A Quick Recap

A quick recap of recent events:
I had 2 back surgeries to fix my spine. The first took out the shattered pieces of my vertebrae, placed them in a vertebrae-shaped cage and fitted them back into place. The second was necessary because there was still a small amount of pressure being put on my spinal chord. In the second surgery, a laminectomy, doctors shaved off part of one of my vertebrae, thereby relieving pressure on the spinal chord.

During these surgeries (and after) I stayed in the ICU (intensive care unit). I was here for about 8 days, lying flat on my back. This led to fluid filling my lungs and bowels all screwed up. I won't dwell on this too much.

This was followed by a short stay over at John Hopkins' Neuro floor. Boring, with no TV and internet so awful that it's hardly worth mentioning. It was just fast enough for me to get on the internet, but too slow to play any sort of video, even YouTube.

Finally, I was moved back to Kennedy Krieger. They've worked with me on several ways to move around and be functional, a challenge since there are several precautions I have to follow:
a)No Lifting over 10 lbs
b)No Twisting
c)No bending past 90 degrees.
These precautions have made moving around a pain. I can't pick anything up off the floor. I have to use a reacher to grab stuff I need. Dressing is aided by a similar device. Transferring had to be adapted; instead of bending forward like I originally learned, I have to bend backwards. It requires a little ingenuity, but doable.

This is where I am now. I'm waiting to see how long they're going to hold me here. I have a meeting Monday to see how long I should stay. From what I hear, they won't be keeping me long. Physical therapy and occupational therapy are running out of inpatient goals. My innards are more where they used to be, and I've figured out several ways of doing my own care. Chances are I won't be here long.

I wait for tomorrow, when judgment is going to be handed down on when I can leave my temporary prison*. It seems my life is made up of nights, waiting to see what will happen tomorrow. We're always waiting to see what tomorrow will bring.



*Though hospitals now feel like prisons, I can at least say that if I had to be somewhere, I would rather be at Kennedy Krieger.