Jerri here, more than 24 hours post op. As always, the first 24 hours after surgery are intense. It’s like walking on egg shells, on minute something can be fine and the next minutes it isn’t. Not thing can be predicted, and nothing can be taken for granted. It is a stressful time for the family and a painful (literally) time for the patient.

Here’s how it went down for us this time:

Mom got wheeled away to the OR and Dad, Meg and I settled in for the wait. They predicted a two and a half hour surgery. At the 3-hour mark we speculated they were being extra careful. At 3 and a half hours we started to pace. At 4 hours, Dr. Fehlings came out to give us the report.

It all went well, he declared before pulling up a chair (this was a new move, usually the surgery debrief is less than a minute long).  Getting in to the surgery site was quite challenging, he said, 2-3 months is the most difficult time to do a revision surgery as there is a large amount of inflammation and scar tissue at this point. Once they got in there it became apparent why there was a problem. Mom has osteoporosis. A new diagnosis to add to the list.

This means that the bone was too weak to hold the screws that they installed last time and one had come lose. Though the osteoporosis is bad new for Mom it is reassuring that the problem was found, and addressed. They replaced the screws on the right side of the L4-5 fusion with larger ones and reinforced it with bone cement. The cage containing the grafting material was removed and replaced with just bone for bone grafting and synthetic material to promote its growth. This, he said, is going to work.

It was a difficult surgery but it was a success. And just to be sure, they did a post-op CT scan to ensure everything was perfectly installed. It was.

Phew, a sigh of relief. Though the big test was still to come, can she move her legs when she wakes up?

We grabbed a quick bite to eat and resumed the next stage of waiting.

At 2 hours post-op she was supposed to be moved to ICU where we could go visit her. The 2 hour mark came and went. 15 more minutes, 20 more minutes, just one more thing to check….it went like that for 2 more hours. Then the volunteer went in to check what was going on. She got mom on the phone for us. For someone just waking up from a GA, she was incredible alert and articulate. She said those words that we were suspecting and dreading; there are some complications. The doctor would come out and speak with us. Great. Here we go again.

Instead of Dr. Fehlings emerging, it was the anaesthesiologist. He said she was fine, she could feel her legs and move her toes (another HUGE sigh of relief). However, just as they were about to transfer her, they noticed an irregular rhythm in her heart and some tachycardia. They didn’t suspect an underlying issue but wanted to double check. They did blood work to confirm it wasn’t a heart attack (it wasn’t) and asked the cardiologist to get on the case.

10 more minutes, 15 more minutes, 5 more minutes….

Another hour and a half goes by. The anaesthesiologist comes back out to confirm cardiology is on it, the episode is over and they are transferring her to ICU for the night.  

Finally 6 hours post op, we were able to go in and see mom. We left her hours later getting ready for a long sleep in the care of an awesome nurse who inspired confidence.

Day 1 post-op was medically uneventful.

The cardiology team did a follow up ECG and ruled the event a non-concerning episode. They were dismissed off the case.

Dr. Fehlings came by to check in and said he was going to do everything in his power to get mom right home – no rehab! (Fingers crossed!)

We went for 4 (no not a typo, 4) walks!

For us, it was a good day.

For Mom, it was a bad day. Her pain was quite high all day, she felt as one would be expected to feel after a surgery of that magnitude. He back hurt, her face and chest hurt from lying on the surgery table for so long, her throat was very sore from the intubation. That, on top of the general fatigue of having three major surgeries in one year.

Thoughts and prayers are appreciated Mom continues forward with this journey.

Though the surgery is over, the journey has only just begin. 

Hi there, Jerri here again with an update. 

In an earlier post, I talked about how the first 24 hours post-op are intense, how anything can happen. While that is true, we have found that the first three days post-op is the true extent of the "egg shell" period. In the first three days, not everything that is good lasts, and the same is true for bad symptoms. Anything can happen. 

