Top Ten List of Stuff I Learned Following Neck Surgery
It has been 8 weeks since my anterior cervical fusion (neck surgery). I feel like I am getting stronger every day. The constant pain, other than at the surgical site was gone as soon as I awoke from the anesthesia. My scar is less noticeable(which is nice because it is on the front of my neck at the base of my throat) and my range of motion continues to improve.
These are the Top Ten things that I have learned during this experience and my recovery:
10-My neurosurgeon is a Rock Star! He’s about 35 and hot. He has wonderful healing hands. He is smart, and Smart Is Sexy. Don’t get the wrong idea, my husband was really impressed by him too, but I think it was the smart, competent surgeon with a fantastic bedside manner that my husband responded to.
9-Speed bumps are NOT a suggestion when recovering from neck surgery. Speed bumps are commands that you had better pay attention to if you know what is good for you.
8-It is okay to ask for help. In fact, it is more than okay. I have always been very self-sufficient and this is the hardest thing that I have had to cope with through all of this. Just getting help lifting, even little things and help putting the fitted sheets on the bed was pretty frustrating.
7-Asking for help doesn’t make you weak; it’s just the way it is. My husband has certainly earned his “in sickness and in health” points. I had to realize that we are a team and just because I have limitations right now does not mean I am not still a full partner. If the situation were reversed, it would be the same way.
6-It is hard to feel pleasure when in excruciating, tears running down your face pain. I have read a lot of fiction that describes pain and pleasure together. I am pretty sure that isn’t how it works in RL when it feels like someone is pulling your arm off and you can’t feel your hand or fingers. In the absence of that kind of pain, pleasure has been feeling pretty damned good.
5-Cervical collars while they have a purpose just suck. I don’t think I’ll ever wear a turtleneck again, and that really pisses me off because it is getting to be that time of year. Just the thought of having something wrapped around my neck makes me feel like gagging.
4-Not being able to drive myself anywhere for 5 weeks was completely overwhelming. I had to have my husband, my friends, or my employees drive me everywhere for 5 weeks. What a helpless feeling.
3-Getting off the pain meds as soon as possible was also a really good idea. I am sure the reasons are obvious.
2-Renting lots of movies to start watching when I came home from the hospital was also a very good idea. I rented Pathfinder and the Bourne Supremacy, not even consciously aware that the lovely Mr. Urban was in both of them. Then of course watching the extended version of all of the Lord of The Rings movies again. Then picking up Doom and Chronicles of Riddick again. This is when I realized that I had a big girl crush on Karl.
And finally,
1-Dinking around on the internet and somehow finding a link to LJ and then finding all of the Karl Urban slash. Holy crap! I had no idea. I’d never even heard of slash fiction. Although I would always rent men on men movies-the soft stuff you can find at Blockbuster, this was entirely new to me. Setting up my own account and friend-ing some pretty amazing and talented people. If I hadn’t been through all of this, I would have missed out on LJ and getting to read all of your fine stories, look at the pictures, and learn stuff about lots of interesting people from all over the world that have similar interests.
Here is a link to a one minute animated video of an anterior cervical fusion if anyone has any interest. It is pretty simplistic, but hits the high points.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsYyVtBph7E