Spinal Op! And my progress so far :-)

Once the doctors at Darenth had discovered the tumor on my spine they decided to transfer me to Kings College Hospital in London on Friday 28th November 2014. 

When I first arrived at Kings College Hospital I was slightly anxious. Staying at Darenth Valley and being so close to home and my family was really comforting so moving to a hospital in London did seem very daunting, however I was proven completely wrong! All the nurses and doctors were absolutely brilliant and very attentive. I stayed on the Murray Falconer Ward in a large room with two other women who were lovely. They had already had their operations and were on the road to recovery.

In the room I stayed in my bed had it's own TV and I had my own little buzzer too so if I felt anxious or worried at all (or even just a fancied little snack) there was always a friendly face to talk to or help. I felt extremely comfortable and at ease, it almost like staying in a hotel with room service!

I was assigned Mr Thomas as my consultant, and his incredible team of surgeons, to perform my operation. The decision was made to remove as much of the tumor as they could which was causing the compression on my spinal cord. The tumor was wrapped around 3 vertebra and rooted to one, so part of the bone had to be taken away and rods and strews inserted to stabilize my spine. Luckily where the rods have been placed there is not a huge amount of movement originally so only a small amount of flexibility has been lost.

Originally they decided to perform an operation the next day however they later scheduled it to 2nd December 2014 due to emergencies and not being enough staff or equipment over that weekend. I was okay with their decision the only downside being put on mil-by-mouth over the weekend! Taking 6 steroids a day (to keep swelling down) makes you want to eat everything! Nil-by-mouth nearly sent me crazy with hunger!

Being visiting in hospital by my wonderful friends and family :-)

Just before my surgery I was grateful to witness one of the women sharing the ward with me walk for the first time without any support. She had, up until then, needed support to the toilet in a wheelchair. To some this may sound like nothing but going from not being able to use her legs to walking a few steps in just a few days was incredible to witness. It was extremely emotional and kept me positive about the outcome of my own surgery. I was so grateful to able to witness something so inspiring.

When operation day arrived (2nd December 2014) I have to admit I was feeling slightly anxious sitting with both my parents waiting to be taken down to Theatre. I wasn't too sure what time my operation would be but at 3.30pm the doctor arrived and told me the surgeons were ready for me. The porters wheeled me down in my hospital bed whilst my parents followed closely behind me and we waited about 10 minutes outside. When it was time for surgery I said goodbye to my parents and they took me in and gave me my anesthetic pretty much straight away..  4 hours later I woke up pain-free (fairly high on morphine) and happy as larry!

Although i'm being spoon fed I still managed a selfie... think I secretly enjoyed it! 

Day 1 of recovery I was unable to move my head or body very much at all as it felt extremely stiff and the numbness was still present. I still needed to use a wheelchair and had to be washed and spoon fed my meals. I was pretty much a vegetable for the first day.

Day 2 of the recovery I woke up still feeling stiff and anxious about moving but the physiotherapist came to see me and encouraged me to get going. The first hurdle was just trying to sit up on the side of my bed. I had to use the strength in just my arms so that I did not cause strain in my back, I had been laying down for at least 48 hours so this made me feel really light headed and sick.  I had to sit on the edge of the bed for about 10 minutes before I could even attempt standing up. With the physio's support I slowly stood up. The numbness in my legs was still present and I couldn't bend my knees but I managed to shuffle my feet a few steps outside my room and back again. It felt incredible just being able to stand up without needing to use a wheelchair!

I continued this for a couple more days and with each new day I could walk further, and even though it was with support from the physio just knowing I was making progress kept me motivated.

This picture is awful but this was taken whilst I was making my first few steps after the op woo!

To my surprise the doctors allowed me to go home just 5 days post operation! At home my family supported me up and down the stairs and to the toilet and my poor mum still had to wash and help me get dressed (oh the sight she had to see ha ha!) However after a couple of weeks of eventually gaining more confidence and slightly more feeling in my legs I was able to do most of these things by myself with little assistance.

Today (30th December 2014 - 1 month post op) my balance hasn't fully returned and i'm not expecting it to for a while as nerve regrowth takes a while to heal but I definitely feel a major improvement since the start of my recovery. I can now bend my legs more and I have gained some of my feeling back on my legs and abdomen already. I can walk without shuffling and faster too! Although there are days where my legs feel tired and painful but that is where they are getting used to walking again. I am optimistic that my mobility will carry on improving.. it's just going to take patience and practice but i'm determined to get there!