Day 1 and day 2 post op were fairly un-remarkable. Mom was up walking lots, eating well, neuroassessments were passed with flying colours and the autonomic disreflexia was behaving. She even got transferred out of ICU to the neuro floor on day 2 post op, miles ahead of last time. 

Saturday afternoon however, three days post op, things took a turn. A new pain in the right leg appeared, along with hypersensitivity and weakness. It was such a sudden turn of events that the nurses felt it necessary to pull the fellow out of surgery to come preform an examination. The fellow took a look and ordered an emergency MRI. Here we go again, we all thought. 

I'm not sure if mom has mentioned it or not before, but she is very claustrophobic. So much so that that I think she was more concerned about the MRI than the the new symptoms. An order was placed for Ativan (which she usually takes before an MRI to calm her nerves) but because it was an emergency scan, there were no promises made that the Ativan would come before the scan. 

Mom and I tried to distract ourselves by watching a show on Netflix while we waited. And we waited and waited. And ordered a pizza and waited some more. 

And then everything happened at once, the nurse came in with the Ativan, another nurse came in to put an IV in, the porter showed up to transfer her to MRI. And the pizza showed up. The IV became a challenge to put in (one nurse fainted, another nurse kept saying she "blew it up", and it took 3 nurses  30 minutes to get the thing done), as the porter stood there tapping his foot. All the while, I stood beside the bed feeding mom pizza. 

By the time the whole MRI ordeal was over, it was past midnight. Mom and I, once again, curled up in her bed and waited for the Fellow to come by. We polished off the pizza and then, despite being worried, we both fell asleep. 

I woke to the sound of the fellow walking in to the room 2 hours later. He did a full neuro exam and took a look at the MRI and consulted with Dr. Fehlings. Nothing was concerning, and the prognosis was to wait and see. Phew. 

Since then, we have learned that there is a fluid build up at the level of the surgery, but nothing out of the ordinary for 3 days post op. The leg pain is temporary and this is simply part of the healing process. 

Family update: Surgery day. It was an early start this morning as the four of us rolled in to Toronto Western's pre-operative care clinic before 6am. The nurse asked mom if she had been there before and she didn't miss a beat in saying, "I'm a frequent flyer". It was a busy few hours meeting the nurses, surgery fellows, anesthesia team and of course a final review with Dr. Fehlings himself. She was taken to surgery at 8am and now the long day of waiting begins for us. Dad summarize how we were all feeling this morning as the wheeled her away; glad it isn't me but really wish it wasn't her.
Signing off for now but will post updates regularly.
- Jerri

Blog from Maureen:

Mindfulness or "present focussed awareness" is an incredible thing. It got me to this day being able to enjoy my time with family and friends with only the most appropriate amount of consideration to what's to come tomorrow.

With that said, yesterday was a weird one.  I woke up knowing summer for us was over and it was time to move forward.  I couldn't seem to get myself in the space I needed to be to get packing and preparing for the surgery. I actually had to go back to one of my how to prepare for surgery blogs and read my own tips.  It wasn't until 10pm the night before leaving that my clothes were packed and perhaps only then because I had them all on my bed, and I wanted to go to bed.

I woke today with the worst headache and it continued throughout the day. I wasn't able to get comfortable for the drive and it made it that much longer.  Finally arriving in Toronto we met Jerri and went to a quiet Italian restaurant for a late dinner.  Meg arrives later tonight.

It's an early start and I wish sleep would come for me. I'm grateful that Barry is sleeping beside me because he has a long day tomorrow.

What I know for sure is being mindful has helped tremendously with this process, it doesn't mean I haven't worried or been afraid. I have been both, but was able to put it in prospective most of the time.

