September 17 – “’More Probable’ Scenario”

The time had finally come.  My appointment with the neurosurgeon loomed before me.  Dutifully wearing our masks, Chris and I made our way into the clinic building.  I answered “no” to what I assumed were the typical Covid questions.  In fact, I replied, “If those were the typical Covid questions, then ‘No.’ I have trouble hearing.”  Not a lie, of course, especially since she was wearing a mask as well and I had no visual clues from her lips.  Best thing I could have said.  Now Chris would be allowed to accompany me as my official “Assist Person.”  The lady handed me a sticker rewarding me for being so “Patient.”  She gave Chris one that said “Visitor.”  We were on our way.

 

There was little to no wait time once we checked in at the clinic desk.  A nurse greeted us, weighed me, and led us to a room.  She was quite pleasant, and began the tedious task of verifying who I was and what was my issue.  Until … suddenly she whipped her head around from the computer screen.  “What did that say?” she asked no one in particular as she rose and made her way to the door.  And as she opened it, she muttered those fateful words … “Fire Drill.”  She quickly apologized before shutting the door behind her and going off to perform her assigned duties.  Just to be sure, I checked the fire department app on my phone.  No calls.  It was indeed just a drill.

 

She returned to us soon after we heard the all-clear given, and within seconds all was as if nothing had happened.  She completed her assessment just as the door opened to reveal a young doctor.  He turned out to be the chief neurology resident.  It was his job to pretend/practice being an actual doctor before the actual doctor came in later.  No problem.  It gave me a chance to hone my questions.  He did a pretty good job.  He showed us the MRI on the computer and gave us a run-through of what seemed to him to be going on.  Nice kid.  I liked him.

 

He finished his assessment and patient teaching, and then left to get the actual neurosurgeon.  I had seen him before some three years ago, so I kind of knew what to expect.  He is very old-school.  Kind of blunt and not quick to “jump to the knife” so to speak.  He pulled up the MRI pictures as well as a backdrop for our conversation.  He was kind of impressed when we pulled out a CD we had of an earlier MRI from 6 years ago.  He dropped that one in as well.  Once the pictures were up he pointed out several things, and said that I had the back of a firefighter.  He said “It looks like you have done some very hard work in your day, heavy lifting and such.”  I replied, “Well, I’m a pastor, so I guess I have lifted all sorts of stuff through the years.”  Aaaaand … so much for the small talk.

 

He said I had bulging discs at several points as well as varying degrees of moderate to severe stenosis throughout my lumbar area that he was sure were causing me some grief.  They were secondary, however, to the issue that had caused the extreme pain and was still causing the numbness and swelling.  That seemed to be a collapse of vertebrae in the thoracic area (T11-12) that had caused yet another bulging disc. It appeared that two of the vertebra in that area may even have already started to fuse together.  That fusion was causing unusual stress on the other vertebrae and discs.  The thing that makes this such a big problem (Here’s where my family doctor would insert, “I am worried”) is that in this area, the actual spinal cord is involved, whereas in the lumbar region, it is “just a mass of nerves.”  His “I am worried” was not as ominous as the family doc’s, though.  He assured us that although it could be serious, it wasn’t something that was going to kill me overnight (as long as I am careful).  We have some time to get some more scans to get a fuller image of what is going on.  But the MRI I just had – the one that he was looking at - was only for the lumbar region.  He couldn’t really see the detail he needed.  

 

So Step One is to get another MRI, this time of the thoracic region.  Oh, and in the meantime I am not allowed to lift … anything.  Well, maybe a carton of milk, but absolutely nothing heavier than that.  And no inordinate twisting, either.  I can do some light back stretches unless they begin to hurt.  Then I stop.  I can also do some walking unless it begins to hurt.  Then I stop.  But “stay as active as you can.”  Sounds like the next week and a half will be fun.  That’s the soonest they could schedule the new MRI.  After the MRI I’m supposed to “pester” him until he reads the report and gets back to me.  But what he didn’t know was, they never did cancel my appointment with him that got moved up to this one.  So I kept that appointment.  Now I’m already scheduled to see him two days after the MRI.  Hope they get it read and back to him in time.

 

At that point we will be able to discuss the next course of action. 

Best Case Scenario.  Depending on what the MRI shows, we watch it, be careful, do some physical therapy and it fixes itself. 

Worst Case Scenario.  Surgery to install rods and pins all along my backbone.

“More Probable” Scenario (Chris wants to change this to “alternate scenario”). 

            Do physical therapy while waiting to do these:

            1.  Start with the thoracic bulge and do what surgery is needed to fix that.

            2.  After that surgery heals, then move to the next worse area, L4-5 and fix that.

            3.  After that surgery heals, then move to next worse area L2-3 and fix that.

            Then if I’m still around, we’ll see what needs to be done next!

 

So what was the best thing about the visit?  We learned that both of those guys are believers.  Now if I do have to have surgery at least I can ask them to pray for me.

 

Psalms 51:1-2 says, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

 

Father, thank you for putting the right people in place to meet the most intricate of our needs.  Amen.