We are now one week from my spinal fusion! That means that there is much so say and much more to do. The last month has been a blur so I have said little and thought much... and while my goal has not been to shut anyone out I have not been very vocal of late. Since today is the first post I will attempt to use some broad strokes to cut down on your reading...
The Prelude
First of all, today has been a long time coming. I have had a progressive form of Scheuermann's Kyphosis which has defined much of the last few years. In fact a misshaped back has perhaps shaped more of my almost ten year marriage than any other factor. We have six beautiful girls and my life as a daddy and a husband have been very limited due to chronic severe pain. It has been a long few years of doctors, specialists, and very few answers. We recently found a doctor who specializes in deformities such as mine and he is not only familiar with what I have, but he also pioneered certain materials and devices in the surgical world designed to correct this particular defect. After finding a doctor who is so specialized, and only a few hours from us in St. Louis, we were slated for surgery. It was originally scheduled for June but was pulled up to March 14th. That means that we had a good deal to do in a very short time.
The Nitty-Gritty
So, if you are like me then you hear "surgery" and want to hear the details... if you are like some of my non-medical nerd friends then you may not be so interested in the following tidbits.
My condition is defect in the vertebrae which is typically discovered during adolescent growth spurts. It is a developmental disease which causes the front of the spine not to grow while the back of the vertebrae grows normally. This leaves the spine with segments which are wedge shaped and causes the upper back to curve inward. When the curve is beyond a 50 degree angle (somewhere around 30 is normal) then there is typically pain associated.
--If you are still waiting for the gross stuff then hold on we'll get to the rods and screws in a minute but just like a super-heroe my origin story is critical to understanding... stuff--
My curve went from about 50 when diagnosed to a current curve of above 80 degrees in about a decade. Since the problem is in the portion of vertebrae that the lungs connect to the main factors for pain are not necessarily sports and work, but rather breathing and standing/sitting. At 90 degrees the space in the ribcage is just not sufficient for the lungs and heart which start to show considerable wearing/damage. This becomes fatal when the organs cannot keep up with their tasks... So we want to avoid that. The surgery will be correcting the spine back to about the 50 degree mark and stabilizing it with 1/4" stainless steel rods and screws.
That's right next week I begin my path towards becoming the bionic man.
In order to correct the curve and provide long term success the doctor will be preforming a long fusion. This will mean that all the vertebrae from T2 (just below the neck) to L2 or L3 (which is in the "upper" low back) The surgery involves "breaking" (scoring the backs of all vertebrae involved), inserting a screw on either side of the spinous process which will hold the two 1/4" steel rods (one for each side like the screws). Then they will be filling the voids with my bone chips, cadaver bone, and a specialized man-made protein called BMP which will all help create one piece when all has healed. For more details you can actually find some youtube videos detailing (with pictures and video) of the basic process... but I am not providing a link because I will be in denial about this for a little while so I am avoiding those pictures and video for the time being... just know that if you are curious it is out there.
The Aftermath
We are planning to be in St. Louis this Friday to have my central line put in prior to the surgery which is slated for 7:30 Monday 3/14. I will report for surgery on Monday morning at 5:30. Then in 10 short hours, for me at least, I will be all fixed... There will likely be several units of blood required and the amount of surgery means that the day after will be spent in the ICU. If all goes well then I will move to a normal recovery room for the next five to seven days and be released the following week to go home to Kansas City. Since there is risks of clots the doctors will want me to walk for a little bit every hour after the ICU day. The bones should start healing in six or seven weeks and then fully heal by a year or year and a half. There is plenty that could go wrong but the above is what is to be expected if all goes well.
The Summary
While the medical details above are important to tell our story they tell a very small part of our real story. I will try to find time to write more about our journey: The real people and real paths we have walked, run, stumbled, and strayed from. It has been a long journey thus far, but it is one that has brought us here. It is one that we are living now and a journey I would not trade given the chance. I cannot say who I would be without chronic pain. I cannot say what my marriage would look like without the storms we have weathered. What I know is that grace and goodness have led us to where we are right now. Grace has brought us to here and now by bringing us through the valleys and the storms where we have been led by a Sovereign plan, pushed by sufficient grace, and held by a love eternal. All along the way we have found our God to be a little sweeter and much bigger than we did before setting out. There are many concerns and details that we simply will not know until later. So for now we are fighting to not to lose the beauty of today in the shadows of tomorrow. We are overwhelmed but not worried. We have no way to adequately thank everyone we feel that we should. We have been humbled and blessed by the love that we have received through so many in our lives. We are genuinely overwhelmed in how God has provided for so many needs through so many people so willing to be a blessing to us. We are truly in awe and Stacey and I have spent time just marveling again at the goodness of our God seen in the hearts and hands of so many of you. So, while this seems ridiculous all I can say right now is thank you. I could say it again and again, but we are so thankful for all those that have come along side us.
Hopefully that gives a little glimpse of our journey. I plan to post more as we get a little farther down the road and as the 14th gets closer.
Jon Michael Moorehead
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