C3-4, C5-6, C6-7, T1-2 ProDisc-C Nova ADR blog

[HappyHusbandDC]

YEAH! Really happy to hear the good news!

[Diane]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it's taken me so long to post. I found Mark in ICU about 5 PM last night. I knew it would be a long surgery. I was relieved to find him stable with his pain under control. He was groggy, but able to speak with a raspy voice. Of course after greetings his first question was did Dr.B.do all 4 levels and then have I posted. His computer was locked away in the other room and I was worried with the change of shift I wouldn't be let back in past the visiting hours. I guess my priorities were different. He forgot about the posting and fell back into fentanyl land. He would wake up occasionally and comment on how well he was doing without medication. I had to remind him that he was on a Fentanyl drip. He made great progress and within a couple of hours his color was back and he was drinking water. The night shift was wonderful and allowed me to sit at his bedside. They even found me a comfortable chair. What a relief to have the day behind and Mark on the road to recovery. Having been a spine patient, I know the difficult day and hours before surgery constantly wondering if you've made the right choice. Once your under it's the care givers time to worry until they see you again. I was totally exhausted by 1 AM and Mark was well so I headed back to the hotel. I was very impressed with the ICU and Mark was connected to all the monitors so I could rest peacefully. More later.

Thanks for your support
Diane

[ans]

Thank you for the update Diane. How nice to sleep or rest by your man's side and what's better than this: to have a seasoned nurse to watch out for him. I"m glad is on the other side and I wish both of you my best. I hope that you too can get some rest also as it'll be a haul. I haven't been onboard lately but hope that your pain/neurological issues have resolved. Take care of yourself and pls. say hi to Mark - which he'll only forget later on. My best - Allan

[jentop]

Thanks so much for posting Diane. I'm so glad Mark is doing well. I also hope you can get some sleep too. Please tell Mark that Tyler and I wish we were there to take a video for Youtube, I can't wait to hear more from Mark later in his recovery. I know he's going to follow his own sage advice and do spectacular!
Our warmest wishes to you both,
Jennifer, Tyler and Tom(HappyhusbandDC)

[SandyW]

Diane and Justin,

Thanks for letting us know how Mark is doing. Can stop checking :-). Looking forward to detailed news about the surgery.

God bless Mark and his speedy recovery. Sandy

p.s. Tell Dr. Bertagnoli and crew, job well done as usual! We need a list of Dr. B's patients, can't believe there are so many of us.

[runner]

Good to hear Mark is fine and in ICU.
I don't know about Germany's ICU, but IMHO, in the US that is the best place to be when you are recovering (of course, I am biased having been an ICU nurse).
Hope Mark has great ICU nurses taking care of him.
And he stays comfortable.
Thanks for posting.

Kim

[mmglobal]

Mark here, 4:20pm Straubing time. I can only post if you promise not to tell Diane. I'm just over 24 hours post-op. I was sprung from ICU about 9 this morning as I had very little difficulty last night. I thought I was having a best ever kind of recovery. Dr. Schaaf put me on the PCA and I said I didn't think I"d need it. Well, I didn't realize how much I was getting on a constant flow fentanyl pump... when they switched it out for the PCA... bam.. It's been a tough day, but we are figureing it out. I can't believe how easily I move... many of the danger signs that I look for are not present. However, I have some swelling around vocal cords and am raspy voiced and have to move a lot of air to speak. I've seen this many times and am not worried... It should go away in a few days, or weks. Gotta run before Diane sees me on the computer. Don't tell her!

All the best,

Mark

[Gil Denis]

Hi Dian and Justin

Thank You for the update make Mark take it slow and easy we will wait for him to post when he back down from space

Thanks

Gil