OT - Getting Nervous (Long)

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Less than 2 days now until my surgery and I'm getting a bit nervous!

What I'm having done is an "anterior cervical discectomy with fusion
at C6 and C7". What this involves is: cutting a two inch incision
in the front of my neck, and a little to the left so as to miss the
laryngeal nerve (which, if nicked, could cause me to permanently
lose my voice). Then they push aside the soft tissue (esophagus,
trachea, carotid artery, jugular vein, and muscle - trying not to
nick any of those either) to expose the front of the spine. Then
they use a vertebrae "spreader" to separate the two vertebrae and
expose the ruptured disc. They then cut through the outer wall of
the disc and remove the disc. Then they use a bone drill to remove
any stenosis (bone spurs) at the point where the nerves branch off
from the spinal cord to the right and left. [At this point they are
millimeters away from the spinal cord and any mistake could cause
permanent pain, paralysis or even death.] Then they insert a piece
of bone between the two vertebrae (from a bone bank - they won't be
using mine from my hip, thank goodness - they say the pain from
taking that graft is worse than the neck incision). [The bone is
used as a wedge to keep the two vertebrae from pinching down on the
nerves again.] Then they screw on a titanium plate to the two
vertebrae to keep them closed tightly over the bone implant until it
all fuses into one bone. Then they close and suture each layer,
stick a bandaid over the whole mess and I'm done!

If you're interested in the medical stuff, this explains it best:
http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-ACDF.htm and this has good
illustrations: http://www.sofamordanek.com/spineline/ACDF.pdf.

Now, aside from finding some helpful information that explains this
surgery - as in the two links above - the biggest mistake I've made
so far is to go on the internet and look up this procedure. I've
seen hundreds of posts from people who have had it done and had
disastrous results - horror stories of all kinds of mistakes made,
agonies suffered, etc., etc.

I know it's human nature to focus on the negative, so I'm trying to
ignore these. I also know, from the things I've seen written, that
these people must have had total incompetents for surgeons (one
suggested a patient take Advil at every meal after surgery despite
the fact that anti-inflammatory drugs are known to inhibit bone
healing). But it's also human nature to be scared out of one's
skull when facing having someone laying open one's neck and spine!!

The surgery is scheduled for this Friday, 9/5/2008, at around
10:30AM (central time here in Houston). It's going to be done at
Methodist Hospital, and I'll be there just one night, hopefully.
I'll ask Ben to post something here after he gets home from the
hospital that day, but if you don't hear it's probably just because
he'll forget. I should be able to get on my computer a few days
after surgery and let you know how it all went (and whether I would
recommend the surgery to others with this problem).



OK, you know and I know that people aren't in the habit of posting
endlessly to the internet when things go right. So it is a really bad
place to go before surgery to find out how things might go.

Not that it likely to stop me or you, right?

I'm so happy for you that you can look forward to something being done
and so soon. It really hasn't been a very long wait since you first
saw the doctor.

In the quiet times, when you can't get to sleep and feel sort of very
alone and scared, remember there is a whole world wide group of people
and cats caring about you and purring for you. Enough that at any
given time, you are the first thought in at least one heart.

Practice and you can visualize it when you need it.

Love, extremely gentle hugs, and all the best.

Jo

Jake and Molly

Kayla (tail wags only. no jumping up)

"Adrian" wrote in message
om...
CatNipped wrote:
Less than 2 days now until my surgery and I'm getting a bit nervous!
snip

I'm sure you'll be fine. Lots of purrs for a successful surgery and a
quick recovery.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy, Bagheera & Shadow)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk


Thanks, Adrian!

Chin Skritches,

CatNipped

"Inge Grotjahn" wrote in message
...
Am 03.09.2008 schrieb CatNipped:

Less than 2 days now until my surgery and I'm getting a bit nervous!

Tons of comforting purrs are coming over to you. You will see,
everything will work out just fine and you will recover in no time:-)

Hugs and purrs from
Inge and the catgang
--
CatManiacs World: http://www.gwsystems.com/inge

Thank you, Inge!

Nose Kisses,

CatNipped

"Kreisleriana" wrote in message
m...


"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Less than 2 days now until my surgery and I'm getting a bit nervous!

What I'm having done is an "anterior cervical discectomy with fusion at
C6 and C7". What this involves is: cutting a two inch incision in the
front of my neck, and a little to the left so as to miss the laryngeal
nerve (which, if nicked, could cause me to permanently lose my voice).
Then they push aside the soft tissue (esophagus, trachea, carotid artery,
jugular vein, and muscle - trying not to nick any of those either) to
expose the front of the spine. Then they use a vertebrae "spreader" to
separate the two vertebrae and expose the ruptured disc. They then cut
through the outer wall of the disc and remove the disc. Then they use a
bone drill to remove any stenosis (bone spurs) at the point where the
nerves branch off from the spinal cord to the right and left. [At this
point they are millimeters away from the spinal cord and any mistake
could cause permanent pain, paralysis or even death.] Then they insert a
piece of bone between the two vertebrae (from a bone bank - they won't be
using mine from my hip, thank goodness - they say the pain from taking
that graft is worse than the neck incision). [The bone is used as a wedge
to keep the two vertebrae from pinching down on the nerves again.] Then
they screw on a titanium plate to the two vertebrae to keep them closed
tightly over the bone implant until it all fuses into one bone. Then
they close and suture each layer, stick a bandaid over the whole mess and
I'm done!

If you're interested in the medical stuff, this explains it best:
http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-ACDF.htm and this has good
illustrations: http://www.sofamordanek.com/spineline/ACDF.pdf.

Now, aside from finding some helpful information that explains this
surgery - as in the two links above - the biggest mistake I've made so
far is to go on the internet and look up this procedure. I've seen
hundreds of posts from people who have had it done and had disastrous
results - horror stories of all kinds of mistakes made, agonies suffered,
etc., etc.

I know it's human nature to focus on the negative, so I'm trying to
ignore these. I also know, from the things I've seen written, that these
people must have had total incompetents for surgeons (one suggested a
patient take Advil at every meal after surgery despite the fact that
anti-inflammatory drugs are known to inhibit bone healing). But it's
also human nature to be scared out of one's skull when facing having
someone laying open one's neck and spine!!

The surgery is scheduled for this Friday, 9/5/2008, at around 10:30AM
(central time here in Houston). It's going to be done at Methodist
Hospital, and I'll be there just one night, hopefully. I'll ask Ben to
post something here after he gets home from the hospital that day, but if
you don't hear it's probably just because he'll forget. I should be able
to get on my computer a few days after surgery and let you know how it
all went (and whether I would recommend the surgery to others with this
problem).

Yeah, Victor, I know I'm a drama queen... but in this instance I think
I'm allowed a bit of nerves shown and purrs asked of friends!

Hugs,

CatNipped


I could have told you not to look on the internet! Your procedure is
pretty complicated-- a lot of moving parts=a lot to worry about. I
wonder if people ever can find a kind of balance between what they really
need to know to be prepared-- emotionally and legally-- and scaring
themselves silly. We are sending you plenty of soothing purrs, and
waiting for your report.

--
Theresa, Stinky and Dante
drtmuirATearthlink.net

Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh

Yeah, I know - but it's like telling Pandora not to open that freaking box!
Curiosity isn't just bad for cats! ;

Thanks, Theresa!

Chin Skritches,

CatNipped

"Jofirey" wrote in message
...

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Less than 2 days now until my surgery and I'm getting a bit nervous!

What I'm having done is an "anterior cervical discectomy with fusion at
C6 and C7". What this involves is: cutting a two inch incision in the
front of my neck, and a little to the left so as to miss the laryngeal
nerve (which, if nicked, could cause me to permanently lose my voice).
Then they push aside the soft tissue (esophagus, trachea, carotid artery,
jugular vein, and muscle - trying not to nick any of those either) to
expose the front of the spine. Then they use a vertebrae "spreader" to
separate the two vertebrae and expose the ruptured disc. They then cut
through the outer wall of the disc and remove the disc. Then they use a
bone drill to remove any stenosis (bone spurs) at the point where the
nerves branch off from the spinal cord to the right and left. [At this
point they are millimeters away from the spinal cord and any mistake
could cause permanent pain, paralysis or even death.] Then they insert a
piece of bone between the two vertebrae (from a bone bank - they won't be
using mine from my hip, thank goodness - they say the pain from taking
that graft is worse than the neck incision). [The bone is used as a wedge
to keep the two vertebrae from pinching down on the nerves again.] Then
they screw on a titanium plate to the two vertebrae to keep them closed
tightly over the bone implant until it all fuses into one bone. Then
they close and suture each layer, stick a bandaid over the whole mess and
I'm done!

If you're interested in the medical stuff, this explains it best:
http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-ACDF.htm and this has good
illustrations: http://www.sofamordanek.com/spineline/ACDF.pdf.

