My Surgery

Feb. 19, two days after surgery:

Hi everyone. Just letting you know how my surgery for spinal fusion went. Doctor Lyon at Milwaukee Children's Hospital split me down the back from base of neck to tailbone, inserted lots of stainless steel hardware, including some rods, and straightened out my back. My scoliosis was making my Cerebral Palsy all that much worse, and I think the CP was doing the same for the scolio.

Anyway, I have stitches that look like how Grandma used to truss up a Thanksgiving turkey, and I'm all puffy in my face and hands. I had to have a few transfusions for blood loss, but they're putting a lot of liquids back in me to make sure I don't become too dehydrated. I've had two therapy sessions already, and the therapist hopes to have me sitting up later today. We'll see how that goes. It's pretty painful right now to just even lift my arms, let alone roll over with help or even to sit up.

Mom and Dad have been with me through it all, and we're even making more detailed plans for my Trek to Bay Cliff in June.

If you would like to share your story about your triumphs after surgery, just send me an email and my sister will look it all over and post it to my blog for you. You can send pictures, too, but make sure you have your parents permission if you are under 18. Send me a consent email, too, just to make sure.

I'll report back in a few days!!!

Gene

UPDATE (2/22/9)from my sister...
Gene has been moved out of recovery into a private room where he still gets therapy. Yesterday he sat up for an hour or so, this was painful but also a very good thing. Expecting some extra family company this weekend and Gene is looking forward to that too