Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: cozmik_cowboy on May 27, 2025, 02:33:47 PM
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As those who have been around here 5 years or more may recall, in Oct 2020 I went in for a lumbar fusion - and when I woke up I couldn't move my right foot; 6 weeks of acute residential rehab (in the midst of a massive covid surge), and a brace on my right foot & calf to this day; the quack also gave me an infection that will require oral antibiotics every day for the rest of my life.
So, tomorrow morning I go in so they can place spacer cages between T12-L1 & L5-S1, then fuse T10 through S1 and out onto the pelvis.
I don't mind telling you that I am freakin' terrified!
And just to add a little spice to the festivities, April 3 Senior Management had C2-T3 fused' on April 12, T3 fractured - so on the 14th She had a T3-T4 laminectomy, and the fusion extended to C2-T6 - and into an acute rehab joint. Was doing well for a couple weeks and then had a drug reaction that left Her lying there spasming and incoherent; She is recovering from that very slowly, so we don't know when She'll get out.
So, any good energy you could send our way would be most welcome.
Peter
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Thats a substantial amount of work to be done.
Sending huge positive energies your way for a well performed procedure and quick recovery.
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Jumping on the good vibe train.
Healing energy being pushed out and about for you and Mrs. Cowboy as well as the caregivers.
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Prayers for you Peter
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Much healing vibes sent your way.
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As requested, my dear friend, sending good energy to you and Mrs. Cowboy.
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Sorry all that's going on for y'all, Coz. Hoping for some relief.
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Sorry all that's going on for y'all, Coz. Hoping for some relief.
Maybe I'll ask the doc to send me an x-ray of the hardware, so I can one-up pix 8)
Peter
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Adding my best wishes tor a speedy recovery for the both of you.
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Waiting for my ride, who should be here about 04:15 CDT. I will be incommunicado for probably close to 2 weeks.
Catch you all on the flip-flop, good buddies, 10-4?
Peter
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Roger that. Keep her rubber-side down good buddy.
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Positivity coming your way coz...
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Best wishes and good vibes from the Left Coast, Coz. Looking forward to a positive report in a fortnight.
Bill, tgo
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Best wishes, and hoping for a speedy recovery.
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good luck, maybe the x-rays can be your new pic?
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I spoke with Peter today. The surgery went well and he is feeling better than he has in a while. He sounded in good spirits. They plan on moving him out of the ICU tonight and he should be home in 7-10 days.
Bill, tgo
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Thanks Bill. 👍🏼
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Thanks for the update Bill; that's very good news!
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Great news :) :)
Homeward Bound for Peter! :D
That will be a tremendous blessing and celebration!
We gonna make America "Grateful" again !!
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Indeed, good report. Probably too soon to know the degree of success in recovering his facilities, but the worst (high-risk) portion of the ordeal is past.
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Hi, folks.
Today Mrs. Cowboy moved from an acute rehabilitation facility (following cervical fusions in April - yes plural; She is not doing well) to a "subacute rehab" place - and moved there from the surgical hospital; we're roomies.
I am doing extremely well; would have gone home with home health care (can't do my socks, shoes, and ankle brace), but She wanted wanted me here.
If I'd visited first (or had the pix on the webpage had any connection to reality), we would not have come; it is freakin' grim, here, man!
But (unlike my last time), everything that worked when I went I still worked when I woke up, and I am quite happy to have the writhe-and-scream-for-1-to-2.5-hours-every-morning phase of my life in the rearview!
My x-rays didn't turn out nearly as clear as Greg's do, so I might not post them - but when I get home to my camera I will post a shot of the hardware they took out; I mean it is scary-ass big!
I shall speak wit youse all in the AM.
Peter
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Peter
Thanks for the update. It sounds like there were/ are a lot of hard challenges. Also sounds like you are up for the challenge!
Best wishes for you and Mrs. Cowboy getting back home asap.
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Glad to hear you are doing better! Hope Mrs. Cowboy's recovery improves soon.
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Happy to hear a good report!
Hope to see continued progress and all getting back home to heal.
