WellPhil, God mustn't be through with you yet--or ready to take you home, or whatever else you may call it. I'm just grateful you are still with us. My wife and I have been praying for you and your family since we first heard about this infirmity, for lack of a better word. May the Lord continue to heal and strengthen you, and continually how to live in His presence. Vinny ----- Original Message ----- From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 6:41 PM Subject: About Me >I haven't been around lately and thought some might like to know > why. If you don't wish to know, please delete now. The day > before Christmas, I was shopping with my daughter and all was > fine. Some of you know I have been having some tingling and > numbness in my hands over the past year but otherwise, I was fine > and my blood sugar has stayed in the normal range without > medications and just dieting and exercise. The day or two after > Christmas, I couldn't walk without assistance and my hands were > about 50 percent numb. I could not read or write Braille or feel > the keys on the keyboard well enough to type emails. Needless to > say, I was big time freaked out. For a year and a half, about > ever 3 to 4 months, just when I would be getting over a lower back > pain episode, it would come back. Once it was so bad, I had to go > to the emergency room via ambulance because I literally could not > move. I got over that in about a week or so but then came the big > one at Christmas. I went to our family doctor, he sent me to the > emergency room, and they sent me home after telling me I need an > MRI, as if I didn't already guess as much, but after a week of > nobody getting the MRI scheduled, I entered the emergency room > once again. They tried, and failed, God bless them, a lumbar > puncture. It isn't as painful as it sounds, trying to shove a > needle into your spinal cord for drawing fluid, but the > psychological effect is beyond measure mentally and emotionally. > No, I didn't cry as they tried killing me but I didn't win the > patient of the month award either. Plus, I deliberately skipped > giving the doctor a tip. Anyhow, that didn't work. Believe it or > not, they finally did two MRI tests and when the right neurologist > was called in, he figured out what was wrong. I was so weak below > the waist, I couldn't walk without help and my hands, as I said, > were like two useless numb clubs at the end of my arms. No pain. > No fooling. I had no pain any place. amazing. It felt as if my > whole body, however, was slowly getting weaker and weaker and I > honestly figured I might be leaving this world for the next. To > say I was scared would be an understatement. The last week I was > at home, I refused going to my office where my computer and new > ham gear was because I honestly thought I was never going to get > to use any of it again. I was admitted on January the fourteenth > for spinal stenosis surgery. I received to surgeries for the > price of one because they had to open the front of my throat to > put in a scope to see what they were doing when putting a titanium > plate and screws to fuse two vertebra together. No, I can't feel > it. Then, once that was done, I was turned over and the back of > my neck was cut open to remove a disk only to be replaced with a > synthetic bone mass material to lessen the compression it was > creating on my entire spinal system. They waited to do the > surgery because, they said, I was in no physical danger. If they > could have only read my mind. I acted normal, though, so no one > but my family new how spooked I was. I'm not kidding. I thought > I was a goner. Not being able to tel that you are holding a > tissue in your hand to blow your nose is right down scary as a > blind person and I don't give a damn what the NFB says about it. > For my sighted friends reading this, I'll explain about that some > other time. By the way, I have been blind for 44 years and I > still haven't adjusted to it. I mean, I have never recommended > anybody go blind because it is so fun that they should try it for > themselves. You know what I mean, Vern? Anyhow, I had to have a > heart stress test but a chemical test since I couldn't stand to > walk on the treadmill. That was an interesting experience and not > as bad as I thought but as I said, I already thought I had one > foot in the grave and the other on a banana peal in the first > place so the heart stress test was more than a little scary. My > heart is fine, fortunately, so on to the surgery two days later. > The surgery was scheduled for 7 hours but it went so well, it > lasted 5 hours. I had been wearing a dumb neck brace for two > weeks already and another week after surgery. He had said I > would wear it for six more weeks but after my appointment Monday, > he took the neck brace off, told me to be careful, and sent me > home. I am using a walker about 50 percent of the time now and > also having physical therapy at home a couple of times each week. > My hands have returned to about where they were before this all > began and the doctor said to be patient concerning my hands > because it will take awhile. As you can see, I am typing, but > slower than normal but thank God I am typing. Writing is very > important to me. I sit around watching TV with an egg shaped > vibrator in my hand to stimulate nerve development, which drives > me crazy, but I am more than just a little thankful for the > progress made so far. When I awakened in the recovery room, My > lower back pain was totally gone and I could feel the strength > already in my body from the waist down. Boy, was I thankful for > that. I came home after only two and a half days. I think I'll > write and ask our insurance company for a partial refund since I > came home sooner. I asked the doctor what I did to cause the > whole thing because I've never been in an accident or anything > that would have caused it. He said I did nothing but rather it > was a degenerative type think that started showing itself a year > and a half ago until it suddenly popped out full blown. Weird. I > have a six inch scar incision down the back of my neck and about a > 2 inch incision on the front right of my neck which my > grandchildren think are cool. No, they don't hurt now but did a > little for two days in the hospital. The staples are all taken > out already, too. No, that didn't hurt either when they removed > them Monday. Did I learn anything? Yes. Mostly importantly I > learned just how dad blamed important your family is. My > daughter, she is 30 years old, stayed every night with me in the > hospital, which was more helpful than you can imagine, and > especially the two different nights I couldn't sleep at all the > whole night. Nurses are very helpful but it ain't like having > your own family with you. Coming home was interesting. I > couldn't shower by myself so my son had to help me. I sat on a > chair in the shower stall and shaving was a trip, let me tell you. > Plus, I had a water proof neck brace I had to wear and the other > brace I had to wear even when sleeping. I felt like a turtle. I > probably smelled like one, too, by this stage of the game. My son > put up various grab bars around the bathroom and down the four > stairs leading down into my office built on the side of the house. > My 2 year old grandson, when I use the walker, likes to hold on to > the front to guide me through the house. He is a better driver > than I am, too. My wife waited on me hand and foot at home at > first and believe me, when you cannot take care of yourself as a > blind person, it really does a whammy on your personal pride. My > wife is blind, too, of course, and works full time from a computer > station at home for the same hospital I was in but she was always > there for me. We just had our thirty-seventh wedding anniversary > a week before the surgery. We'll have to celebrate later when I'm > more back to normal, whatever normal is. I'm glad I married the > right woman; that's for sure. By the way, I had to be fed for a > couple of three days unless the food was something I could pick up > but even that was difficult. For a couple of days after the > surgery, my wife even had to put the pills in my mouth and the > glass of water in both hands because I couldn't feel when the > medication was in my hands. Talk about humbling. Did I learn > anything? I now know what it feels like to think you are going to > die and it is no picnic and I even know where my picnic is going > to be, if you get my drift. Plus, I thought I was stronger than > that but believe me, when you can't walk without falling, which I > did a couple of times, and as a blind person, you can't feel what > you are touching, all sorts of weird thoughts pass through your > thoughts and emotions. I know some of you reading this don't know > me so I'm sorry for the dribble but I just thoughts some might > like to hear what has been happening the last month or so in my > life. > > There is a website my neurosurgeon recommended which has a lot of > textual information about this surgery but for those of you > receiving this who can see, it has video, too, and shows the > entire surgical procedure I had. Click on the link below if > interested. Otherwise, live long and prosper, as Spoc used to > say. Is he still alive? > > Phil. > > http://www.spineuniverse.com/videos/spinal-stenosis/ >