Tethered Cord Release Surgery in 7 hours

Can't leave the house without these amazing masks
 from@threadncord created by @jennyslifewithspoons.

So it's happening and I wanna update now since I don't know what kind of shape I will be in tomorrow, this week or for the next month but I will do what I can to update as I can. But right now here's what is happening. I fucked up and before surgery your supposed to take an antibacterial shower the night before and morning of. well I react to soap so the shower was a bust I was itching myself raw!!! UGGGG I hate soap and wacky Mast Cells!! Also right before my shower i switched collars and hurt my neck in the 2 minutes between the transfer so now my face is half numb, im having electrical pain and stinging all up my back and my shoulder has been spazing pulling my elbow and collar bone out. NOT A GOOD WAY TO END THE DAY BEFORE MAJOR SPINE/SPINAL CORD SURGERY!!!! so now Im nervous as fuck!!!! especially about lying on my stomach im so worried about my neck and collar bone during the almost three hour surgery. But i know Dr. Henderson is the best so im not worried about surgery just the repercussions of being on my stomach that long and then on my back for so many days and being completely still which is hard when your body keeps slipping out.


Here is the plan though:
have the OTCR (occult tethered cord release)
spend three days flat in the hospital
spend two more days trying to start TO get up and walk as possible recover in hotel for at least a week or two
Follow up and get release to fly home and at appointment discuss the neck fusion and how soon can be done--

-Schedule Neck Fusion for C1/2 keep raising funds www.youcaring.com/hillarygorson (need another $10,689 for the deposit while we wait for approval on the hospital and anesthesiologist)
-fly home an recover.

Goals Over next three months
-Start walking around more (no more full on couch potato and less wheelchair use)
-Be able to lay down in a normal bed and sleep like a normal person not curled up in a ball all the time
-Get feeling back in legs and neither regions
-Have better lower body control (legs, bladder, bowel, etc)
-Hopefully lessen Dysatonomia POTS episodes and blood pooling/ dizzyy eyes greying out spells
-less back pain
-loosen up herniated T9/10 disc so it dosnt need to be surgically removed
-Lessen electrical stinging pain going up spine
-Reduce neurological symptoms thoughout system (eyes crossing, brain fog, TND symptoms, chiari symptoms, lower risk for Chiari, etc)

Hopefully my neck wont get too much looser but enough that I can wear my collar to support it until I can have prolotherapy and my fusions.

Fusion surgery should
Stablize neck so its not crushing attires and cranial nerves
reduce brain fog (better brain function)
stop neurological symptoms and neck stabbing pain and pulsating ( from rtiry compression)


The Tethered Cord Release Proceedure as Described to my friend who asked me about it today in the best way I can describe it.

Tomorrow im having this done at 11:55am EST, It's done a few different way but Dr. H goes in and takes out the vertebra that he goes in at either L5 or sometimes higher (usually a little higher then the sacral dimple/pronation) then goes down the spinal column/cord to the nerve root center. He then tests for the nerves and when he finds the filum which as I understand isn't supposed to be attached at the nerve root center he ties it off and cuts it then the cord which the filum is attached too gets released and he fuses the vertebra back in and tests for any other lumbar instability while he is down there in case more fusions are necessary. It take about over 2.5 hours if all goes according to plan. Then you spend three days completely flat to lower the risk of a CSF leak and then day three or for they uncath you get you on your feet and start walking as much as you can. Usually your released by day 4. This description is based of the stories of other patients.

When Mine is done I will share exactly what I experience. I know how another surgeon does it and that is Dr. Bolognese and it's a tad bit different instead of going in a L5 he goes in around L1/2 and instead of removing the disc he drills a tiny hole and goes in that way and patches it up with a graft. This I originally thought was because I wanted te least amount of Metal in my body since I have titanium in my leg that causes me trouble 9 years later, but since I feel so unstable and I spoke with a dear friend who had this surgery with Dr. H she said the lumbar fusiion made her feel so much more solid and I like that I think I need that the the biggest difference of all is as a self pay patient Dr. Henderson is about 8,000 for the OTCR and Dr. B is over $100,000 both needing to be paid up front. so the money since I am not on medicare is what it came down to, but they are both top in there field and I can't go wrong with either one. the Neck fusion has a bit more drastic difference which I will get into in another post later.

Right now wearing the neck brace is great for my neck but the cord is pulling so tight it kills my back so the TC release should allow me to wear the collar for Neck stability without causing more back pain/pulling/neuro symptoms, but is likely to make the neck looser which is what the Dr. B was saying is more dangerous but my friend had the neck fusion first o-c2 which Dr. B said I need and between the fusion and the OTCR she couldnt even sit up or take two steps on her own and i've heard this a lot so i dont want that, which is why while this puts my neck at greater risk me and my surgeon feel the TCR should be done first and that is what is happening tomorrow. I just hope we can get the neck fusion done really soon after so I don't continue to damage my cranial nerves and arteries.

okay my back is full of electricity so I need to stop now. but that's what is happening. I also have no clue what the elctricity is coming from a lot of people say it's the neck im kinda hoping it the OTC so that it wont happen after tomorrow.

Fingers crossed all goes well and no mishaps.

To the first of the fewest amount of surgeries as possible.. *Cheers*

Flight leaving SLC to DCA. On our way!!!