I was told today by doctor at pre-op that;
The laminectomy is extremely painful and to please take advantage of the pain meds and he made a point to make it clear how painful
That they will be opening the dura to expose my cord
There a risk of bleed depending on how vascular the tumor is
I will possibly lose strength and feeling in my legs but was ok as long as function returns
That any damage I already have is irreversible
There is a risk of cns fluid leakage, slight risk
That it will be a recovery of 3 to 6 months, two days in hospital
A risk of paralysis although he claims he s never seen it happen because it's attached to my cord
My incision will be approx. 6 inches long
If its a schwannoma they may have to sacrifice the t9 nerve root
Etc, etc


Needless to say, I was not prepared for that. He asked if I had any questions. I felt it necessary to express my anger over the fact that I had no choice in this surgery. I thanked him for not sugar coating. I am overwhelmed and an emotional wreck, it sent my rsd into a nasty flare. How much more can I handle? Amazing. I guess my questions have been answered.