Dad's Major Back Surgery on Tuesday

My Dad is going to be having major back surgery, at 62, on Tuesday. I just found out late last night. I'll be coming back from Jackson Monday evening to be there when he goes in and to support my Mom while he is in surgery - which they expect to be a 6-hour procedure.

Here is the note that he shared with both of his partners:

Tuesday the 21st is the day guys. As bad as I am hurting and have been hurting this is not going to be fun. The doctors have been telling me for sometime now how bad my back was and I guess I knew it was bad but kept hoping for some comfort.

This is going to be a six hour surgery.

They are going to redo and reexplore everything that has been done before and perform a bilateral medical facetechtomy, lamminotomy from L1 to S1.

Then they will do posterior lumbar interbody fusion at L3/4, L4/5, L5/S1, posterolateral fusion at L2/3, L3/4 L4/5 L5/S1, implants and infuse. The implants are the numerous bolts and screws along with implanted spacers along the way. As you can see, the fusion is significant.

I will have a tube in my nose following surgery so I don't throw up and move anything around and will be in ICU where they can watch me more closely.

He told me that on day 2 and 3 to expect some of the worst pain I've ever experienced due to them having to move and reposition all of those back muscles and nerves so that they can get to the bones and do all of that work. They joked that I would be a bionic man but I wasn't laughing.

They also told me that this is a very blood surgery so along the way they will try to save and recirculate as much of my own blood as they can, but I did had to consent to the use of blood if necessary.

I will be in the hospital for 5 to 6 days and hopefully be discharged home but perhaps to rehab.

I will have to wear an external back brace for some time and will have an external pain pump for sometime as well. I got fitted for that this afternoon and picked it up.

I go to the hospital in the morning for all of the pro-op testing.

And then the bottom line that there is no guarantee that any of this will work.

I've never in my life wanted to avoid anything as bad as I would like to avoid this but I have no life at all right now with the current pain that I have.

This will be a very difficult time for me and Nance without any income for at least two and maybe three months plus having to pay over three thousand a month for my insurance coverage. We will be OK though.

I suspect my nerves have already taken over and I don't think I'm doing real well with that right now.

My faith in God is still in tact and I will have to draw on that for my strength. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that my Faith may have wavered a bit over the past few years however my Faith will see me through as well. I know I am in good hands there. He has never let me down before no matter how difficult the situation.

If you'll keep my Dad in your prayers, I would greatly appreciate it.

I hope that with this procedure that 1.) it will take and 2.) he'll commit to dropping as much weight as he can from what he has put on over the years.