This whole "me being a lazy ass" trait is not exclusive to blogging, by the way. Back when I was in school, my report cards would always say: "Asset to the class. Does not complete assignments."
I think that's kind of me in a nutshell. I'm amazed I live in a house with children and a husband and a whole cleaning closet full of cleaning supplies that I USE. And that I haven't screwed all of that up yet, and made that adult life die a cold internet death too. It's really kind of impressive.
But the good (and more relevant) news is, I'm working on another post and update. I'm hoping to have it up tomorrow, which means probably this weekend.
As if.
Can I just say...it is mighty hard to go from lying around in your pajamas sleeping 18 hours a day, zonked on valium and painkillers...to wearing jeans and real people clothes, opening bills, going places, parenting, and participating in the real world again. Talk about a reality check. Can't I be an asset to the class....in bed? Asleep? In these elastic waist pants? No?
LOL I just wrote a post titled the exact same thing! I hear you, I'm a lazy blogger sometimes too!
ReplyDeleteHey Katie - I was diagnosed with chiari 10 years ago and I just saw a neurosurgeon today about scheduling my first surgery. He like your first surgeon does not want to open the dura. He wants to just cut away some bone and part of my first vertebra.
ReplyDeleteI asked him about a titanium cover and he stated he does not use them.
Did you have a cover over the exposed dura after your first surgery? Would love to chat sometime.
Hi Ron!
DeleteI think some people can get by without the duraplasty. There's a lessened risk of infection if the dura is not opened. But conversely, there is sometimes a need for the surgery to be repeated when a duraplasty is not done initially. It's a pretty painful and invasive surgery, and I definitely wish I'd had the duraplasty done the first time.
Have you had CSF flow studies done? What is the reason your surgeon does not want to perform a duraplasty? If there is significant obstruction, or flow disruption in the ventricles, I would push for a duraplasty to at least be considered.
I did not have a cover put over the (unopened) dura after my first surgery. That ended up causing some problems for me down the road, as my neck muscles adhered to the dura when I healed. I lost a lot of mobility and was in a great deal of pain between the two surgeries. I was unable to even turn my head much, the pain and spasms were terrible. My second surgeon was able to free up the muscle in surgery #2, put the plate in, and adhere the muscle to that, effectively creating a barrier between the two.
I don't feel perfect, but I am doing much better now and have a lot less pain. Still working on mobility. I have some really interesting "after" shots from my recent MRI, where you can see my titanium plate and further decompression. If you want to leave your email, I will send them to you. I'm a crappy blogger and as you can see, I've sort of abandoned it. ha ha. Your comment inspired me to log in for the first time in months!
Hello Katie!
ReplyDeleteSo, almost four years later..it would be so valuable for me to hear how you are doing today..? I'm meeting with my neurologist tomorrow, and your blog has helped me realize that it's most certain Chiari malformation I have (it's like hearing my own words been written here!)
Sending warm thoughts from Norway