What's the What as of Saturday, June 13, 2009

Perspective check: We're so glad it's only a herniated disk and predicted outcomes are good to terrific. I can't imagine how we'd cope with a graver condition. We have had so much help and support in the past two weeks, and are grateful for meals cooked, errands run, rants listened to, messages delivered, work tasks offloaded, prayers offered, doors and hearts opened. In a society that values self-sufficiency above all, we've pretty much decided it's crap: it takes a community to sustain an individual, in good times as well as bad. Thank you so much for being part of our community.

The Lowdown: Yesterday's travel and medical marathon took a lot out of both of us. It was a very hard day for reasons of pain and exhaustion, but we're already seeing the payoff!

• The good news is that Michael slept more last night than he has all week, after getting the steroid injection from Dr. Wen, taking some Valium, and reducing his dosage (amount & frequency) of the nefarious Oxycodone. In fact he is sleeping soundly as I write.

• The better news is that we met Dr. Cunningham, and discussed the pros and cons of the surgical treatment options at length. Dr. Cunningham proposed a minimally invasive foramenectomy and discectomy to decompress the herniated disk. This procedure involves a cervical laminotomy to provide access to the herniation. This access "window" is essentially a foramenectomy.
  

• Spinal fusion remains an option to pursue at a later time if necessary.

• The great news is that Michael is on Dr. Cunningham's schedule to have the discectomy performed next Wednesday at Evergreen Surgery & Physicians Center in Kirkland.

With Dr. Cunningham's enthusiastic support, we will follow through with our plan to meet with Dr. Farrokhi at Virginia Mason on Monday afternoon. We want to approach surgery with a balanced perspective, and were impressed with Dr. Farrokhi's objectivity when we consulted him in February. However, Michael is feeling very good about the surgical option currently on the table, we are already much happier with the short-term pain management that's been prescribed, and unless we encounter serious doubts in our research and consultations, the decision's made.