Wendy, you are awesome!

Back in 90 I slipped and fell in a dept. store - they had just waxed the floor and there was no sign out. I went down and hit my tail bone. What happened was my tail bone started curving inward and began pushing on the nerves. I lost feeling in my hands and legs quite often.

Did the chiropratic (sp) route, and it didn't work. Ended up with a fusion - unfortunately the doctor who did it was an idiot and left bone fragments floating in my back.

In 1996, I had migraines, numbness, etc. and they discovered what had happened. New hospital, btw.......the same one, same doc that did this latest one. That was the major surgery...took 13 hours to do. I had to learn how to walk all over again and on the 5th day, they took xrays and told me that one of the metal cages had shifted - it was too close to my artery.

They were afraid that if they didn't go back in, it would move more and cut into the artery. I would bleed to death internally before I got back to the hospital. So.......they went back in, this time through the front. Took 10 hours this time. Again, had to have physical therapy. Was in the hospital for 10 days. Alex was only 8 months old at the time.

After one month (my doc wanted 3 months off), I went back to work. I had basically ignored his instructions on amount of hours I should work - he wanted 40 or less, in management it is 50+, and no heavy lifting. By the 3rd year after surgery, I was unloading trucks at my restaurant.

This past April is when they discovered the double fracture of my spine, right above the fusion. All the work I had done had caused too much stress on my spinal column and it cracked on both sides. My doc had to go up another section of my spine and fuse it with more titanium. As he goes up, I lose more mobility and in the winter (or extreme cold, like when I was in my freezers), the cold gets into my back and the titanium absorbs it and causes me lots of pain......makes me stiff.

Today it has been 8 weeks since surgery, and I've been back at work for two weeks. [sigh] It definitely is not taking care of me like I should. By the time I had decided on this past surgery, the migraines were back and picking up a loaf of bread was next to impossible most of the time. This is the reason I have applied for disability. At the rate I am going, I will have to have another section fused in about 2 years - this time will be the thoracic section, right where my ribcage is. If it continues, I could end up with next to nothing mobility wise.

Yes, my body is a mess.....lol. I know you care and I count on that when I feel horrible. Just remember, the feeling is mutual, ok?

xoxo