Six Years and Counting

Six years ago at this moment, I was on the operating table in the midst of the surgery that would change my life.

Until the days and weeks after that surgery, I had never realized how much my life was affected and hindered by a condition that had only been diagnosed three months prior.

The first big thing I discovered was the overwhelming smell of the flowers I had received. I remember walking into the guest room at the Hart's a few days post op and being hit by a wall of fresh floral scent. I thought it was just those flowers, but I soon learned that all flowers smelled that strongly, I just had a limited ability to smell before surgery.

In the last year I have been practicing yoga several times per week. Sometimes I add in Pilates too. Any exercise with impact aggravates my neck and back, so I just stay with no impact activities. No longer needing to carry my babies all the time has helped my back as well. I can't believe I will soon have two 4 year olds and a 2 year old!

While yoga would have helped me before surgery, I don't think I could have done it without awful Chiari headaches. Old habits die hard though and I still find myself scared to try poses that I wouldn't have been able to do before surgery. Often, I find I can do them without any issues and that makes me a little more confident in trying the next one.

FIVE years later...

Wow, I can't believe it's been five years. I'm still "boring" on the medical front...which is just how I like to be.

Should you want to remember the insanity with me, go back and read all of my posts from 2007.  I'm so happy that I have this blog record! :)

Since It's Been Awhile...

Well, since I haven't posted in almost 2 years, I thought it might be a good idea to just say that I had my "surprise" daughter, Jillian, on February 20, 2012. After being almost a week overdue and a LONG labor, I delivered her via VBAC with an epidural. Still no return symptoms (or new ones for that matter).

Worth the Wait?

Apparently Dr Oro is on some type of unexpected leave...I've heard that it is a result of some accident that he is recovering from, but that news is not directly from either him or his staff. As a result all of his consultations, surgeries, and follow up appointments have been cancelled and are expected to be rescheduled for 6 weeks later. His follow up appointments are being performed by his RN. How do I know all of this? Because I have been contacted or been in contact with someone in all of those stages. All are frustrated. All have their emotions running high. All have reached out to me hoping that I can offer them some solace or wisdom or something.

Three years and 4 days ago, Dr Oro performed the surgery that changed my life. When I look back at events that were "defining moments" in my life, my decision to have Dr Oro perform my decompression is near the top of my list. I'm not a doctor. I can't guarantee that anyone else will have the same outcome that I did. I can't guarantee that surgery dates won't be changed at the last minute. I can't guarantee that the hospital staff will do everything "right" post-op. I can't even guarantee that Dr Oro and his staff will provide you with the same great, compassionate care that I received. But I believe they will.

Based on my experience with Dr Oro, I believe that he is worth the wait, however long that may be. He "fixed" me and my 31mm herniation. He gave me a quality of life I didn't believe I could have. Could someone else have done the same? Maybe. Would I tell any of my family or friends to go to anyone else? Absolutely not. Is waiting or having your appointments rescheduled hard? Absolutely. But it was my experience that Dr Oro and his staff go out of their way to give you the best quality of care when it is finally your turn in the line up. The wait is long, quite simply because he's that good. (Someone really should work on cloning him!) I know that when I made the decision to let someone cut open my head and move stuff around, I wanted the very best person to do so. I have never regretted my decision to fly to Colorado and have Dr Oro perform my surgery for a second. You have to decide what works for you and your family, but if you're looking for the happy ending, here I am!

Something to Ponder

I'm thinking of doing the Chiari Walk in Colorado next year (in September)...maybe getting all of my buddies who have found me here to join me there...and see Dr. Oro. Anyone want to join me?

Update 6/28/10

Just cleaning up this site a bit and thought I'd let everyone know that the boys were born 12/7/09 (I've been a little busy since then) ;)

Aren't they cute?



I had a c-section with epidural and had zero complications. YAY! Still "cured" of all Chiari symptoms. YAY!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary to Me!

Two years post decompression and I am 27 weeks pregnant with twin boys...could it be any better?! :)

I get asked a lot about my plans for the birth...and truth is, I don't really have a plan. There are just too many variables that will come into play and will require a "game time" decision. I trust my doctor, my husband, and myself. I've been through enough pain and medical procedures to know what I can handle, and my husband does too. (He also knows not to let anyone near me with Percocet - EVER!) I'm definitely looking forward to the experience! It'll be the first time I get to go to the hospital when it's not a major procedure to fix something that's wrong with me...I'm even more excited than I was for my decompression!

I feel that in many ways, my Chiari and my decompression surgery helped prepare me for the upcoming delivery. I'm loving being pregnant, and while the belly is starting to get uncomfortable, it's nothing compared to living with my Chiari symptoms for years.