Thanks for reading friends. My family will do daily updates.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

We had a fantastic time with the twenty somethings.  We had Jerri and her boyfriend Shayn, Meghan and her boyfriend Travis and Taka and his friend Shinako here for the weekend.  We started the weekend off with a campfire and three guitars.  It was a lot of fun. S'mores were had by all but none more than Taka's friend Shinako.  She loved them and had an endless appetite for them. As I listened to the beautiful voices of my family singing and the laughter around the campfire I couldn't help but try to saviour every moment.  The peaceful setting, having them all close, the tranquil fire and a sky filled with stars made it a perfect evening.  

The tranquility was not so easily found in our kitchen the next morning.  Chaos, was more like it. I was given a pass, so I sat and watched as a fantastic breakfast was prepared under Jerri's direction.  She says it is her speciality and it was!

Meghan and Travis prepared a picnic lunch for the boat and away we went.  The first couple of hours involved a lot of tubing then everyone tried water skiing. My speciality happens when everyone is tired out from all the activity we float in the Bay on tubes and noodles.  That's my speed and I just love it.  What a great way to catch up with everyone leisurely floating in the Bay.

The evening came with it feeling sun tired and water logged it was time for Barry and his speciality. He put a prime rib on the spit and we all relaxed and rehydrated.

We sat at the table until the sun went down and the candle light was all we had left. Barry and I were spent while the younger, more energetic prepared for a night of dancing on The Boat, a boat that has been refurbished into a bar. Situated right on the water it is a perfect place to spend a summer night.

Exhausted, Barry, Shinako and I sat back and looked at pictures.  It was fun to show her the lake she had been swimming in frozen in the winter.  It was difficult for her to imagine as she had never seen anything like that. Early to bed for all three of us, as the others danced the night away.

Sunday started much the same way Saturday did, with Jerri in the kitchen and the others all lending a hand. We all went to the beach and Taka, Barry and Shinako canoed the Bay. Our weekend was done and we all felt like it was a wonderful success.  

It was also very successful in keeping me in the moment. I hardly thought of my surgery, and when I did it was easy not to dwell on it, as I had some much fun in front of me.  

Today is the day reality kicks in, it's time to back and get the house ready, stop the mail, and all the mundane things that go with having surgery.  The funny thing is, taking the bright pink colour off my toenails seems to be the hardest.  It's that last step to saying good bye summer fun!

I honestly felt I was going to go down the long road to depression when I heard I'd have to have a third surgery. I had fought it off all through the chronic pain; the many days of not being able to do much of anything except write, read and watch T.V. and the loneness that evokes. It had been a difficult winter weather wise, which coincided with a downfall in my mobility and increase in pain. That left us inside for much of the winter and mostly in front of a T.V watching Netflex. Not the way we had wanted to spend our winter. We had thought by winter I would be fully recovered from the September surgery and ready to ice fish, snow shoe and enjoy taking Whinnie, our Golden Retriever, out in the bush for long nature walks. It didn't happen that way, by January I was very debilitated once again. We did however get through the winter. It was a rough, isolating and painful one, but we got through it. 

May surgery proved to be much more difficult. It was, by the time I got to check myself in for surgery, almost impossible for me to walk. The leg pain was excruciating. In my imagination I had cut that leg off many times. As Jerri would remind me, I would probably have phantom pain if I did that!! 

The recovery from this surgery has been a very long process. It is not uncommon for it to be a year before someone feels like themselves from a complicated spinal fusion. Typically physiotherapy to strengthen the area, legs and overall movement doesn't start in earnest until the three month mark. Surgeons like to see some bone growth before intense Physio is started. During the days and weeks leading up to the three month mark walking is essential. It helps rebuild muscle, stamina and also helps with pain and cramping. It takes a while for the body to get used to the hardware that is restricting movement and learn a new way of doing things. 

I feel I am at a good point right now to begin intensive Physio. If of course, I weren't about to have another surgery. 

As you can see, it is not as straight forward as many other surgeries. There is a slow process that must be followed to ensure proper healing. I'm at a higher risk due to the spinal cord injury, and some other complications, so that makes the timelines for recovery all the slower. Thankfully I am recovering in the summer when walking is easy, I can't imagine how this would feel in the winter months. 

