They are taking me by ambulance at noon so my PM can operate at 1.30 at South Perth Hospital as he has room on his list over there, then, post recovery I will be sent straight back here to Mount Hospital for full recovery. He is doing a block on L3 this week, then a block in L4 next week and, then in a fortnight after some time has passed and pain hopefully settled he and my Neuro will decide to do either the laminotomy or fusion, or both.
I had a bone graft and laminectomy in 1978 and again in 1994 and 1996, and then the double fusion on L4/5 & S1 last year in June. They are saying on the X-rays that L3/L4 are not fused and if they do decide to fuse, it's L3/4 they will do. The laminotomy if they do it, will be done on T9 or T10 and paddle inserted. There is definitely something wrong for it to be "clunking" like it is, it feels as though it's collapsing, pain is once again acute. It's all so frustrating.
Of course my neuro is worried about doing the laminotomy and inserting the paddle, but I trust him and with my PM alongside I have faith, and at some stage we have to believe as I can't get in to see Dr Holthouse for months and months and I can't carry on like this. My PM Dr Finch trusts neuro Dr Malone as he saved Dr Finchs son when he had an inoperable brain tumour and Quentin went in and saved the day. They gave trebled my meds, 120 mg slow release OxyContin and 10mg Endone x3 a day. I'm also back on triple movicols and coloxyl as I'm terrified of another blockage.
My poor mum and husband it's so much for them to bear, I wish I could wave so wand and resolve it all for them. Lyndon putting up a cantilever umbrella to provide shade over the "dog paddle pool" and that should help them, I suggested it yesterday morning and he must have thought it a ripper idea as he had bought the umbrella by 5pm and up at 5am this morning was out there putting it together. I suggested to mum that she sell her shares to afford these new hearing aids and she has done just that, and finally I suggested to my brother he put a small aircon unit above mums front door entry as the roof has a high ceiling and a small 2hp will fit there nicely and cool the front room and blow through to the back rooms with the living room door open, it also means it won't blow directly on her and cause her to get a cold of some sort. So at least I'm still contributing to the family in some way.
My Nevro rep was herd yesterday and explained it will be a "Boston paddle" with its leads then joined to the Nevro battery. She is wanting the laminotomy done ASAP as apparently I look really really poorly!!