Brace Yourself: Spinal Fusion #2

The week before my surgery, we drove to Houston for my pre-op appointment. Our first stop was the Spine Associates office. I had an EKG to check my heart and a physical exam to clear me for surgery. Next, I had to go to the hospital for blood work and a chest X-Ray. The hospital was able draw blood for my blood work, but they said I would have to come back to have more blood taken for the blood type and cross. The type and cross is done to make sure you receive the correct blood if a transfusion is needed. The last stop for the day was to go get fitted for my brace. I was told that I would have to wear a brace for 3 months after surgery, so I asked if they could make it pretty! They brought me some color samples and I chose a brightly colored pattern for my brace.

On the way home, I began thinking about the robotic surgery and wondering why I had not gotten any information about it. I called the surgery scheduler and she informed me that the hospital I am going to does not have the robotic arm at that site. My doctor performs surgeries at a few different hospitals and the only one that my insurance would cover is the one without the robot. At first, I was really upset to hear this because I knew that the robotic procedure helped to reduce many risks. I got over it and just moved forward with the surgery.

The day before surgery, we drove back to Houston to get my blood drawn for the type and cross and we stayed in a hotel close to the hospital. I was so nervous the entire day before surgery. Every time I would think about it, my stomach would turn a flip!

On the day of surgery, I arrived at 5:00am to get prepped. I changed into my hospital gown and the nurse tried to get my IV started. I am a big baby when it comes to needles. The thought of having screws drilled into my spine does not freak me out as much as needles (I know, that is weird). The nurse tried twice and blew two of my veins because I was so tense and I was crying. She had another nurse come try because she did not want to poke me a third time. They usually don’t let family come back until the IV is going, but the nurse called for my husband to come into the room to calm me down. He held my hand while they tried again to place the IV and it helped.

Before Surgery

Over the next couple of hours, I sat in the pre-op/holding area and waited my turn to go back. I had several doctors and nurses come talk to me and ask me questions. I spoke with my surgeon and he informed me that he would not have to remove all of the hardware I had put in during my previous surgery. He said he would just remove enough of it to make room for the new hardware. I also spoke with the anesthesiologist and the doctor that monitored my nerve functioning. He put wires around my hands and feet and explained that he would have needles in my head, hands, and feet to monitor my spinal cord and nerves while the surgeon worked on my spine.

Waiting to be brought back to the operating room is absolutely terrifying. They finally gave me some medication through my IV to begin the sedation. I told my husband goodbye and they wheeled me to the operating room. I remember telling them, “I’m not asleep yet” as they brought me to the operating room. The nurse said that I will go to sleep soon and that’s the last thing I remember before waking up in the recovery room.