The Big Surgery

Warning: A bit of a lengthy read!

As many of you know, I have struggled with a pretty bad back pain for almost a year.  It limited me so much that I had to pretty much stop working out and teaching Stroller Strides and I found myself at numerous doctor appts to try and figure out what was going on.

It all started back around when I was about 18-20 weeks pregnant with Brielle.  I clearly remember getting ready to go teach an evening Stroller Strides class and I was in a hurry.  I had to switch my equipment between the cars and there was a heavy box of books in the back of Jason's car that I needed to move.  Being the stubborn person I am, I insisted on lifting the box myself instead of asking for help.  After I got the box out of the car and shoved my stroller in the trunk I felt an instant pain on the right side of my lower back.  This is where it all began and never would I have imagined it would have turned into what it was!

For the rest of my pregnancy I spent my time going to my physical therapist. Since I was pregnant it was not an option to do an MRI or an X-ray so I was just relying on the help that I got from the PT.  I made it through the remainder of my pregnancy with a limp, sometimes barely able to walk and not really being able to be the mom I wanted to be for my kids due to pain.

After I had Brielle I was hopeful the back pain would just go away since a lot of the extra weight was now gone, but this was not the case.  After a few more post-baby PT appts she finally said there wasn't much else she could do for me so she referred me to a spine doc. During this time I also added in regular visits to a chiropractor and an intense therapy massage specialist.

The spine doc requested an MRI and an X-ray and later on that same day of imaging I got the dreaded phone call.  What everyone thought was just a bulged disc in my lower back ended up showing up as an aneurysmal bone cyst (aka: a tumor), which is something that most likely had to be surgically removed.  This tumor was located on my right pelvis and was the size of a baseball.

The next step was to find an Orthopedic doctor that had dealt with this kind of issue before.  Sounds simple, but surprisingly it was a lot harder than we thought.  There was no doctor locally that could deal with this, so I was sent to Seattle where they found a doctor at Virginia Mason that specializes in bone cyst removal.  I knew I was in good hands once we found Dr. MacDonald because he seemed very knowledgeable in this area and confident that he could help us.  After our first appt with him he did say that my only option was to remove this tumor surgically and soon.  I tried my hardest to act strong, but there was no way that I could hold back my tears.  Hearing that my hospital stay would be about 4 days and recovery would be about 6 weeks with no weight on my right leg made every thought run through my mind about what I was not going to be able to do with my kids and I wasn't even sure at this point how to take care of an infant with limited mobility.  It's something no mom ever wants to hear, especially a mom with a baby!

Surgery was on Thursday, April 21, 2016.  Surgery check-in was 8am.  I was a ball of nerves beforehand.  I was concerned about having a nursing 4 month old at home and praying I had enough milk set aside to last as long as I would not be able to nurse her (which was dependent on how long I was under anesthesia).  I was nervous about possibly having to stay in the hospital for 4 days, away from my kids.  I was nervous about getting put under, what my scar would look like, and how much pain I would be in afterwards.  There were so many unknowns going into surgery because the doctor wouldn't really know exactly how much bone was eaten up by the tumor until he was in there.  We were hoping that it would just go according to "Plan A", but there were so many other possibilities that could have happened while in surgery.

My nerves were calmed a bit as I met with each of the surgery team members.  Virginia Mason gave me a team of amazing staff (some were new moms, some were pregnant and going to be a first time mom, and others were just accommodating to all of my special needs with being a nursing mom...oh and a really cute anesthesiologist to top it all off).  One of my big concerns was since I wouldn't be able to pump for a long time I was afraid of leaking during surgery.  One of the staff members found a way to pad me up and wrap gauze around my chest to help contain any leakage.  This definitely threw them all for a loop, as they are used to older people in the Orthopedic division, but they helped me however possible.

Surgery took about 2.5 hrs and went exactly according to "Plan A", which was basically just removing the tumor and grafting in bone from a cadaver to fill in where I had lost bone.  I had just a hairline of bone left holding my pelvis together.  Everyone was most surprised with the fact that I was still walking up to the point of my surgery.

Once I was out of the post-surgery recovery room I was finally able to see Jason and his dad who had been waiting at the hospital during my surgery.  (My parents and Jason's mom were holding down the fort at home with the girls.  Like I always say, "it takes a village" to take care of kids...especially 3 of them!). I definitely wasn't feeling great at this point, as all I remember after coming out of anesthesia was throwing up/dry heaving.  I was started on pain meds and decided to only take Tylenol unless pain got unbearable.  I was settling in for what I thought would be 4 days in the hospital.

The day after surgery I had a visit with a PT and an OT and after showing them that I was able to do a lot more than they anticipated (like walk with my crutches, go to the bathroom with little to no help, walk up stairs with support, etc.) they decided that I could be discharged that day!!!  My parents had just brought Hailey and Brielle to come visit me while Cammy was at school (and Cammy was going to come with my MIL after school was over) and that was when they said I wouldn't need to stay. Hearing those words meant the world to me.  Brielle was on the last of my freezer supply of milk and the thought of my kids having to come to Seattle each day to see me sounded like too much! Knowing I could be home with everyone recovering was the best news ever!!!!

Recovery at home went fine for the first week.  I continued to just take Tylenol for my pain, I stayed upstairs in bed for most of the day with maybe one occasional trip downstairs a day, we had both sets of our parents here helping with the kids and Jason was off for the first two weeks to help as well. The following weeks just got easier as I learned how to get around on crutches more. I only had one minor issue with my incision in the first two weeks, which was a big hematoma that leaked a massive amount of bloody fluid out of one tiny opening in the top of the incision.  Once that was taken care of things just continued to heal.  I have an AMAZING support group of friends who delivered us meals 4 days a week lessening the job duties of the grandparents and Jason.

The hardest part of recovery for me was when I started feeling great again around a month post-surgery (as funny as that might sound), I was tired of using my crutches, I missed being able to do things for myself, like carry Brielle from room to room whenever I wanted. I missed being able to drive.  I missed being able to do my day-to-day activities, such as Stroller Strides.  And I just missed leaving my house and having fun with my kids.  I missed being a mom!

My 6 week post-surgery appt is this Friday, June 3rd and all prayers are needed for me to be able to ditch these crutches and be told that I can walk without assistance and drive my car again!!!  This has been what feels like a crazy long road to recovery, but I am hopeful that I will remain pain free and eventually this will all be a distant memory...or just one little blog read away!

There aren't even words to express my deepest gratitude to all the friends and family who have been there to support us through this recovery process!  The numerous flowers, cards, gifts, meals, texts, visits, etc have meant the world to me and my family!!!  And I'll never be able to repay our parents for basically giving up their lives to come live in ours week in and week out!  I am surrounded by the BEST village anyone could ever ask for!!!!  YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!!!!