It can develop over time - lots of hard miles - did I mention my Dad is 70 and has had a hammer or saw in his hand since he was about 12?
It's also congenital - not the best news I've heard all day but then again, I've been a princess most of my life and though I've worked in construction since I was about 12 also, I mostly worked a paint brush and a broom. My brother, on the other hand...REALLY not good news for him since he, too, has wielded a hammer since an early age.
Back to Dad...
So...what to do...well, you find Frankenstein or the best neurosurgeon you can find and put him to work to do anterior cervical discetomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery which means they take out the angry little disks between the vertebrae and put cadaver bone in their place...then they screw a metal plate into the vertebrae to hold the cadaver bone in place. Over time, the bone will grow over the plate and the whole thing is fused together. (yeah...I had to look that up too.) Dad had four disks replaced like this poor soul here...
So that's what we did yesterday.
It was scary. My dad is 70 and a diabetic who doesn't follow the rules.
The good news is the surgery went well and he is on the road to recovery.
The bad news is my dad is not a good patient. He'll be on a really soft diet for a while and will be in a hard neck brace for at least three weeks, then a soft brace for another three weeks. He's grouchy on a good day and we're in for some bad days.
But you know what...as long as he's still here, it's a good day in my book.
7 comments:
He could be Frankenstein for Halloween if you glue some bolts on his brace! But I am guessing he won't think that's funny. Hope the recovery is speedy and we will keep him in our prayers. (And pray for patience for you and your Mom)
I'm in such awe of the medical miracles we see every day! Isn't it amazing what they can do? Thank God your dad came through it ok..... hopefully a daily dose of ice cream will cheer him up!
I like what Nane said. Thankful that the procedure could be performed. And that it went well.
That looks very similar to what I had installed in my lower back last year - minus the cadaver bone. They took a bone graft from my hip to mix with the glue used with the screws. It is now more than a year later and I have been walking without pain since day one after the surgery. BTW, you are doing very well with the big words. I never know what to call mine except for a metal appliance attached to my spine. I hope your Dad has as much success with his surgery as I did. Chronic pain is a real bugger.
SO glad everything went well. Prayers for a quick and complete recovery!
SO glad everything went well. Prayers for a quick and complete recovery!
So glad he came through the surgery well,,, pretty scary. You and your family are in my prayers, especially your Dad for a quick and full recovery. B
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