I have to say yesterday was a good day. The reason it was a good day is because I got up to go to the doctor, went and took my two heathens to get allllll their 1,548,214 school supplies and allllll their school clothes, came home unloaded alllll that stuff, cleaned house, and helped Gary out in the yard...all PAIN FREE!!! That would have been out of the question a year ago...I would have ordered most Kaci's stuff online, and I was only cleaning house in 30-45 minute increments...so it was a total shock and relief when I did all that I did, and didn't bat an eye about the pain.
This morning, we did more yard work (or Gary did, should I say :] ) and I did all our laundry. We got the girls' pool blown back up and we watched them swim for a little bit. We called a fence company to come out and give us an estimate, and they are coming out Tuesday. I hope the money the insurance gave us is enough, because we are broke and can't pay anything extra! But I came up with an idea (and Gary loved it) about a different way to do the fence, rather than having it put up the same way it was..so I hope it works out.
I feel really stupid about griping a few days ago about what a bad day I was having, and then the very next morning getting the news of Dr. Shelokov's death. Life is full of ups and downs, but the loss of life is painful and unforgettable. A year from now, I won't remember my tire getting slashed and me being depressed and all that, but I will always remember the death of Dr. S. I am also very, VERY fortunate that Gary has kept his job in the oilfield when soooo many others were laid off. And people around the country, losing their jobs left and right, trying to hang on to everything they've got. I am so blessed, and my heart goes out to all the families struggling with job loss or major health issues.
I have to say too, that I get at least one email a day from someone who reads my blog and is suffering from scoliosis..or someone leaves comments for me, and it totally makes my day because people are reading it! I am also looking for a way to raise awareness in the public schools, with the scoliosis testing. They do the testing anyways, but I want to urge the parents of kids with possibly bad scoliosis to seek GOOD treatment to save them from the pain and anguish that I went through! My cousin Amanda (who got her Bachelors Degree and is now gonna be a teacher -- I am sooo proud of her) is going to see what I need to do, once she gets a job at a school.
Well, gonna sign off now...
Therefore, I take great pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, I AM STRONG.
-II Corinthians 12:10
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Yay!! Summer's nearly done!!
Love, Staci at 3:14 PM
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2 comments:
Just wanted to say I HEART YOU!
Thank you for writing about your scoliosis so that others can share your experiences. I'm 57 and live in The Lake District, England. I had the op about 5 weeks ago. My scar goes from the base of my neck to the very bottom of my spine and I had two opposing curves which were severe. Although I've had a twisted spine as long as I can remember I did not know what it was until I saw a specialist about two years ago because my back pain was getting worse. My son who is 27, also has scoliosis and will be having the op later this year. When his curve appeared as a teenager I asked two different doctors about it and they said there was no problem. There is very little awareness of scoliosis here.
My hospital stay was rather traumatic! The first op went well as far as straightening out my spine was concerned (It looks great and I can't wait to buy some slimmer T-shirts to show off my new shape) but one of the screws at the base of the rod trapped and damaged a nerve and I couldn't lift my right leg. The pain from the nerve was dreadful - worse than my back pain. I fell flat on my back in the bathroom when the nurse left me for a moment because I put my weight on the dead leg accidentally and it buckled under me. Fortunately my only injury was a bump on the back of my head and x-rays showed that my rods hadn't moved. Then the surgeon broke the news that I would have to go back to theatre to have the screw taken out. This meant taking out the whole rod because of the way the screw is attached. In all I was in hospital for over 3 weeks.
Anyway - I'm home now and working hard on the offending leg with physiotherapy. There is a little improvement which I'm told is very encouraging, but damaged nerves can take a long time to heal. My back is healing well and surprisingly the scar doesn't look any worse for being opened up again.
I have had low times when I worry that I will never get back the strength in my leg. This op was supposed to make life easier, not more difficult.
I just want to take our dog Ted on our favourite walks again. So I'm trying to be positive as I know this is very early days in the recuperation process.
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