It is about 9:30 in the evening and I am just starting to have enough balance to get around. It was a tough day! I went back to the University of Minnesota this afternoon for additional X rays of my spine. It was supposed to be an easy, quick appointment but I was so very scared. On top of that, the Doctors needed to position me a certain way to get the best pictures and my body just wouldn’t cooperate. After quite awhile it was decided that I needed to be sedated. The Doctors were able to get the pictures they needed but I did not do well with the sedation! Even with them giving me something to reverse some of the effects, it is taking a long time to feel like myself again. As you can see from my photo…I am a bit of a mess! Thank goodness for a soft, safe spot to rest until I feel like myself again!
The X rays have offered some additional insight to the trouble with my hind legs. It appears that one of my vertebrate is most likely the cause of my funny movement. Normal vertebrate have a square or rectangular shape. I have one vertebrate that actually looks triangular. The Doctor believes that this was probably a birth defect. He told us that there wasn’t anything that could be done to reverse my current condition. He said that surgery could be performed to stabilize the vertebrate so it wouldn’t get worse. He told my foster mom that she needed to weigh the benefits of surgery against my current quality of life.
I am sure we will talk more about it when I am a little less groggy, but the surgery could cost close to $5000.00 and it will not “fix” my legs. It could be a difficult surgery with a hard recovery. I obviously don’t do well with sedation and procedures, as we have seen today. Lots to think about, but I trust the good people around me. Here is hoping tomorrow is a better day!
Love,
Benny