Operative Summary...

I know I'm one of the lucky ones that not only has really good insurance with work (my papa always told me to get a government job for the benefits...) but I also have supplemental insurance. I do have to be a part of a union to do this but that then gives me a tax write-off so..... One of my very bestus friends in the world is battling some very serious crappola in her brain and has done so for the past couple of years without any insurance... along with a very pesky freakin knee!!! Have any of you lost your sense of smell?? She has.... can you imagine not being able to taste??? And she's a helluva cook - I'll only eat her tiramisu and her lemon chicken is to diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie for!!!! So, know that this post IS NOT bitching about my insurance in any way shape or form - even if it deserved to be bitched at I would not because of some of my friends - in person and online - do not have any to bitch about!!!

However, it made for some interesting reading when I got my neurosurgeon's Operative Summary Report which I had to get to file my claim with the duck. Turns out my little foray into back surgery was a little more complicated once they opened me up>>>>

The nerve root and thecal sac were found to be severely displaced posteriorly due to the underlying ruptured disc. There was a small tear of the ligament with a small extruded fragment... Some disc material extruded spontaneously under high pressure. The disc space was further entered, and any remaining soft disc fragments were removed piecemeal.

I went into surgery being told that my disc was more than likely under heavy pressure and due to it being "insert word I don't remember here" but it was something like dehydrated and they would be removing a portion of the disc that was pressing on my nerve root. Post-surgery my doc told me everything went great, they got the part of the disc being pressed upon out, and I was good to go. Was I told that I had a small tear in my ligament on my spine? Nope. Was I told that there were fragments of my ligament also in that area? Nope. Was I told that my disc had officially ruptured (remember that word!)? Nope.

Do I care? Ummmmm, trying not to. Did y'all ever get stitches growing up? I didn't. I now have a couple of scars on my chin and legs and fingers that should have gotten stitches. My mom's cure was always to drown it in hydrogen peroxide, tons of guaze held in place sometimes by duct-tape (and for those of you wondering... yes, some of my formative years were spent in a trailer park!!!) and a kiss to make it better. What did I do? I believed her and went about my business. It didn't hurt anymore and I didn't think anything of it because she didn't think anything of it.

I rather wish I had not read the doctor's statement. I was fine thinking it hurt before, he fixed it, and it doesn't even come close to hurting that bad anymore and recovery pain is always better than hurt pain!!! I know I'll get over it, but it keeps jarring around in my brain. Think of how much stuff hits those lesions in our brains and just gets lost? Why doesn't this info get lost in a lesion?!?!? I told it to stick it's head up my cervical lesion figuring it would appreciate still being in my spine. It stuck it's tongue out at me! (well, it sorta waved a piece of floating ligament at me in my vision but that's sorta gross....)

I'm now hanging out at home, having already scanned the doc's report in for posterity and sealed it up to send to the duck's claim office. I did my first full day back in the office today since 11/13... I got through one pile and have another to do tomorrow and then I got told this afternoon I have to fill in at the academy tomorrow and teach in the afternoon. I'm cleared to drive but I haven't really done any yet just for comfort level. Guess I'll get over that real quick!