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OK, I got the x-rays downloaded - cannot figure out how to make them viewable or get them here.
But here' what they took out of me (since the new fusion extends to the pelvis, some of the new stuff isn't quite so small......)
Note the sheared-off tip in pic 3; as far as I know the rest of it is still in me somewhere.
Peter
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Jeepers!
Interesting that you got the souvenirs. Grateful that it appears you are progressing well. How is Mrs. Cowboy doing?
Did those aqua colored rods run through the open / head part of the screws? Titanium?
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Jeepers!
Interesting that you got the souvenirs. Grateful that it appears you are progressing well. How is Mrs. Cowboy doing?
Did those aqua colored rods run through the open / head part of the screws? Titanium?
They usually just give you the chance to have the nuts & rods, but, along the one screw being broken, all the rest were loose (go ahead, say it; I've already heard it from my brother & brother-in-law), so he pulled them and started anew.
Yes, the screws go in the vertebrae, the rods go in the U-channels on the screws (which spin 360° and, the joint between screw & head being a ball-and-socket, have a nice amount of up-and-down play as well), then are locked down with the nuts, which thread in on top of the rods.
Yes, titanium.
Mrs. Cowboy is struggling. On April 3, they revised C2-C6 fusion to C2-T3. Came home April 8, doing great.
Wee hours of April 13 I call 911 and the ambo hauled Her off to the local ER, where they shipped Her back to the much bigger hospital where all this was done; turns out T3 had fractured and was pressing on Her spinal cord, so on the 14th She got a T3-T4 laminectomy and was rerevised to C2-T6.
After a week or so, we got Her into a superb acute rehab hospital and She was doing fabulously - for about 2 weeks.
Then She started getting massive spasms in all four limbs; they gave her something for that (which She took for many years due to tremors from another med with no problem, but not in over 10 years).
And She began to fade. I mean, couldn't form a sentence; asked the year, She said "19". I mean, almost all the way gone. After a bit, they shipped Her back to the regular hospital, where the ER neurologist looked at things, asked a few questions, said "Yeah, the spasms are from the gabapentin, the cognitive decline is the cogentin; stop them both & admit Her".
A week of letting that out of Her & back to the fancy rehab place, but with no appetite (put together everything She's eaten in the last month and you probably wouldn't have meal) and still not anything remotely like Herself. I mean, I was sitting there watching Her, wondering if I'd ever talk with Her again, and checking every now and then to make She was breathing.
And, of course, no appetite = no eating = no strength = no getting up for therapy = insurance scum kicking Her out into a subacute place.
Which is where Her case manager really screwed us.
They had given us a list of 32 places to choose from - and it turns out Her niece rates subacute places for a living; took the list, gave us 5 to pick from. And we picked one.
As I was not able to do things like shoes & socks, they didn't want me going home alone. so it was decided we would be roommates at a subacute for a little while, and Her case manager started Her approval process first, so mine followed it. ("Where are you going?" "The Grove Of Fox Valley." "I thought you were going where your wife was going." "Yeah." "She's going to The Grove Of St. Charles" "Oh. Well, I guess that's where I'm going.")
So, instead of the nice place her niece suggested, the place we picked, we got sent to a similarly named place that said beloved niece had (far too kindly) characterized as "kind of a shithole".
I will not bore you with the horror stories, but suffice it to say this where I hope Do.....er, my worst enemy spends his last days. I cannot believe this dump is licensed.
So, I spent several days (and nights) - um, lets' say "advocating firmly" for both of us. Then day before yesterday my insurance said I was doing too well to be there and cut off my benefits, so yesterday I came home.
And while I consider myself fairly adept at expressing myself in the English (well, at least the American) language, I cannot give you any idea of my guilt & terror at leaving Her there alone without me to stop things like CNAs trying to transfer a woman who currently lacks strength to stand from bed to wheelchair with neither a gait belt on Her nor the chair wheels locked.
