Bloody hell

After being awake in pain since 3am. I finally I finally got back to sleep after 6am. I had to take some of the drugs I keep only for emergencies. The pain didn’t go ,but with the help of two heat pads it lessened, and I dropped off to sleep. Only to be woken at 8am by an almighty noise. I thought some sort of car accident had happened outside.

It was instead the scaffolders reversing their lorry at speed on to our gravel drive and they were wheel spinning.

So that was the end of sleep.

 

 

 

The reason I had so much pain was due to a longer than normal car journey yesterday. I didn’t lay in the back of the car on the way there.  I wanted to arrive in the painful state, that I experience when being in a car. But I was in some much shock on the return journey I forgot to lay in the back. And to even take a photo of the hospital for my Project Life !

I’ll have to make do with this shot of me outside Costco with a lovely super, soft body pillow

 

I had gone to see another back consultant for a THIRD opinion. This time I took no chances, I ensured he was one of the best (see here) in the country. It was lovely to walk into a room where the consultant had already read all my notes and had reviewed my MRI scan. It was straight down to business. As soon as he examined me he said I have no other option but surgery. I am not going to get better without it.

No sending me for another up to date scan, no further epidural. I was not expecting him to say that on our initial visit. I didn’t have any prepared questions. We had to pay £250 to see him and it was worth every penny.

When I started on this journey back in 2010, I never gave it a thought that the consultants I was going to see would not be able to cope with my condition. I never gave it a thought that I, myself had to seek out the best there is here in the UK. It took two opinions, umpteen GP visits and talking to many people who have suffered with the same condition.

I trusted my gut instinct after my first consultant said he would look forward to operating on someone with a challenging disc like mine. I didn’t like him, I didn’t like his manner when I awoke from my epidural and told him I still had pain. He always seemed in a rush and out of his depth. Thank God I never had the discectomy operation he was recommending. I would be in a much worst state now. People thought I was mad to carry on with the pain, but I knew his alternative wasn’t right.

Mr Lester Wilson works at The NHS Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore. The best spinal unit in the UK. The main spine teaching hospital here. He is going to perform an Anterior lumbar interbody fusion!! That means he is going to get to my problem disc at the base of my spine through my abdomen. It turns out it's lucky I am on the slim side. He couldn’t perform it otherwise. (I am going to help him a bit by trying to lose a few pounds before the op.)

I will have a bone graft, at this point I don’t know if the graft will come from me or a donor. He’s told me it will be a long recovery with lots of rehab. I will be out of action for a while. No housework (yah) no shopping or carrying anything ,no bending of any sort and of course it is going to present me with problems from all my muscles that have tightened over the years.

The main problem is I am going to have the surgery at The Wellington Hospital in London. It is a long way for my family to visit me. Add to the fact it has no onsite parking. I could be in for as long as 10 days.

For years I have driven past this iconic building. I have listened to stories from my friend Trish of the time, many years ago she was a nursing sister there. Of having to take sick Arabic princesses out in Rolls Royce's to buy diamonds on Bond Street.

And now I am going to be staying there myself. It will never look the same again.

So I have lots of list making to do. Nighties to buy, and no doubt a few more sleepless nights to contend with.

And at least I got to climb our scaffolding and see the roof and the view from the top.