If anybody noticed, I've been gone since Wednesday. reason? To paraphrase the title of an older thread of mine; "It just keeps raining."
Last Tuesday, Julie went to visit a back specialist for a followup exam (remember this past October she fell and got a few compression fractures?). What was supposed to be a routine, 'nothing much' event (followed by a bacchanalia this weekend in our hotel room) turned horribly wrong -- the back specialist took one look at her X-ray and immediately sent her to the nearest hospital.
A disc in her spine had collapsed. She was one good jolt away from being paralyzed from the neck down. I found out about what was really going on Wednesday after work, and that she'd been scheduled for emergency surgery on Thursday -- surgery that ALSO had a chance of leaving her paralyzed, a fate which she under NO circumstances wanted to survive. She was very emphatic about that.
So I spent the night with her in the hospital, during which she spent most of the time trying to push me away and end our relationship herself so that if the worst should happen, she wouldn't be a 'burden' to anybody. (As a sick twist on the matter, her ENGAGEMENT ring arrived Thursday, but I couldn't go get it.)
They explained the surgery to us. Three incisions. One in the front of the neck to remove the damaged disc and allow for its replacement, one in the back of the neck to fuse and hold cervical vertebrae 5,6, and 7, and one in the hip, which would provide the material for a replacement disc.
Thursday, she was scheduled for the surgery. Her doctor was reputed to be one of the two best in the country for this operation, and his name was Kang. (We took this to be a good omen, as Kang is her favorite Klingon.) The surgery took 5 hours, and nearly drove my completely insane with waiting.
Finally, he came out. The surgery went as well as it could possibly have. She could still move. I stayed Thursday night, too.
They sent her home Sunday. She's in a neck brace, but walking with the assistance of a walker. She should get the neck brace off in about a month, and be pretty much healed by March.
I'm still sane. But just barely.
------------------ "Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
So you're in the midst of proposing?
I hope this turns out to be a very happy ending.
Seriously. You and Julie have gone through a lot together. Mayhaps you were destined to spend the rest of your life together.
Pop the question. Let her know that you don't care how much of a "burden" she might be. Let her feel lucky that she ....... oh buggers, I'm getting a little sappy.
And be sure to give us the pics!!!
------------------ "My Name is Elmer Fudd, Millionaire. I own a Mansion and a Yacht." Psychiatrist: "Again."
posted
Anytime things are going bad for me, I can look in here and think to myself, I wouldn't trade places with them for anything. Glad it worked out.
------------------ All along the watchtower, princes kept the view While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl, Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl. Bob Dylan
posted
My neighbour had a similar operation. There was a 50/50 chance that he could have been paralyzed from the neck down, but it worked and he's still kicking. If you ask me, I think he's just too stubborn to be paralyzed...
------------------ "What happens on the edges of infinity, the never-never land of mathematics?" -Miss Hodgin
posted
Good luck, and hopefully she'll see being a burden to you doesn't matter, if she even is one. She should (and probably is even if she doesn't know it conciously) glad to have you there for her no matter what.
And it's almost impossible ot get DEA to realize that, isn't it Chris? :P
------------------ Three important questions to ask an alien before having sex: (1) Are you carrying any diseases which might be communicable to humans? (2) Have you had sex with any high-risk partners in the past six months? (3) Which one is your mouth?
[This message has been edited by TLE (edited December 29, 2000).]
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