Tomorrow will mark a week since Dr. Oro performed my decompression surgery, and I have absolutely no regrets. I'm still in a "haze", as the past week has flown by, but I'm positive that this will all end up being for the best. Obviously, I'm still feeling a lot of discomfort, but it's different.
I couldn't have asked for a better doctor or hospital. Everyone we came in contact with was wonderful! I was so excited for my mom and husband to meet all of these people that I had been speaking of so highly! Where Dr. Oro's office leaves off, the staff at the Aurora Medical Center picks up... never skipping a beat.
If I could have had my children w/ me as well, I don't know that I would have ever wanted to leave!
100 hrs post op here...even with my set backs of need ing rehab to learn walking skills again and regaining normal use of eyesight I feel now{meaning i was def questioning the first 36 hrs} i mad the right choice....i cant wait to walk and jut start livin!!!
I've been looking for you on here for an update..finally found you. I was in Aurora while you were having surgery. They kept me so busy I didn't have time to stop by the hospital. However, Kimberly told me you were doing well. I'm so glad to know your experience went well. You have been in my prayers.
Thank you, Michele! I had given my mom and husband a heads up that someone may be stopping by from the message board, but, honestly, you could've come by and had a conversation w/ me and me not remember! LOL! They do a fantastic job of staying on top of the pain and nausea, i.e. really drugged = foggy memory. My surgery was on Tuesday, and I was released on Saturday afternoon. I spent two nights in ICU, and I only had one "bad" night and called my husband to come stay w/ me. The "bad" night was just b/c of pain and nausea getting a little out of control, but I never threw up. Otherwise, everything went very smooth. The hospital staff was just as amazing as Dr. Oro's office staff! Like I said, no regrets!
So glad to hear you are doing so amazingly well! I am so happy for you. I, however, am not the happiest person. I haven't scheduled anything yet. Things have been dragging by..it seems like its one test ordered after another..with nothing resolved. I had a c=spine mri while in Aurora and an eye dr appt. The eye dr saw peripheral vision loss and an inflamed optic nerve, my pituitary gland is flat..so Dr. O wanted to rule out PTC. So he ordered a LP for when I got home. I waited a week for it..then on the day of the LP, the radiologist refused to do it saying the Chiari made me too high risk. I called Kimberly in tears. I flew back to Aurora the next weekend, had the LP, flew home..it was normal. Then Dr. O ordered the CINE MRI, which I had done this past Monday..I'm so upset, because my initial radiology report says, no evidence of disturbed CSF flow. I'm honestly not even certain they did the test right. They only do like 2 a year..and the test doesn't look like the ones I've seen online. When I compare what I see..the flow looks decreased..and now my Chiari measures 6mm instead of the initial 5. I am so frustrated and want to SCREAM!
I love Dr. Oro..I'm just afraid he will agree with the radiologist..and Jen, my symptoms are getting continually worse. I'm a nurse..and I'm having trouble calculating simple doses, even signing my name on charts..I simply forget how to write my name. I'm afraid I'll lose my job if anyone catches on. Daily headaches..and recently just random choking..like on my on saliva, dizziness, L arm and leg pain...its all getting worse..I can't lose my job. I don't know what to do. I know Dr. O doesn't want to make me worse..I just feel like I didn't get to explain my symptoms fully. He was very focused on PTC when I was there and didn't even discuss decompression.
Sorry..needed to vent.
So happy for you!
Michele Jen said:
Thank you, Michele! I had given my mom and husband a heads up that someone may be stopping by from the message board, but, honestly, you could've come by and had a conversation w/ me and me not remember! LOL! They do a fantastic job of staying on top of the pain and nausea, i.e. really drugged = foggy memory. My surgery was on Tuesday, and I was released on Saturday afternoon. I spent two nights in ICU, and I only had one "bad" night and called my husband to come stay w/ me. The "bad" night was just b/c of pain and nausea getting a little out of control, but I never threw up. Otherwise, everything went very smooth. The hospital staff was just as amazing as Dr. Oro's office staff! Like I said, no regrets!
I know it's scary. I was scared, too. I was so afraid that Dr. Oro was going to tell me that I wasn't a candidate for surgery. All I can tell you is that you certainly wouldn't want to go through that for no reason. I had to have the eye appointment, too, and he was concerned that a pseudo tumor was causing my problems. Thankfully, the CINE MRI showed blocked flow, and, once in there, he saw that there was damage from having a blocked flow for so long. I hope you get the answers that you want and that you get them soon!