Post OP

Day 3

September 4th

I woke up and felt panicked about the numbness in my body, I am not sure why but I assumed that the surgery would cure the numbness. I guess there really wasn’t time to discuss the details because of the urgency of surgery.

I couldn’t move. I had to use a bedpan to pee. It’s funny how something so humiliating becomes normal in the worst of circumstances. I was so grateful, because I do not think I could have stood up. Originally, I told them I was willing to use a catheter.

They put wraps around my calves that inflated and deflated intermittently, the same way an air pressure cuff would, to minimize my chance of getting a blood clot post-op. I was put on painkillers every four hours.

In the morning, Dr. Lambert stopped by and explained that the numbness on my leg was to be expected. He had me do several foot and leg tests to determine my level of strength. My right leg was much weaker, specifically my right foot. When prompted to “push down on the gas” I had barely any power at all. When told to point my toes to my head, my entire right foot bent directly inward. Dr. Lambert told me that during the procedure they had to move those nerves very far to the left to remove all the tissue, and that they were angry and inflamed. That the loss of strength likely wasn’t permanent.

One of the major concerns around Cauda Equina Syndrome is the potential for it to impact normal bladder/bowel function. Because of this anytime I went to the bathroom they gave me a bladder scan to see how much, if any, fluid was being retained in my bladder. You spend your whole life going pee and not thinking a single thing about it. Now, I could sense I had to pee and was able to pee, but the only way I could determine if I did was to look because I felt nothing. Talk about scary.

I wasn’t allowed to get out of bed or to use the walker on my own. Only one leg was fully functional, and fully functional is quite the stretch, and a fall could seriously compromise the surgical outcome. I had a pump in my back to collect the blood flowing out from my wound. I had multiple IVs and was put on a steady regiment of fluids, steroids, antibiotics, and painkillers.

I spent most of the day keeping my mind busy writing, helping teachers with school questions, reviewing IEPs, and visiting with family. The physical therapist took me out and had me practice walking stairs and I was able to climb all four and come down independently. I was glad that I was walking because I likely wouldn’t be paralyzed but it felt unnatural and awkward. Walking on my right foot felt like I was walking on a stub. In addition, my driving foot was extremely weak at “pushing on the gas.”

My parents, Beckett, and Jay came to visit. Before my parents got here, Jay washed my hair for me. It was quite the ordeal since I am not allowed to get my incision wet, to twist, bend, or lift. He started to wash it in the bed but we moved to the bathroom. The floor took a bath but it was really nice to have clean hair, a sponge bath, and new clothes.

When my family left I took a break, ate dinner, and watched tv. Overnight my pain was significant. For the first time I could feel the fact that they cut through the muscles in my back to get to my spine. Not only did they remove tissue, but bone as well. Pain medication makes me nauseous and weak, but it was clear I couldn’t wean off of it just yet.