Back Surgery

On September 7, a week from this coming Wednesday, I will enter good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove where I will undergo a procedure on my cervical spine (neck) to fuse two vertebrae and to relieve the nerve that controls my right hand and arm. The doctor has already told me that I will need to spend one night in the hospital after the surgery. I had thought that this would be the last time I would see the inside of a hospital this year. However, the doctor has also told me that I will need to return two months later for another procedure to remove a large calcium deposit in my lumbar (lower back) spine. The calcium deposit is pressing upon the spinal column and is causing weakness in my legs. I have taken a number of spills lately as my legs simply seem to fold underneath me. I will be out of commission for two weeks after the September 7 procedure.

Please keep me in your prayers. I really like this particular doctor as he has been very upfront with me, never pulling any punches. He has also impressed me with his diagnostic skills. At one point, he stuck a finger in my back and asked if that was the area in which I was feeling the pain. He had hit it exactly right without me telling him where it was!