Spine surgery – 18-1/2 hours

A time when death whispered to me

I heard his voice, but I declined to listen.

September 5, 2017, my oldest grandson’s 4th birthday

and I wasn’t about to leave earth on that day.

9-1/2 hours of ALIF(from the front through my abdomen)

with a major bleed that required 5 units of blood.

Lifeblood spread across operating room floor.

Overnight in ICU; the world was dark.

3 days later,  8-1/2 hours of PLIF(from the back)

beginning at T-11 and continuing down to my pelvis. Again, overnight

in ICU, pretty aware of my surroundings. 2 days later

on Sunday, they removed my ng tube and my catheter. Later that

day, I got such nausea that I didn’t dare move. Hours later, after much

work by the nurse,  bile shot across the room – twice.

I looked around – was I being filmed for The Exorcist? It was

that bad! I apologized to the nurses, but they told me how much better

I looked! About a day later – leaving my bed without

anyone’s knowledge – got me put on a bed alarm – if I got up

without a nurse, “Mary Had a Little Lamb” played, and everyone

came running!