Preparing for back surgery

After much back and forth discussion, I have decided to have back surgery.  This may well be the hardest decision I've ever made, and it has been a long road getting to this place of acceptance. 

A little background:  The neurostimulator implant, which I fervently hoped would be the answer to my prayers, was denied by my insurance company.  They said I didn't meet the criteria.  So, my doctor and I started taking the steps necessary to appeal the decision and push to have it done.  One of those steps was for me to get a second opinion on the prognosis and advisability of getting a stim implant.  

I went to an orthopedic surgeon recommended by my neurologist to get the second opinion.  And that's where everything took a decidedly left turn.  This doctor said that I'm not a good candidate for the stim.  He said I have a mechanical problem in my spine, and it needs to be fixed surgically.  He said I have an extremely good chance to fully recover from the surgery and to be walking two miles a day by three months out from the surgery.  He said I really only have two options -- to have the surgery or not have the surgery and continue on like I am.

Needless to say, this rocked my world, and not in a good way.  The Bright and Shining Hope of a stim implant died a quick and painful death.  I knew that once the insurance company knew what this doctor said, any hope of a stim implant was dead in the water.  

The good news, and the glimmer of hope that I now cling to, is that this doctor does 2-3 of this type of surgery every week and has done so for 19 years.  He has so much confidence in his ability to fix the problems and in my ability to heal, that I am drawing confidence from him.  I have a much different feeling about surgery now than I ever have.

So.............we have a surgery date scheduled:  March 5th.  I am anxious and hopeful, dreading it terribly, and wishing it were far behind me.  Lots of emotions right now!  It is going to be a two-level spinal fusion, and there will be "hardware" involved -- metal screws and rods.  I will get more details when I go for my next appointment with the surgeon. 

But for now, my "Boy Scout" husband (Mr. Always Prepared) is helping me get ready for the weeks and months following the surgery.  He's ordering things from Amazon which will make my life easier, and I'm reading everything I can to help me prepare.  After surgery, I'll be under a 3-month "BLT" restriction, which means no bending, lifting, or twisting, so there is some preparation required.

But, for now ... I'm dreaming my dreams.  Of walking around the block.  Of going shopping for more than 10 minutes at a time.   Of standing up to put my makeup on or dry my hair.  Not such big dreams to most people, I know, but to me, they're huge. 

Sunset

We've had a pretty dreary week here, weather-wise.  Plenty of rain and cloudy, overcast skies for the most part. 

But last night on my way home from work I kept looking at this spectacular sunset.  It just commanded my gaze over and over, until finally, I pulled over to take these shots.

The pictures don't really do it justice.  It was spectacular.  What's funny is, the sun had not even been out all day.  It just decided to shine as it slipped down over the horizon. 

Beautiful.

My flower card

One of my favorite birthday presents from Steve this year was a flower card.  What's a flower card, you ask?  It's a wonderful creation by a Holliday Florists here in Memphis.  You get a card with the twelve months printed on it.  Once a month, you can go to any Holliday location and get your card "punched" and receive a small bouquet of flowers.

Here are my flowers for this month.  I love the color of these spider mums.

 

Last month, I picked up my flowers the weekend before Christmas, so we would have fresh flowers through the holidays.  They were beautiful red roses.

I can't wait to see what February's flowers will be. 

Brrr!

It's been really cold, at least for Memphis, Tennessee.  But...nothing warms you up on a cold night like a warm kitty sleeping on your lap.  And arm.  

Now he's awake, but he found another warm place to perch. 

Books and stuff ...

So, I thought maybe it was time for another installment of what I've been reading of late.  There are so very many good books out there, and so very little time to read!  Oh, that makes me think of the old Twilight Zone episode called "Time Enough at Last."  Remember that one?  It starred Burgess Meredith as the reader who worked in the bank when the bomb to end all bombs hit.  You remember, right??  One of my favorite episodes, to be sure.  But, I digress. 

I go through "phases" in my reading, I guess you could say.  When I find a topic or author that I like, I want to read everything I can about it or by him/her.  I've had a couple of those phases here lately.  One is the Spenser series by Robert B. Parker.  I read my first Spenser novel last summer and have proceeded to read all others that I can get my hands on.  LOVE them.  Spenser is a smart alec private eye, but he's got heart and soul, and I'm more than a little smitten with him, I must confess.  Out of the 40+ Spenser novels Parker has written, I've probably read about 30.  Just this week, I started on the first Jesse Stone book by Parker, and there is a whole series of those as well.  I really like his writing.  (Can you tell?)

Another obsession I've had of late is all things "sister wife."  I do watch the show, because I find the subject completely fascinating, and I'm surprised at how much I actually like the Brown family - at least from what the TLC program shows.  So, I've read their book.  But, I've also read other "polyg" books that show the dark side of the culture -- like Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer and His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy by Susan Schmidt (who was Irene's sister wife, by the way).  I've also read Escape by Carolyn Jessop.  I am, again, fascinated by the whole subject of polygamy.  I think some of that may stem from the fact that I have polygamists in my family tree.  My great grandfather was imprisoned for it, in fact.  So it's a very interesting subject to me. 

Okay, off the obsessions and on to other good books I've enjoyed recently.  I finally read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (it's been on my shelf patiently waiting for a long time) and I loved it.  What a masterful piece of writing.  It's not just anyone who can write a story that spans two lifetimes and keep the reader intrigued and invested.  And I was.  Both.  I read Cat Daddy by Jackson Galaxy over the holidays (thanks for the Christmas gift of this book, honey).  Loved it.  Love Jackson and how wise he is about our feline friends. 

I recently read 61 Hours by Lee Child.  It was the first Jack Reacher novel I've read, but if definitely won't be the last.  And by the way, Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher?  Really? 

Finally, I read the latest Stephanie Plum book by Janet Evanovich.  I have always been a big fan of the Plum books, and they've always made me laugh out loud, but I have to say, my attention wandered a bit during this last novel.  Seems like nothing ever changes in Stephanie's world...and I guess I'm getting a little bored with it.  Don't know that I'll rush to read the next one. 

So, that's it for this edition of what I've been reading lately.  What good books have you been reading?

Christmas memories

We had a lovely Christmas season this year and made some pretty great Christmas memories.

On Christmas Eve, we went to a late lunch at Steve's Aunt Sue's house.  We had lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and apple cake with cream for dessert.  The food was delicious, and the company was wonderful.  After we ate and opened gifts, we went to their Christmas Eve service.  It was a beautiful, simple service with lots of singing of Christmas carols, and a special kids' sermon, where they all went to the front of the church and talked about what Christmas truly means.  So sweet!
 

 

I took lots of pictures of our "babies" over the holidays.  Both of our boys are so photogenic.

  

We spent lots of time at home, enjoying the fireplace, watching Christmas movies, eating good food.  A couple of times we had our neighbor, Pam, over for dinner and a movie.

This was the cover of our Christmas card this year.

Then, the day after Christmas, we got snow!  Not a lot (after all, this is Memphis), but enough to make things pretty. 

 

So, all things considered, we had a wonderful Christmas.  Hope yours was warm and filled with love.  

Christmas 2012 - the cat in the tree

This is our tree.  We really like it.  However, Hobbes loves our tree.

I hope our tree survives being loved so much.