45th Birthday Present

This was my FB post on my birthday. 

"Thanks for all the birthday wishes! I feel loved.

2024 has been rough thus far, though. 45 is the year I break, I guess. I’ve had intense back/shoulder/arm pain from what was diagnosed as a pinched nerve, since Jan 1st. After chiro, PT, X-rays, PCP visits & messages, lots of meds, and finally an MRI last week (during the freezing rain), I found out I have four bulging discs and a herniated disc at C7 and was referred to a neurosurgeon. Found out today I’m getting neck surgery for my birthday this year—on Tuesday! Praise God! I cried with relief when they called to tell me. This photo is one I snapped on Monday for my friend, Jane, who was asking how I was feeling. I was on the floor of my classroom on cushions at that moment. After not seeing students for 9 days because of the ice and snow, and with finals this week, I HAD to be there. It wasn’t pretty, but made it through. I am very much looking forward to some pain relief (eventually) and to January being DONE."

It all started on New Year's Eve. I noticed some shoulder pain when I woke up that day. It just got worse and worse and then I started having shooting pain down my arm into my hand and pinky finger. I spent the majority of January on my back. The pain got to be so excruciating, I could not stand up. The ice storm was a blessing because I wouldn't have been able to go to work anyway. I did some work from my back on the couch and floor. I don't remember any one incident that caused injury, but I did notice muscle weakness in my right hand in December. I wasn't able to grasp the stamp hard enough to stamp kids' papers like I usually did. I thought that was weird but didn't connect it to my neck issue until later when the doctors said that was an indication of a pinched nerve. I was on nerve blocker medication, muscle relaxers, and prednisone. The ice storm presented a lot of challenges, trying to get to doctor appointments (no one was able to get to work, including the doctors and office staff) and trying to get prescriptions.

I got into the neurosurgeon on a Friday, and he told me during the appointment that they'd try to get me in for fusion surgery within a couple weeks. That was disheartening to hear, but there was nothing else to be done. An hour later, though, I got a call from their office, saying they could get me in on Tuesday! So, I spent the weekend and that Monday preparing to be gone from work for 2-3 weeks. It was crazy making sub plans for that many days. Thankfully, I was two weeks ahead in my planning and had already made a bunch of copies for the start of the semester. That was the other crazy part. I was having surgery on the first day of the 2nd semester and wasn't going to meet the new students (about a third of my students in Eng 5-6 switched) until after I was back from my leave. Thankfully, I had a couple friends who were willing and able to fill in for me and did a great job. Megan did two weeks, and Natalie did one. They were lifesavers! I ended up being out for a full three weeks. 

It was a brutal recovery and improvement was SLOW, but after the first two weeks, I started feeling better. We were well-cared for. Friends and family brought meals, and Greg and the kids did everything that needed to be done. The first two months of the year were rough, but we made it through, and the surgery was successful, and I no longer have neck/shoulder/arm pain. May I never have to do it again, though!