The History of my Current Situation....

Since I have just over a week until my surgery, I thought I would start a blog to keep everyone updated with the pain, the recovery process, the hospital and the operation itself....my feelings before and after, and what my life is for the next 8 weeks.


Before I start all that, I suppose I better delve a little deeper into the history of how I got to this stage....


It all started in October 2010 when I woke up and couldn't move....it was pain like I had never experienced in my life. I have lived quite a risky life and I have made the mistake of not wearing my back protector when I jumped my horse in shows or over a course of jumps, and I have had horses in the past who have caused me to have bad accidents. I have had my fair share of accidents and my back has taken a beating, and I guess that one day, in October, it just decided the strain was too much. It was then that I imagine I slipped the disc.
I was stuck on the floor, crying, unable to breathe or move or anything....it killed me...so did my hip. At first I thought it was from my horse riding accident, where I came off and into a jump.
But then I wondered if it was from lifting shavings bales etc.....who knows...who cares...the damage was done.


From Christmas onwards the pain started in my left leg, getting steadily worse until my hip, thigh, shin and back of leg muscles all were in agony. I could no longer bend it right because the nerves hurt too much and my mind wouldn't let me create that pain. Work was ok because we mostly either sit or stand, but anything other than that was awful. Eventually I started to lose sensation in the lower part of my left leg, the outside of it and my ankle and top of foot....I didn't notice it until the physiotherapist pointed it out.....it is strange!


So...I went to the doctor in January/February time and asked what they could do.
They put me on Diclofenac. When I say it did nothing, that was an understatement, although when later mixed with other drugs, it does help.
I then went back in March and they said they could put me on the NHS physio waiting list, but it was a 9 week wait and that was all they could do.
Remember that, at this point I still thought my leg was hurt, and I didn't connect the back in October to the Leg in December....so had I gone down that NHS route, I would have been treated for leg pain and let go without any investigations probably. (no offence to the NHS, I have had lots of good experiences with them, but they just have to meet alot of demand)


The Dr offered me a refferal letter if I had private health care, which I did.
I soon found myself at the Clemetine Churchill Hospital, a private hopsital which is lovely and very fancy and full of really nice staff, yeah it's still a hospital, which I don't enjoy, but they make it feel like it's not. I'm comfortable there.


I saw Dr Matthew Bartlett, a very charming and kind man who examined me and my range of movements, and signed me two slips, one for an MRI and one for Physiotherapy.
I took them down the hall and booked myself in.
My MRI was two days later, and my physio was the next day.
Money talks huh? :)


The MRI machine was not bad at all, but then I'm not claustrophobic. I closed my eyes and daydreamed for the 1 hour scan and when it was finished, they took the headphones off (I had music offered to me by them) and I was told to change, and by the time I had changed they had given a disc of my entire scan to Carl who was waiting outside. The technician said to me "When are you seeing your doctor?" I though that probably meant bad news....


I tried to look on the scan for and sign of the trademark slipped discs or anything untoward. Despite seeing what they should look like on you-tube videos my Dad found we still could find nothing! I decided to wait until the appointment and my mind was in two, either I was hoping there was nothing, in which case I'd be annoyed as it meant my pain was not found yet, or I hoped it was slipped disc which was silly because who would want that? I was stuck!


I saw Dr Bartlett again two days later, and he said as he thought, I had THREE slipped discs.
He suggested that due to the severity of the middle one, my L4/5 disc, that it would most likely need surgery, as it had dropped down as well as out, and would most likely not go back in on it's own. He reffered me to see a spinal specialist and surgeon, Mr Shaun Ridgeway.


The following week I saw him.
To cut a long story short, we agreed to try a spinal epidural with steroids, to see if it worked.
If I had any improvement he would try that route, if not, due to the severity, he would operate.


I was admitted to the hospital, and had a nice big hotel style room all to myself. It had a flat screen TV and a duvet instead of normal hospital blankets, and a bathroom with hotel style toiletries! I was impressed! It takes away from the kind of nerves you find when you are admitted to hospital, especially since it was my fist time. I've never had any real health issues and I have never been in hospital for any length of time before, so I was scared!


