Laminectomy. Bet you haven't heard that one before. I hadn't either until yesterday. That's the name of the surgery Spencer had done yesterday. His diagnosis? Herniated Lumbar Intervertebral Disc. Yikes. After a year and a half of trying all sorts of treatment options, we felt that this surgery would be the right (and preferably the last) thing for him to try.
Here is the information they gave us about a Laminectomy:
"Your surgeon has decided that a laminectomy (entire lamina removal) or laminotomy (partial lamina removal) is the best treatment for your back problem. These procedures involve removal of the bone to relieve pressure on the nerve roots. It allows the surgeon access to parts of the spine where other problems are located. This could be an injured disc. *Spencer's was a ruptured disc* In this surgery your surgeon removes a part of the boney arch that surrounds your spinal canal. This may be compressing nerve roots. In some cases, the surgeon will remove the disc and fuse vertebral bodies to make the spine more stable." *Luckily, Spencer did not need fusion.*
We were a bit early but they got us right in and ready for prep work. Spencer's biggest concern was his diabetes (understandable). The night before, we were working hard to get his blood sugar levels just right. He had to test quite a few times before going in to surgery. Naturally he would go high during the surgery just because of stress, so everything needed to be good before going in.
At 10
a.m. I gave him a hug and they took me to the waiting room. I was
surprised to see the surgeon less than an hour later who came to tell me that
the surgery went great. I felt reassured also because he told me Spencer
definitely did the right thing. I was so relieved and grateful. He
told me I could go get something to eat because they would keep Spencer for
about another hour in the recovery room. When I first saw Spence, he was
still pretty groggy, but definitely himself. The nurse gave him a blue
popsicle, just like he ordered, for his very sore throat. He was also
excited to hear that they had graham crackers on-site and ate two packages of
those. Yep. Definitely the boy I know and love. :)
After a couple more hours of checking
vitals and trying to wake up, it was time to go home. Getting him to sit
up and get dressed was the tricky part. As soon as he stood he
immediately turned pale and felt sick (just very dehydrated I guess). The
nurse came just in time to catch him with a wheel chair (no not
really........but almost). She gave me discharge instructions and I was
taking very careful notes. I knew Spencer would not know what to do and
would still be groggy, so I had to take charge! Driving home was rough.
I went as fast as I could while still being safe and trying not to drive
over bumps! We finally got home and settled, then I took off again to get
his medicine at the pharmacy. The day went by fast, I was go go going
allll day. Spence is not supposed to lift anything more than 10 lb. and
he still needs some help getting up and sitting down. He is adjusting to
how he can move/what feels good and what doesn't. He told me last night
that walking feels better than anything. My guess is that's a good
thing?
His recovery will be a process, and
it won't be as quick as he wants it to be. But he seems to be getting
better every day. We are grateful for all the people who have helped him
through this back pain and surgery. More updates to come!
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