I was oddly excited for this surgery. I guess I just had such a positive attitude on life that I didn't figure the outcome would be bad. I think in the back of my head I knew there was a possibility I would wind up paralyzed but aren't the doctors required to say that any surgery is a 50-50. I was just so excited to get the surgery because I knew that no pain could be worse than what I felt everyday. I was ready to not limp anymore, I was ready to not wake up in pain, I was ready to not be limited to what sports I could play. I was just ready to be normal. Little did I know how blinding my optimism was.
I had to wake up super early for my surgery. Mostly because we had to drive to Charlotte. I was given to usual list of "things to do" before surgery, or more like things not to do. Like don't eat after midnight, don't eat breakfast, and only drink water if you drink anything. I was also given this creme to put on my hands to numb them. I guess it was to make the IV process hurt less. I had to put the creme on the tops of my hands and then apply this clear bandage type tape over it. It literally looked like I had a toaster strudel icing packet on my hand. Which didn't help with the hunger from not being able to eat breakfast. The hours leading up to my surgery seemed somewhat fast, yet in slow motion. I just remember the prepping and the mandatory checklist of things to do, to tell me, and to make sure we know all the risks and everything.
I remember the hours leading up to my surgery. I was still so excited. I just remember laying in that hospital bed and people coming in and out of my room, mostly family and friends. They were all coming to pray with me, to wish me luck, or just to hangout so we weren't alone. When they finally took me back my medicine had already kicked in and I was very loopy. The next 8 hours are more than a blur to me.
**Now im going to have to write these next paragraphs in sections. Mostly because I only remember bits a pieces and my mom has told me the rest.**
What I remember is being taken back to the operating room, but on the way we stopped in the hallway and I just saw tons and tons of screens with peoples vitals on them. I sat there for a while, maybe they were prepping the OR, I never asked; nor found out. Next memory I have is being woken up and put on an x-ray table to get some scans. I only remember this because it hurt very bad. I was not fully awake but i was awake enough to know that my back was in so much pain and laying on this rock hard table did not help. And then the next thing I know i was awake back in my room and the surgery was over.
What actually happened:
They took me back for surgery and everything was going smoothly. The plan was to cut me open, take out vertebrae T-5 and T-6, which were crushed. To place rods and screws to straighten my back and hold it straight and then be done close up and head back to the room. But only a couple hours in the doctors has to stop operating because they lost nerve signal in my left leg and only had verve signals on my right toes. They apparently woke me up on the table enough to ask me to move my legs and feet. When they saw i only moved my right toes they get worried. So they stopped the surgery and took me to get xrays and MRI's to see if they could tell why the signals went out. After the scans were done they put me in a recovery room in hopes i would regain feeling in my legs so they could continue the surgery. A couples hours passed and no changes had been made and no progression. So they took me back to the OR to finish the surgery. At this point all that had done were drill holes where all the hardware was going to go. They placed to rods and screws and closed me up. This is where I start to remember things again.
I just remember seeing everyones faces and they didnt look happy. You know on movies where people are in the hospital and they wake up and see everyone staring at them and the person in the bed knows something is wrong but no one wants to tell them. That is how i felt. Everyone was crying, or atleast had been and i just had no clue why they were upset. I could still move my legs, the fear of my going paralyzed didn't come true. I saw my papaw at the end of my bed and I looked at him and said "see papaw, I'm moving my toes, the surgery worked" So i thought. The connections to my brain were still working as if my legs worked, so without actually being able to see my toes i thought they were moving. Papaw just nodded and with a very shakey voice replied "yes baby, good job." My family was waiting on the doctor to come in and talk with me before they said anything. Dr.Watenburger came in not a moment later and asked if he could speak with me. Everyone left but my parents. Dr.Watenburger explained that the surgery was indeed successful but we had some complications and losr connection in my legs. They are still being optimistic and hoping my feeling comes back, but for now I was paralyzed from the waist down. I honestly thought it was a joke. I was in disbelif that i was paralyzed. I told everyone not to worry because it will come back. I just knew it would. I was willing to wait. Well day after day went by and nothing changed, if anything it just got worse.
I had to wake up super early for my surgery. Mostly because we had to drive to Charlotte. I was given to usual list of "things to do" before surgery, or more like things not to do. Like don't eat after midnight, don't eat breakfast, and only drink water if you drink anything. I was also given this creme to put on my hands to numb them. I guess it was to make the IV process hurt less. I had to put the creme on the tops of my hands and then apply this clear bandage type tape over it. It literally looked like I had a toaster strudel icing packet on my hand. Which didn't help with the hunger from not being able to eat breakfast. The hours leading up to my surgery seemed somewhat fast, yet in slow motion. I just remember the prepping and the mandatory checklist of things to do, to tell me, and to make sure we know all the risks and everything.
I remember the hours leading up to my surgery. I was still so excited. I just remember laying in that hospital bed and people coming in and out of my room, mostly family and friends. They were all coming to pray with me, to wish me luck, or just to hangout so we weren't alone. When they finally took me back my medicine had already kicked in and I was very loopy. The next 8 hours are more than a blur to me.
**Now im going to have to write these next paragraphs in sections. Mostly because I only remember bits a pieces and my mom has told me the rest.**
What I remember is being taken back to the operating room, but on the way we stopped in the hallway and I just saw tons and tons of screens with peoples vitals on them. I sat there for a while, maybe they were prepping the OR, I never asked; nor found out. Next memory I have is being woken up and put on an x-ray table to get some scans. I only remember this because it hurt very bad. I was not fully awake but i was awake enough to know that my back was in so much pain and laying on this rock hard table did not help. And then the next thing I know i was awake back in my room and the surgery was over.
What actually happened:
They took me back for surgery and everything was going smoothly. The plan was to cut me open, take out vertebrae T-5 and T-6, which were crushed. To place rods and screws to straighten my back and hold it straight and then be done close up and head back to the room. But only a couple hours in the doctors has to stop operating because they lost nerve signal in my left leg and only had verve signals on my right toes. They apparently woke me up on the table enough to ask me to move my legs and feet. When they saw i only moved my right toes they get worried. So they stopped the surgery and took me to get xrays and MRI's to see if they could tell why the signals went out. After the scans were done they put me in a recovery room in hopes i would regain feeling in my legs so they could continue the surgery. A couples hours passed and no changes had been made and no progression. So they took me back to the OR to finish the surgery. At this point all that had done were drill holes where all the hardware was going to go. They placed to rods and screws and closed me up. This is where I start to remember things again.
I just remember seeing everyones faces and they didnt look happy. You know on movies where people are in the hospital and they wake up and see everyone staring at them and the person in the bed knows something is wrong but no one wants to tell them. That is how i felt. Everyone was crying, or atleast had been and i just had no clue why they were upset. I could still move my legs, the fear of my going paralyzed didn't come true. I saw my papaw at the end of my bed and I looked at him and said "see papaw, I'm moving my toes, the surgery worked" So i thought. The connections to my brain were still working as if my legs worked, so without actually being able to see my toes i thought they were moving. Papaw just nodded and with a very shakey voice replied "yes baby, good job." My family was waiting on the doctor to come in and talk with me before they said anything. Dr.Watenburger came in not a moment later and asked if he could speak with me. Everyone left but my parents. Dr.Watenburger explained that the surgery was indeed successful but we had some complications and losr connection in my legs. They are still being optimistic and hoping my feeling comes back, but for now I was paralyzed from the waist down. I honestly thought it was a joke. I was in disbelif that i was paralyzed. I told everyone not to worry because it will come back. I just knew it would. I was willing to wait. Well day after day went by and nothing changed, if anything it just got worse.