So now I head into the process all over again. My goal is to keep my head up. To try my best to get through every day, doing what I need to do to move this along as quickly and as effectively as possible. We want our lives back. We want to be able to do the things we love to do. I want my independence back. Most importantly, I want Barry to have his independence back. I have been so reliant on him he hasn't even been able to cycle this summer. 

This time I believe it will happen and once again keep depression at bay. I know I can't just think positive and it will all go away, but I can go into this with the attitude of I will do whatever it takes to make this work! 

This has become a marathon, and I'm a sprint kind of person, but I am finding my way.

I had my second shot of EPO yesterday and I'm feeling zonked today. One of the side effects is flu like symptoms. What I'm feeling and felt last time is body fatigue. The nice part was I didn't have to go to a clinic to receive it. With a nurse in the neighbourhood who has a very gentle touch, it was administered without much pain, right here at home. 

As Mom just reminded me it is six days until my surgery, on Wednesday of next week. I'm not as prepared as I was the last time because my approach as been different. I am not looking ahead until I absolutely have too. Today I plan to take an hour and make sure I have the essentials in a pile to be scooped up on Monday and packed with the rest of my things. By essentials I mean; a favourite hand cream, foot cream, medications and forms that are required, books, and meditations, essentials oils. The rest might me self explanatory, but essential oils have a multitude of uses. Most importantly I found that when you get the not so pleasant smells of a hospital it works wonders to dab a little under the nose. 

It gave me a chuckle as I did it because it brought back a childhood memory. As a child I grew up in Newfoundland. Not on the beautiful coast but inland, a place called Gander. We were not exposed to the smells of seaweed, the ocean and fish. When we went to my Father's home in Harbour Grace the smell of the ocean combined with the fish plant was something we always complained about. My Mom would give us a little dab of perfume to put under our noses as we started to smell the fish to stop the complaining. I have since learned to love that smell. I can say with certainly I won't ever love the smell of hospital. 

The comfort of a pillow and blanket from home is also something very worthwhile in the hospital setting. Especially important to those of us who sweat while using the hospital issue plastic covered pillows. That's as much thought as I have given it. 

I will be ready. I may forget things this time, but my peace of mind will still be in place as I carry on with day to day living. The surgery will happen and what I forget we can find in Toronto.

It has been a wonderful fulfilled time with Taka and Shinako. In his words: he didn't send me a card, he sent himself. Although I was overwhelmed with the idea of him travelling here at this time, I am sure glad he did. We were able to help them plan a great visit throughout the province and tonight they leave for P.E.I. 

I am losing more sleep as time goes on. My legs are mostly the cause as they wake me with involuntary muscle movement. Once awake I then have trouble going back to sleep. I suspect it is the processing of what's about to be. I'm one week pre-surgery today. I do a good job of leaving in the moment, but when it is quiet and I am caught unaware, my thoughts go to,what's ahead of me once again. Fear, fatigue and defeat can creep in and steal my peace of mind and determination. I can do this, I have six days to go, then it is totally out of my hands, and into my surgeons. 

My belief is that I will be okay. My common sense and self preservation, allows me to delve a little into what is needed to get past August 26 th and the days that follow. I know I have always had what it takes to move forward and be resilient, I can usually put on myself for that. What scares me most is that the fatigue will take over. It's been an incredible hard year for this body of mine. 

Today what is top of mind is to enjoy the last day here with Taka and Shinako. We woke early and went fishing. No catching, just fishing, but it was incredible to be out there on the water so early and see the calmness of the lake. It made me teary eyed sitting there watching him fishing. When you have an open mind and heart, anything is possible. Our Japanese son is proof of that theory. 

At the airport tonight it was so hard to say goodbye again. We were all so emotional. There is a perfect quote for times like this. "Don't be sad it's over, be happy that it happened." ~Dr. Suess