moment. Perhaps a little too much Guitar Hero.

Comments

[Shelley Laming]

I'm glad you are on the mend and can hold that sweet baby girl. :) -Shelley

[shelby]

so glad to hear that you are doing better!

[Annette]

Hi, I had a tumor removed from my spinal cord (L-12/T-4)something like that, then they shaved down my spine and filled it in with cement. It left my left leg paralized, no muscle tone. It was flat as a pancake and I could see my bones. With therapy I slowly got the strength back, but I'm still numb, tingly and in severe pain. This has been since 2004. They want to do another surgery to releive pressure from the nerve and clean up a herniated disk. I am very scared to go through that again, the first surgery left me with 21 stitches down my back. Any suggesstions are appreciated.