Hello Friends and Family and Interested Persons (and those who are all three!)

Hello Friends and Family and Interested Persons (and those who are all three!)

Today, I am full of thanks.

First, "thanks you" does not come close to the gratitude I have for Jeri in my life. Still, even thought something is obvious, this does not mean it should be unsaid. Jeri has been willing to put her own life on hold, at a particularly precious time for her, in order to devote herself to caring for me. Words fail and I can only hope that the intent is felt.

Next, a big "thank you" to Melissa who has done such a great job with this blog. Melissa is the hereto-unsung hero of my recovery.

Third, another "thank you" to all who have wished me well, made me laugh, included me in your prayers, baked me cookies, cooked us dinner, or simply sent warm healing thoughts my way. All of these have helped me heal and made me feel humble and grateful.

Fourth, a big thanks to the team back at work who have kept me free from "work stress" and especially to Joe who has attended some "fun" meetings on my behalf. A big thanks to my boss, Carol Griffin, who has been an unfailing support throughout this "process." Finally, a big thanks to the entire University of Alaska community who have extended their patience and good-will to me.

All-in-all, I remain thankful that my problems are so minor. This has been one of the most disruptive events of my life. However, I have not lost sight of the fact that it is only pain, and my prognosis for recovery has always been excellent. Not everyone is so fortunate right now.

The road to recovery is two-fold. I need to heal from the surgery and I also need to heal the nerve damage that I've sustained. Neither should be horrid... The surgical healing should be pretty-much complete in a few weeks (just no heavy-anything so I don't re-injure). The nerve healing will be several months (nerves are finicky).

Cheers and best wishes to all,

- Michael

Update from Juneau!!!

There's a scene in the movie State & Main where Alec Baldwin's character, befuddled with drugs and alcohol, crashes his car. Stumbling from the wreckage, he says, "...and that happened."

That's about how it feels to be back home in Juneau right now. We're a little dazed, kind of confused, and not really sure how it's all going to feel tomorrow. We're looking at a fair amount of wreckage: our work lives are in disarray, our various plans and projects and hobbies have been all but forgotten, and our normal routines no longer fit the circumstances. We're trying to figure out what Michael can and cannot do in the ordinary course of events. Prep a salad? Yep. Lift a carton of juice off the top shelf of the fridge? Nope.

For Michael, who was in such extreme pain for so long before the surgery, it's a challenge just to remember that he is post-operative. He tires quickly and tends to overextend himself. Above all, he has to avoid creating strain in his neck that could re-herniate the disk. This means not lifting anything more than 5-10 pounds for the next month or two. Michael is determined to ramp back to normal activity levels while learning to truly listen to what his body is telling him about what he's doing, how he's doing it, and how long he's sustaining the activity. There's a lot of self-awareness and self-discipline to be gained on the road to healing. This process will be gradual, beginning with 10-minute walks two or three times a day. For someone who was planning to run a leg of the Klondike Road Relay in September, this is going to require tremendous patience and dedication.

We are grateful for the support and kindness of our friends & family, for wonderful health care, and for flexible and supportive work environments. We're looking forward to discovering the "new normal" of daily life as quickly as possible.

On the up side, our cat, Chrissy, thinks that all this down time is most excellent. The photo is of Michael kicking back with the kitty in his new "injured Papa" chair.

Recovery Period

Michael spent Wednesday night in the hospital. Once he was in his room at about 8:30 p.m. I was allowed to come see him. His post-surgical pain was under control through medications. More importantly, he was already noticing that the nerve pain in his arm had greatly diminished. To our surprise, Dr. Farrokhi came in to check on him around 9:30 after completing another surgery. We weren't the only ones having a long day! After that, Michael swiftly progressed from juice and water to hot cereal, and was ready to sleep a little. I took a break at our hotel for an hour or so. When I returned to the hospital, the nursing staff brought me bedding and pillows and showed me how to open out the nifty visitor's chair into a cot.

