My surgery is scheduled to begin at 7:30am today. They will do their best to remove as much of the tumor and dead bone as they can. Almost all of my S1 vertebrae will be removed as well as the discs on either side of it. They will install a titanium cage to replace my S1 vertebrae. Then they will install 2 rods that will fuse the 2 vertebrae above and 2 vertebrae below to the missing S1. When complete, L4,L5,S1,S2, and my pelvic bone will all be rigidly connected by rods and up to 16 screws.
Here are a few pictures of what that might look like:
Thank you to the surgeons, nurses, and techs who are giving up their Saturday to make this happen today. The timing of this surgery could not be more perfect. Just last night I lost strength in both legs and can no longer stand. I couldn’t have made it just one day more without this surgery.
I will be back in touch on the other side of surgery. As always, thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts for my family as we endure this next step in treatment.