Post-Op Day 10

It’s been 2 weeks since I came to the emergency room for excruciating pain and nerve issues. It’s been 10 days since I had emergency neurosurgery to remove a tumor from my cervical spine. I’ve spent the last week doing intense inpatient rehab, and am excited to say that they are currently planning to send me home on Saturday! 🙌

I had intended to post more updates this past week, but the schedule has been intense and exhausting! Some days I’ve only had about 10 minutes to eat lunch 😳

The rehab team has been great, and my rehab doctor is just Fantastic! I will be sad to no longer have their services following discharge. Next week I will transition to outpatient rehab.

I hope to post more details about my rehab once I have a bit more time and energy. For now, I will say that I am still dealing with quite a bit of pain, muscle spasms, numbness, as well as sensory and motor issues. My right arm and right leg are most significantly affected. I am currently unable to lift my right arm above my shoulder, and my right hand is significantly impaired. Being right-handed, this makes activities of daily living especially challenging and frustrating. My right leg is still struggling, but the progress has been reassuring. Even on Monday, my knee would buckle coming down a couple steps. Today I took an entire flight of stairs (slowly, with the railing and a guard) and my knee didn’t buckle once!

It could take another 12-18 months before I know what the remainder of my progress and recovery will truly look like. This is so overwhelming, but I know it also leaves a lot of room for improvement. You better believe I’ll be working my butt off to maximize my potential for recovery!

I’m doing my best to focus on the progress I’ve made, not the mountain to climb and all the uncertainty that comes with spinal surgery. Of course, as if it isn’t already enough, I’m also waiting to hear back from my oncologist about their recommendations for next steps, which will likely include radiation to the spine 😖😩

With that, I’m going to head to bed. I have an early morning and busy day ahead. I could go on for hours with all the information I’d like to share, and will do my best to update when able. I knew this program would be the best option for me to get better as quickly as possible, but had no idea how intense it would really be!

Thank you so much for all of the continued love 💜💜💜