I have good news and bad news from Saturday’s surgery. I was operated on for seven and a half hours.
The good news:
Almost all of the tumor was able to be removed.
My S1 vertebrae was in good shape so it did not have to be removed. This is really great news!
Less hardware needed to be installed because the bone was in such good shape.
I have increased strength in my legs already. Neurologically, I’m in good condition.
The bad news:
The tumor was a large (lemon sized) malignant (cancer) tumor.
I have new numbness in my lower extremities despite being able to move my legs and stand.
During surgery, my blood pressure dropped dramatically. I was essentially dead on the table and brought back with epinephrine and CPR. They had to close my back quickly with staples, flip me over to do CPR to save my life, and then flip me back over to complete my surgery once I was stable.
Next up:
I should continue to recover. As of now I’m still in the ICU.
In the next few days, we will have the full pathology of the tumor and begin cancer treatment for the type they identify.
Here’s the hardware that ended up in my back:
