Finally Hit the 64 Mark but just not celebrating as much.

byapache1

11.5K followers

2 years ago

So today 25/3/58 I turned 64 but with health issues not really in the mood to celebrate too much.

Today on my birthday and yesterday I spent getting my heart scanned which seems Ok as I just picked up the scan results.

This was just a precautionary measure as I am due to have spinal surgery end of April if all ok with the Cardiologist.

Due to the heart medications, I need to stop them 10 days before surgery and the Cardionolgist wants to be sure there are no serious issues if this goes ahead.

I will know more hopefully on Monday as his office was closed by the time I got back home today.

been out for an hour yesterday for one scan last Thursday was at the hospital to get my admission done along with ECG and blood tests but this surgery was planned for the 7th Aril but the Anethiest felt it too risky due to the meds to be stopped as it hasn't been a full year since on went on these meds for the heart.

So that is why I had to see the cardiologist for their Ok but he wanted to get these scans done first to see if it has worsened and if this could cause a serious issue when I go under during the op and how it will affect the heart.

There is always a serious risk in any op but last time I had 3 stents put in two that are next to each other and as a result, this is the main issue compared to just having a normal stent on its own.

This creates a great risk so hoping all is ok with that then if so will be having an ACDF which stands for anterior cervical discectomy (decompression) and fusion on the C4-5 area if the neck region..

If you can stand gory details look it up on YouTube then have plenty of videos of the ACDF procedure some just images some actual surgery then you will fully understand the procedure.

In simple terms, one of the disks is badly compressed which places immense pressure on the nerve and spinal cord.

This is one of the main reasons why I get tingling and at times loss of sensation in the fingers, legs, and lots of shoulder and neck pain.

This also creates a lot of pressure on the neck where I am in constant pain and struggle many times to sleep properly.

So what they will do is take the disc out clean it up and put in a replacement disc normally titanium type.

To do this they will place a cut just below the throat on the left but also need to expand the areas to get to the spinal disc.

This means they need to move aside the muscles in the neck and retracting the trachea, esophagus, and arteries.

Once done, they can then go ahead with the procedure and replacement of the damaged disc alone with putting a plate to hold the two disks C4 and C5, and screw that in permanently.

The drawback is many apart from the real serious life-threatening one due to the heart.

Swallowing will be difficult, Breathing can be difficult especially if the swelling is great which may then involve a tube shoved down my throat to breathe until the swelling goes down.

Eating is a struggle as I will be on a liquid diet for a bit unfortunately not the liquid diet I would prefer.

Then soft food like applesauce for example as the throat will not be at the stage to handle solid foods.

So will be in the hospital for a few days and will be wearing a neck brace for at least 4-6 weeks if not longer as I can't move my head around.

That is going to be tough even sleeping and doing other normal functions.

To see what is it like you can test that out yourself keep your head as still as possible regardless of what you do.

Try working on the computer, using the phone, reading a book sleeping even having a shower while keeping your head still.

been trying that and it is not easy you don't realize just how much you bend your neck forward and down let alone move it to the side.

So if all is Ok with the Cardio then I need to call the hospital to confirm the date which is the 21st of April at this stage and need to visit the hospital before had to get more tests done as this now got delayed and have to do the ECG and Blood test all over again.

Not a bit deal just time and a nuisance.

I still have my lumbar future surgery to deal with but for now, the Neurosurgeon just wants to get this done first.

So this has been the lead-up to my birthday and even today on my birthday I have so far spent about 3 hours to myself with all the tests and going back and forth picking up the results and so on.

Apart from that at least I have had so beautiful birthday wishes from family, friends, and an awesome friend that takes these thoughts of this away.

That has may my day awesome and so glad I have awesome friends around even if they are far away.

I will let you know closer to the date once all is confirmed what is or is not going to happen towards the end of the month.

At this stage, it is all dependent on the Cardio and also need to get a covid test done two days before the surgery which should be fine with that.

So how way your day?