(CAUTION: some images may disturb you….. Just letting you know.)
Our journey started on Wednesday at noon. My friend and colleague, KG, accompanied me on my trip to see the surgeon. We flew from Munich to Hamburg then took two trains to Neustadt in Holstein. We stayed overnight and made our way to the clinic on Thursday morning.
First was a quick stop at the bakery to get breakfast and then to the beach! It’s a really pretty place. The clinic is right by the beach so I will hopefully have a nice view from my room!
The first time I met Dr.K he seemed quite frustrated. Turns out the computers weren’t showing any of the X-rays or the MRI pictures. They had been doing that all day seemingly. It’s understandable that a surgeon who relies on these images to make a prognosis would be annoyed and frustrated when he can’t see anything. We ended up switching rooms where it worked. He warmed up then too, even to the point of joking around …. Once! … Haha.
Basically what was said was that he’d definitely suggest surgery too. It’ll just get worse and even make the operation more difficult and the result less positive. He also listed a whole bunch of things that could go wrong. Mentioned having kept a patient’s back open for a week before closing it… Lovely. Also the risks of paralysis, thrombosis, etc. I received a looooong list of possible complications. Had to sign that I was told and that I understood the risks.
He then sent me to the secretary to make a date and then to the anaesthesiologist.
The anaesthesiologist was really nice. Explained the complications again, asked me questions and explained some more stuff.
I’ve a couple of medical issues that need to be addressed before the operation. I need to get my heart approved for surgery. I need to get my acid reflux checked because I’ll be lying with my head down during surgery and the acid could burn up my oesophagus and possibly cause an infection in my lungs. And I need to donate blood so that I can have it transfused during the op…. Not sure how well that will work with my iron deficiency but I guess we’ll see!
After we sat down by the reception and wanted a quick coffee from the machine. It wouldn’t work so we got one from the waiting room. When we sat down by the reception again there was a man who wanted coffe, the machine had taken his money and wouldn’t work so he called the receptionist. The portly lady strut over to the machine and started beating the daylight out of it, no kidding. She didn’t get it to work, they gave him his money back and she arrived shortly after with a sign to say the machine was out of order. It was Hillarious to watch and the sign she put up was even better. (Translation: toilet not working)
Went back to Hamburg then and spent some time by the docks. It’s pretty there! Flew home the next day. Was so wrecked after all that!
what will be done? (warning: graphic)
He measured my curves again. 66degrees lumbar and 48degrees thoracic. That would indicate it has gotten worse….. but I think it’s all just a measurement error. That exact X-ray (see below) has been measured by three different doctors now. And they differ. 62/44, 63/56 and now 66/48 … And the X-rays before have been 62ish/42ish. …. So I’m going to assume not too much has changed. Defiantly not the 1degree per year they said almost 12 years ago!!!! I’d be 74/66 then and it’s defiantly not that bad!
My newest measurements lie at 66/48. The operation indication is 40/50 so I’m way above on the lumbar side and closing in on the thoracic indication.
This here is my spine (X-ray 2013 taken from the front. The newest X-ray looks the same but the quality is worse). You can see at the top of my lower curve that the vertebrae isn’t fully in line with the others. I think this is the one that “dislodged” itself while I was in college. I’ve never asked the doctors about it, keep forgetting.
These are the bony protrusions my body has added to my vertebrae because that area is such a high pressure point! (MRI) to the left and right of my spine are my kidneys. I have two. That’s good 🙂
Here I’ve marked the vertebrae that will be fused together. Th6-L5. Perhaps they will start one higher at Th5 or even Th4. That will be decided during the operation. (Red lines) and I’ve marked that dislodged part again.
Here the MRI of that dislodged part. That’s one of the areas I have pain most often…. Makes sense when you see the images. The disc shouldn’t be that dark either. It’s really squished and dehydrated. To be honest I’m surprised I haven’t had any herniated discs!! (Knock on wood I don’t get any either.)
They will leave my discs in place. The spinous processes (see below) will be removed and put through a bone mill to get autologous bone shavings. These will be stuffed onto the back of my vertebrae and help it to calcify and therefore fuse my vertebrae together. I will probably require allogenic bone too (from a bone donor. The bone is crushed and autoclaved.) they are also using a method to collect my blood during the operation. It will be sucked up and immediately mixed with heparin in a specially designed machine. After they have at least 500ml (a pint) it will be centrifuged and the red blood cells will be transfused back to me. It minimises the need for blood packs. I will also be under neurophysiological monitoring. I will have two electrodes on my head and a number on my arms. They will monitor the nerves. If something is off they will wake me up and make me move my legs. They used to do that at every operation but with the new technology they don’t have to. I will also get a blood pressure monitoring device in, yes inside, my arteries on my forearm! It will give a continuous readout of my blood pressure, the oxygen level and all sorts. It gives instantaneous information for the anaesthesiologist. I will be intubated and ventilated. The anaesthetist said I’d get a sleeping cocktail and they wait for me to stop breathing. Then they ventilate me and the operation will begin. I’ll be in a slightly forward position so a lot of pressure will be on my face and I’ll be getting fluids so they’ll probably accumulate in my face too…. I’ll look like Klitschko afterwards. Good thing I’ll be hidden away at the ICU the first night.
Spinous processes
Spinal parts so you know what I’m on about.
So when is all this happening????
Friday the 13th November.
I think it will be a lucky day 🙂
If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask 🙂 I think there is a button for that somewhere on the page….
This will probably be the last post for a while. I will keep you updated if something happens or something changes 🙂
Bent like a Pretzel 