On the upside, we are waiting (and being encouraged of the chances) to get Her moved to the County Rehab & Nursing Center here in town (was really hoping for today, but you know, there are reasons people shoot insurance CEOs....(not advocating here - just observing). This will 1) put Her in a decent facility (the only publicly-owned nursing home left in IL), 2) put Her where I can get there in 5 minutes instead of 40, and 3) put Her where friends can visit - which I'm hoping will be beneficial.
And, while She is still suffering the physical effects of both the fracture and the drug reactions, Her cognition has improved more in the last 2 days than in the previous several weeks; I begin to think I'm going to get Her mind back as its normal self.
OK, I'll quit unloading on you now - and thank you for asking.
Peter
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Unloading is permissible and (I believe) healthy.
It sounds very difficult. Keeping healing thoughts going out.
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Thanks for the update. (unload) You two are surely being tested! While I really hope for your recovery, I am also grateful for all the information you shared so the rest of us can learn from it. Navigating our health care system is not for sissies.
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... Her cognition has improved more in the last 2 days than in the previous several weeks ...
OK, I'll quit unloading on you now - and thank you for asking.
Good to hear her cognition is improving; and thank you for the update.
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I'm sorry to hear about your wife's problems but it is good that her condition seems to be improving. I hear you on the drive to St. Charles. Having to cross the river can be a real pain driving wise and has only gotten worse since we left the area. Hopefully you will be able to get your wife closer to home for both your sake.
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She was moved to DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center today!
Maybe now She can get some actual care!
I did spend a couple hours there with Her this evening, and the new place may not be the rolls Royce of rehab joints, but it's at least a nice solid Camry - whilst the other place would struggle to approach a totaled Vega.......
Peter
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Good to hear!
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Glad to hear she's finally in a place at which you both feel comfortable (like a Camry). It's amazing the state of rehab in this country compared to many European nations. Hip replacement in the U.S., they are shoving you out the door a day or two later. You need to get a driver to take you to PT/OT appts. Based on what my friends in Europe tell me, if you undergo the same procedure in most Scandinavian countries, the Czech Republic, Germany, etc. you are headed to a "spa" (i.e., rehabilitation facility) for 3-4 weeks where you actually get great care. Some good friends of mine in the Czech Republic had a Dachshund who underwent spinal cord surgery after partial paralysis. He received better rehab, (at approx. $5.00 U.S./visit than most human get here.
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Glad to hear she's finally in a place at which you both feel comfortable (like a Camry). It's amazing the state of rehab in this country compared to many European nations. Hip replacement in the U.S., they are shoving you out the door a day or two later. You need to get a driver to take you to PT/OT appts. Based on what my friends in Europe tell me, if you undergo the same procedure in most Scandinavian countries, the Czech Republic, Germany, etc. you are headed to a "spa" (i.e., rehabilitation facility) for 3-4 weeks where you actually get great care. Some good friends of mine in the Czech Republic had a Dachshund who underwent spinal cord surgery after partial paralysis. He received better rehab, (at approx. $5.00 U.S./visit than most human get here.
Amazing what they can do in civilized countries, ain't it?
So, yesterday sometime between breakfast & lunch, She sprouted a rash across Her whole back, nape of the neck down almost to the knees; they stopped a med She'd started a on the 11th.
This evening, I was just getting ready to come home when they came in and started pushing on Her abdomen; "Does this hurt?" (turns out it did) and talking to their NP on the phone. Seems She had elevated levels of white cells, liver enzymes, etc., on Her AM blood workup & they just got the results.
Transfer to the local ER where She was admitted with indications of an infection approaching sepsis.
I am not having a good few months here, folks..............
Peter
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Very sorry to hear.
That’s extremely disconcerting, and I hope that they have recognized the onset of sepsis and can administer some antibiotics to help.
You and your wife will always be the best advocate for care. Not to be overzealous, but watch them like a hawk. Sometimes medical facilities become complacent, sometimes it’s just the dynamic between shifts on what level of care is received.
Hang in there. Agreed, not an easy stretch for sure.
Sending good thoughts and energies to you and your wife, and hoping for an easier time ahead.
Ed
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Doubling down on the healing thoughts.
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Hoping the ER visit gets things back on a good path quickly.
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More positive thoughts for you and yours.