I really don’t know where to start....except to say the most important thing of all....my spine has got no more crooked over the last 3 years. Now, that may not seem unexpected (or even exciting), but all those times I stop to think about it, I realise what a scary place I would have been in had I not gone under the knife. Breathing and eating, all of those things we take for granted would really be an issue the longer it went on for. At the time of my surgery decision, I was told ‘10 years to major organ failure’ and I didn’t really get it...but now I do, especially since it’s just not on my radar any longer. I am truly a lucky person and one who has been given a fresh lease on life. I will never be able to express that adequately....
Now to the nitty gritty... and the bad bits. I have discovered that scoliosis surgery is no cure for pain and that when you are rigid inside you often wake up in the morning completely rigid on the outside. Turning in bed some mornings is painful and awkward but usually wears off pretty quick once I apply some WD-40 (joking) and once I just get moving! Painkillers work fine and I don’t need to worry too much about it – like all people with pain, I get tired and crotchety from time to time, but actually I think it’s a very small price to pay for all that breathing and stuff.
I came out of surgery with some numbness and nerve pain in my leg. Neither has really gone. I still have to take the gabapentin (but a teeny dose compared to what I was taking) and there are compensations to numb bits...I mean, when Bugalugs tries to climb up my leg, it doesn’t bother me in the least! Having half your tummy numb and half not is kinda fun and an endless source of entertainment in working out where the edges are....and more practically, when I had my recent surgery, my consultant poked me (none too gently) in the stomach – “Does this hurt?” he asked and I was cheerfully able to tell him that it didn’t hurt a bit!
My walking is fine by my standards. I still only have 2 speeds, dead slow and full stop, but I am able to get into Tesco’s and buy milk and suchlike. For all longer distances I have my wheelchair and that gives me an incredible amount of freedom and independence. I can whizz round places, taking unnecessary detours all I like...its brilliant!
So, there you go, I guess it’s not so different from 6 months or even a year ago. Now I am eating from my achalasia surgery and feel so much healthier generally I feel pretty great. I know that I will always have limitations in my life, but so much of that is due to my spina bifida and I was an incredibly lucky spina bifida baby with the way I learned to walk and all. I just think that I am a very lucky person generally – isn’t my body an amazing machine? – and not just because it’s stuffed full of metal either!
1 comment:
Nice one Pip!
Birthdays all round eh?
Luvya!
T
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