Now, aside from finding some helpful information that explains this
surgery - as in the two links above - the biggest mistake I've made so
far is to go on the internet and look up this procedure. I've seen
hundreds of posts from people who have had it done and had disastrous
results - horror stories of all kinds of mistakes made, agonies suffered,
etc., etc.

I know it's human nature to focus on the negative, so I'm trying to
ignore these. I also know, from the things I've seen written, that these
people must have had total incompetents for surgeons (one suggested a
patient take Advil at every meal after surgery despite the fact that
anti-inflammatory drugs are known to inhibit bone healing). But it's
also human nature to be scared out of one's skull when facing having
someone laying open one's neck and spine!!

The surgery is scheduled for this Friday, 9/5/2008, at around 10:30AM
(central time here in Houston). It's going to be done at Methodist
Hospital, and I'll be there just one night, hopefully. I'll ask Ben to
post something here after he gets home from the hospital that day, but if
you don't hear it's probably just because he'll forget. I should be able
to get on my computer a few days after surgery and let you know how it
all went (and whether I would recommend the surgery to others with this
problem).



OK, you know and I know that people aren't in the habit of posting
endlessly to the internet when things go right. So it is a really bad
place to go before surgery to find out how things might go.

Not that it likely to stop me or you, right?

I'm so happy for you that you can look forward to something being done and
so soon. It really hasn't been a very long wait since you first saw the
doctor.

In the quiet times, when you can't get to sleep and feel sort of very
alone and scared, remember there is a whole world wide group of people and
cats caring about you and purring for you. Enough that at any given time,
you are the first thought in at least one heart.

Practice and you can visualize it when you need it.

Love, extremely gentle hugs, and all the best.

Jo

Jake and Molly

Kayla (tail wags only. no jumping up)

Thank you, Jo! That is a *very* nice mental image to keep when I get
worried!

And you're all *so* right! There is *so* much for me to look forward to if
this works out well - I'll be able to ride my bike again, and walk without
pain, and do my job without pain - and *SO* many other things I haven't done
for 2 years now!!!!

Nose Kisses,

CatNipped

On Sep 3, 2:13�pm, "CatNipped" wrote:
Less than 2 days now until my surgery and I'm getting a bit nervous!

What I'm having done is an "anterior cervical discectomy with fusion at C6
and C7". �What this involves is: �cutting a two inch incision in the front
of my neck, and a little to the left so as to miss the laryngeal nerve
(which, if nicked, could cause me to permanently lose my voice). �Then they
push aside the soft tissue (esophagus, trachea, carotid artery, jugular
vein, and muscle - trying not to nick any of those either) to expose the
front of the spine. �Then they use a vertebrae "spreader" to separate the
two vertebrae and expose the ruptured disc. �They then cut through the outer
wall of the disc and remove the disc. �Then they use a bone drill to remove
any stenosis (bone spurs) at the point where the nerves branch off from the
spinal cord to the right and left. �[At this point they are millimeters away
from the spinal cord and any mistake could cause permanent pain, paralysis
or even death.] �Then they insert a piece of bone between the two vertebrae
(from a bone bank - they won't be using mine from my hip, thank goodness -
they say the pain from taking that graft is worse than the neck incision)..
[The bone is used as a wedge to keep the two vertebrae from pinching down on
the nerves again.] �Then they screw on a titanium plate to the two vertebrae
to keep them closed tightly over the bone implant until it all fuses into
one bone. �Then they close and suture each layer, stick a bandaid over the
whole mess and I'm done!

If you're interested in the medical stuff, this explains it best:http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-ACDF.htmand this has good illustrations:http://www..sofamordanek.com/spineline/ACDF.pdf.

Now, aside from finding some helpful information that explains this
surgery - as in the two links above - the biggest mistake I've made so far
is to go on the internet and look up this procedure. �I've seen hundreds of
posts from people who have had it done and had disastrous results - horror
stories of all kinds of mistakes made, agonies suffered, etc., etc.

I know it's human nature to focus on the negative, so I'm trying to ignore
these. �I also know, from the things I've seen written, that these people
must have had total incompetents for surgeons (one suggested a patient take
Advil at every meal after surgery despite the fact that anti-inflammatory
drugs are known to inhibit bone healing). �But it's also human nature to be
scared out of one's skull when facing having someone laying open one's neck
and spine!!

The surgery is scheduled for this Friday, 9/5/2008, at around 10:30AM
(central time here in Houston). �It's going to be done at Methodist
Hospital, and I'll be there just one night, hopefully. �I'll ask Ben to post
something here after he gets home from the hospital that day, but if you
don't hear it's probably just because he'll forget. �I should be able to get
on my computer a few days after surgery and let you know how it all went
(and whether I would recommend the surgery to others with this problem).