By about 4 a.m. we were touring the ward in between naps. Doing laps in the hallway helped Michael shake the anesthesia and start getting his body functions back in order. In the morning he was assessed by another doctor doing rounds and more or less cleared to leave. What with one thing and another, he didn't actually check out until 4 p.m. Having a full day of post-operative medications, meals, and vital-sign monitoring in the hospital did not seem excessive to me. Considering that his post-operative plan calls for no more than 10 minute walks for a few days, I also appreciated having the hospital staff wheel him out of the hospital, across the street, and to the door of our room at the Baroness.

With Michael settled into our room, my friend Stephanie scooped me up for a brief outing: REI and World Wraps, which we brought back to the hotel for dinner. Michael spent the evening catching up on the Daily Show online.

Our current routine is very familiar: medications to track, broken sleep, periods of time in which things seem nearly normal (in an extremely sedentary way), and setbacks (usually at night) when pain and exhaustion dominate. We are acutely aware that Michael's spine is compromised and will require ongoing mindfulness and care, not just during the 6-month recovery period, but always. The big difference is that there is a very good chance (80-90%) that the impingement on the nerve has been relieved sufficiently that Michael will not be in chronic pain for the long term. If the situation is not resolved to a comfortable level by the 6-month mark, spinal fusion is still an option.

After a follow-up appointment with Dr. Farrokhi on Friday morning, Michael would like to return home. I have not yet made reservations because change fees apply each time we alter our plans. This is both a practical fact and a metaphor. If I've learned nothing else from this experience, I am beginning to limit my investment in a specific course of action. Things change when they change, and life is a lot easier when I don’t have to shed so many expectations before I can adapt.

The morning after...

Jeri called this morning here is the update. They are so very thrilled with the outcome of the surgery. Michael has the feeling in his fingers back and is healing well. The current plan is to get sprung from the hospital this afternoon and then meander back to the Baroness for a few days. Michael has a follow up appointment with Dr. Farrokhi on Friday, any plans to head home will be made then.

Post Surgery Mini-Update (by Mel)

Jeri just called, Michael is out of surgery and doing fine. 90% chance that this surgery will be all he needs to get better. He is going to spend the night at the Hospital since they started so late.

There will be a longer update on status soon.

Update Pre-Surgery (from Jeri)

We're hanging out in our room at the Baroness, waiting for the pager to go off and summon us across the street to Virginia Mason. They're obviously running late because Michael's surgery was scheduled for 3:15 Seattle time and they haven't called us yet. Not a problem... we'll wait! I just hope it really happens today. All bets are off after yesterday's chaos. Assuming the surgery takes place today, the earliest we should plan to fly home is Friday. Also, while this is an outpatient surgery, I won't be surprised if they keep him overnight after starting so late in the day.

That's about it for now. I'll send an update tonight if I can.

Everything changes for the better! (From Jeri)

Hi all,

This has been a tumultuous day! We started out confident that Michael was getting surgery in Kirkland on Wednesday. This morning we were told that Dr. Cunningham's office had been unable to book the OR at Evergreen for that date, so we were looking at Wednesday the 24th instead. We did some fast thinking and decided to fly home this evening on our original tickets to await the surgery, barring unforeseen developments. Unforeseen developments arrived promptly at 4:30 p.m. when Dr. Farrokhi said he could get Michael on his schedule for the minimally invasive foramenotomy tomorrow.

So... 3:15 p.m. tomorrow, same procedure, but now with Dr. Farrokhi at Virginia Mason. It's all good! We scrambled to deal with hotels, plane reservations, etc. and now everything is peaceful again. More decisions coming up any time now, of course. In theory we could fly home in a couple of days, assuming no complications. I'm leaving things open-ended until we're through the surgery and immediate post-op period. Meanwhile I am just trying not to get psychic whiplash from all these mid-process reversals.

Thanks, everybody, for your understanding & assistance as we navigate the rapids!