I changed into the gown and had a nap whilst Carl watched TV next to me in the lounge chair. 
The anesthetist came in to see me, the surgeon came in to see me, nurses came in and out etc. Eventually (thank god, I was starving) they came to get me for the proceedure. I kissed Carl goodbye and walked down with the nurse to theatre. I was told to take my dressing gown and slippers off, and get onto a blue wheelie bed. They hooked me up to lots of machines, ECG/EKG? Not sure which. They made me put my hair into a cover thing, and put those nasty anti DVT stockings on! They are really tight! LOL


Then they wheeled that bed into the Anesthetists room. They inserted the cannula into my left hand and the anesthetist said he would inject some of the pre-med (I was not being knocked out, just drugged with the pre-meds so I wouldn't remember and I would stay still) and then I would feel light headed, and then once I was in place, he would inject the rest.


He started with some light pain killer, and then put the big syringe into the plug in the cannula. Before he had even finished putting it all in, I felt like the best high in the world, like being off your face drunk but without the sickness/headache!! The celing spun and I told him I could definately feel it! He laughed :)
They wheeled me into the operating theatre, which was all dark blue tiles and lots of metal!
I saw Mr Ridgeway all scrubbed up for theatre, he said hello and asked how I was, I said hello and I was fine etc. They told me to climb off the bed onto the operating table bed onto my stomach. I did that and (slightly aware that I was in disposable hospital pants) put my arms above my head and my head to the right. The last thing I remember was they cleaned my back with some cold stuff, apologised that it was cold, and I told them it was nice as I was hot. Then the anesthetist injected the rest and that was it.......


When I came around properly, I was being wheeled out and I asked the nurse to my right if it was all over. I have no recollection of moving onto my back or anything else at all! Let alone the two giant needles they put into my spine (I got copies of the x-rays they took with the giant needles in place) She told me it was all finished, and wheeled me into the recovery area next to a man who had breathing tubes in. They were removing them and I could hear him gagging. Then he went back to sleep. I hated that part, but it was ok. I was still a bit high and it felt chilled and nice, so I just nosed in on everyone elses situation whilst I was being observed! 


A nice nurse came and spoke to me and she chatted about the horse and my job etc, and every few minutes the blood pressure cuff on my arm would tighten. I had an oxygen mask on and it was nice cold air. It helped a bit as I was so drowsy, and it felt nice to breathe in fresh air from the mask. After a while Mr Ridgeway came in and asked how I felt. At that stage my leg felt good, so I told him good. 


Once I was back in my room, after a while I got up with Carl's help and I could instantly feel the pain was back. I kinda knew from that moment I would end up having the surgery. But they say sometimes it takes a few weeks, so I waited.


I have waited and seen him again, and he agrees I have to have the surgery.
I'm keeping up with my hydrotherapy and physiotherapy, I have accupuncture and I swim too.
It all helps, and I feel like the other two discs may have started to go back in, because the back pain is a bit better. The leg pain however, just gets worse and worse.


The thing is, like the doctors say, once the damage is this bad, if I leave it I could end up so much worse. A woman came into the front counter at work once and told me that she had her leg brace and cane because she faffed around with the epidurals for a few years before having the surgery, and has now lost the use of her left leg, or most of it anyway, from nerve damage. She urged me to have the surgery.


Many many people in my line of work have had it and gone back to full duty after 8 weeks off. 
Everyone seems to be able to go back to their horses and riding and sports etc.
I'm hoping that that is the case. My fingers are crossed anyway!!


So, here I am!
I'm off work, every day is the same, TV, sofa, physio, sofa, pain killers, and pain.
Lucky for me, my surgery is now less than 2 weeks away, and for now I have my tramadol, co-codamol and diclofenac.
The tramadol saves me! (not 100% but it allows me to sit anyway!)


So I thought I would start a blog, about the pain, about the physio, about the pre-op tests, hydro, hospital stay and surgery and more importantly.....the road to recovery.......