Yeah, Victor, I know I'm a drama queen... but in this instance I think I'm
allowed a bit of nerves shown and purrs asked of friends!

Hugs,

CatNipped

Oooo.....you are a better-informed and braver patient than I. I always
go into surgery blind. I even
tell the docs that I don't do too well with a lot of information.
BEST of luck to you. This may be the best thing you've ever done for
yourself. Being free of the pain
is going to be worth every moment of the worry you're experiencing
right now.
You think *you're* a drama queen? Pfft. You should see me.

Sherry

"Sherry" wrote in message
...
On Sep 3, 2:13?pm, "CatNipped" wrote:
Less than 2 days now until my surgery and I'm getting a bit nervous!

What I'm having done is an "anterior cervical discectomy with fusion at C6
and C7". ?What this involves is: ?cutting a two inch incision in the front
of my neck, and a little to the left so as to miss the laryngeal nerve
(which, if nicked, could cause me to permanently lose my voice). ?Then
they
push aside the soft tissue (esophagus, trachea, carotid artery, jugular
vein, and muscle - trying not to nick any of those either) to expose the
front of the spine. ?Then they use a vertebrae "spreader" to separate the
two vertebrae and expose the ruptured disc. ?They then cut through the
outer
wall of the disc and remove the disc. ?Then they use a bone drill to
remove
any stenosis (bone spurs) at the point where the nerves branch off from
the
spinal cord to the right and left. ?[At this point they are millimeters
away
from the spinal cord and any mistake could cause permanent pain, paralysis
or even death.] ?Then they insert a piece of bone between the two
vertebrae
(from a bone bank - they won't be using mine from my hip, thank goodness -
they say the pain from taking that graft is worse than the neck incision).
[The bone is used as a wedge to keep the two vertebrae from pinching down
on
the nerves again.] ?Then they screw on a titanium plate to the two
vertebrae
to keep them closed tightly over the bone implant until it all fuses into
one bone. ?Then they close and suture each layer, stick a bandaid over the
whole mess and I'm done!

If you're interested in the medical stuff, this explains it
best:http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-ACDF.htmand this has good
illustrations:http://www.sofamordanek.com/spineline/ACDF.pdf.

Now, aside from finding some helpful information that explains this
surgery - as in the two links above - the biggest mistake I've made so far
is to go on the internet and look up this procedure. ?I've seen hundreds
of
posts from people who have had it done and had disastrous results - horror
stories of all kinds of mistakes made, agonies suffered, etc., etc.

I know it's human nature to focus on the negative, so I'm trying to ignore
these. ?I also know, from the things I've seen written, that these people
must have had total incompetents for surgeons (one suggested a patient
take
Advil at every meal after surgery despite the fact that anti-inflammatory
drugs are known to inhibit bone healing). ?But it's also human nature to
be
scared out of one's skull when facing having someone laying open one's
neck
and spine!!

The surgery is scheduled for this Friday, 9/5/2008, at around 10:30AM
(central time here in Houston). ?It's going to be done at Methodist
Hospital, and I'll be there just one night, hopefully. ?I'll ask Ben to
post
something here after he gets home from the hospital that day, but if you
don't hear it's probably just because he'll forget. ?I should be able to
get
on my computer a few days after surgery and let you know how it all went
(and whether I would recommend the surgery to others with this problem).

Yeah, Victor, I know I'm a drama queen... but in this instance I think I'm
allowed a bit of nerves shown and purrs asked of friends!

Hugs,

CatNipped

Oooo.....you are a better-informed and braver patient than I. I always
go into surgery blind. I even
tell the docs that I don't do too well with a lot of information.
BEST of luck to you. This may be the best thing you've ever done for
yourself. Being free of the pain
is going to be worth every moment of the worry you're experiencing
right now.
You think *you're* a drama queen? Pfft. You should see me.

Sherry

==================================================

This from the woman who had bypass surgery!!!! I'd take them cutting on my
neck any day before having them crack my sternum open and mess around with
my heart! Girlfriend, you're the brave one!

Hugs,

CatNipped

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Less than 2 days now until my surgery and I'm getting a bit nervous!


Now, aside from finding some helpful information that explains this
surgery - as in the two links above - the biggest mistake I've made so far
is to go on the internet and look up this procedure. I've seen hundreds
of posts from people who have had it done and had disastrous results -
horror stories of all kinds of mistakes made, agonies suffered, etc., etc.

I know it's human nature to focus on the negative, so I'm trying to ignore
these. I also know, from the things I've seen written, that these people
must have had total incompetents for surgeons (one suggested a patient
take Advil at every meal after surgery despite the fact that
anti-inflammatory drugs are known to inhibit bone healing). But it's also
human nature to be scared out of one's skull when facing having someone
laying open one's neck and spine!!


Girlfriend, do you think that those who had great results are going to brag
all over USENET about it? Ok, a few will, but you're going to read more
about those who had total twits for surgeons. The big question is do you
feel confident in your surgeon? If not why are you having him do the
procedure? If you do trust him/her, don't worry about it. You'll do fine
and we'll be thinking about you on Friday and sending all the healthy
thoughts, wishes and purrs we can muster from the bare and furry mafia.

Pam S.

"CatNipped" wrote
| When I broke my wrist two years ago, they didn't do a
| thorough exam at the ER, so I didn't realize that I had also ruptured a
disc
| in my neck and cracked the two vertebrae above and below it which caused
the
| bone to "over-grow" and also pinch down on the nerve along with the
ruptured
| disc. The occasional tingling and numbness in my right ring finger had
| progressed to constant pain from my neck down to my fingertips and
numbness
| in my entire hand and also my right foot. I am actually at the point
where
| I'm losing the coordination of my right hand (I keep dropping things for
no
| apparent reason). So I'm having the surgery and hoping that the nerve
| didn't get permanently damaged.

It's amazing that you can have such a complex surgery and go home so quickly
afterward! Try not to worry, it won't do any good anyhow.

On Sep 3, 3:13 pm, "CatNipped" wrote:
Less than 2 days now until my surgery and I'm getting a bit nervous!

What I'm having done is an "anterior cervical discectomy with fusion at C6
and C7". What this involves is: cutting a two inch incision in the front
of my neck, and a little to the left so as to miss the laryngeal nerve
(which, if nicked, could cause me to permanently lose my voice). Then they
push aside the soft tissue (esophagus, trachea, carotid artery, jugular
vein, and muscle - trying not to nick any of those either) to expose the
front of the spine. Then they use a vertebrae "spreader" to separate the
two vertebrae and expose the ruptured disc. They then cut through the outer
wall of the disc and remove the disc. Then they use a bone drill to remove
any stenosis (bone spurs) at the point where the nerves branch off from the
spinal cord to the right and left. [At this point they are millimeters away
from the spinal cord and any mistake could cause permanent pain, paralysis
or even death.] Then they insert a piece of bone between the two vertebrae
(from a bone bank - they won't be using mine from my hip, thank goodness -
they say the pain from taking that graft is worse than the neck incision).
[The bone is used as a wedge to keep the two vertebrae from pinching down on
the nerves again.] Then they screw on a titanium plate to the two vertebrae
to keep them closed tightly over the bone implant until it all fuses into
one bone. Then they close and suture each layer, stick a bandaid over the
whole mess and I'm done!

If you're interested in the medical stuff, this explains it best:http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-ACDF.htmand this has good illustrations:http://www.sofamordanek.com/spineline/ACDF.pdf.

Now, aside from finding some helpful information that explains this
surgery - as in the two links above - the biggest mistake I've made so far
is to go on the internet and look up this procedure. I've seen hundreds of
posts from people who have had it done and had disastrous results - horror
stories of all kinds of mistakes made, agonies suffered, etc., etc.

I know it's human nature to focus on the negative, so I'm trying to ignore
these. I also know, from the things I've seen written, that these people
must have had total incompetents for surgeons (one suggested a patient take
Advil at every meal after surgery despite the fact that anti-inflammatory
drugs are known to inhibit bone healing). But it's also human nature to be
scared out of one's skull when facing having someone laying open one's neck
and spine!!

The surgery is scheduled for this Friday, 9/5/2008, at around 10:30AM
(central time here in Houston). It's going to be done at Methodist
Hospital, and I'll be there just one night, hopefully. I'll ask Ben to post
something here after he gets home from the hospital that day, but if you
don't hear it's probably just because he'll forget. I should be able to get
on my computer a few days after surgery and let you know how it all went
(and whether I would recommend the surgery to others with this problem).

Yeah, Victor, I know I'm a drama queen... but in this instance I think I'm
allowed a bit of nerves shown and purrs asked of friends!

Hugs,

CatNipped

Purrs for an uneventful yet successful surgery.
Julie and our Clowder