Surgery or No Surgery

I wish choosing the right boy was the only tough decision I ever had to make.

CLEARLY NOT! 

Day 2- You will probably not need surgery, we should take the conservative route

 Day 20- You need surgery as the unstable bone has not stabilized and it might be risky to leave it just hanging there.

Doctors really know how to turn your life upside down in just a few minutes.

I thought I was on the road to recovery and in just a few weeks I’d be up and about, back to work, back to real life. Turns out, there was a different plan in store for me. 

Choosing between Conservative Management or Surgical Management has probably been the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make

Like anyone would, my family decided to take a second opinion, a third, a fourth and suddenly we had entered a vicious circle where my reports made it some of the best doctors across the planet. Each had their own opinion.

Somewhere in the middle of this madness, I became obsessed with reading about the injury, other peoples stories, success rates, watching videos on YouTube and everything I could get my hands on. I was pretty much torturing my friends and family with my never ending stories about what has happened, what could have happened and what the future might or might not hold for me. Everyone told me to relax, breathe, and let my body do its own thing. 

The general consensus seemed to be “Surgery”.

Since I am only 27 years old and my body can take it. But could my body take it? With all the risks involved and if there is a chance of me recovering on my own then isn’t that the right way to go? Do I really want a foreign object placed in my body? Is anterior approach more successful or posterior? How do you choose the right doctor? The list is endless..

Pros	Cons
Fixed for life	All surgeries are risky, especially this close to the spinal cord
Lesser recovery time	Neck movement could potentially get restricted
Won’t need to worry in the future	Will I beep at airport security checks
	Paralysis

After a lot of confusion & contemplation, I have chosen to stick to the conservative route.

I know I have chosen the road less traveled, and hopefully that will make all the difference. 

The Support System

La Famille

What they will do for you, no one else will. They might nag you about eating when you don't want to or peeing when you don't need to or force you to lie down all day because they think you need it! 

You can only wake mommy dearest four times in a night to make you wear socks and then to remove them(repeat) and daddy darling might not be spending the nights with you but he knows how to keep you positive through it all.Trust the brother and the sister in law who will come and chat with you, give you pep talks, play Uno and always hold your hand in the not so happy moments.Finally, add a 1 year old niece to the combination and you have your entertainment sorted for the next few months. 

The Sisterhood 

They will visit you, dance for you, sing for you, feed you fresh fruit dipped in nutella, bring you presents from Victoria's Secret, bring a full Banoffee pie, help cut your clothes off, remove the five days old chipped nail paint, cut your nails, hear you crib, cry, laugh, talk crap, check on you on daily basis, come visit you as often as they possibly can and just be there for it all. Thank god for them!

The Boyfriend 

The one who will sit tightly holding your hand for those 3 hours before you reach the hospital. Be kind enough to bring a new jar of Nutella on the first day of the hospital life. Also bring you goodies from the mall and some peri peri chicken spaghetti or sushi or cinnamon rolls or basically anything you want. If there's a time for your family to get to know the boyfriend..its NOW!! 

The Jing Bang

The jing bang is the reason you want to get A-OK as soon as possible. You cannot be the only one missing the pool parties, the birthdays, the vacations, the Wednesday night-no reason hangout plans. 

The Internet 

The most important one..for when you will not be able to sleep at night and you will have no other form of entertainment. The internet will save you from all your misery, so make sure you have the best broadband connection possible with at least a 200 GB data plan. 

If there's anything I have learnt so far it's how amazing everyone around me is and how thankful I am for having them. 

How to break your neck in FIVE STEPS ?

1. Go on a weekend getaway with 15 of your friends;
2. Have a great great time;
3. On your way back, stand in the bus without any support (because no one taught you about "Laws of Motion") ;
4. Make sure you are not holding on to anything for support;
5. Wait for an asshole to overtake from the wrong side in order for the driver to stop the bus with a jerk

and

 BAM! That's how you end up staring at the ceiling for the next 3-6 months.

Till a few weeks ago, I don't think I knew we had three different kinds of names for the bones in the spine and now I am somewhat of an expert on at least C1 & C2.

So I have what they call "The Hangman's Fracture".
Death by hanging was intended to be quick, the drop and jerk were designed to dislocate C1 & C2, air can no longer move in an and out of the lungs. Death occurs within minutes. 

How's that for a dramatic sounding injury.

I saw pretty much every kind of star in that split second that I hit the bus door, the adrenaline kicked in and had me going from one hospital to another.

About 3 hours later,I walked in to the hospital  demanding to be shown to the washroom while my doctor ran behind me screaming “why is the patient not on the stretcher!?” After the bladder relieving ritual, I lied down on a bed where I spent the next few painful hours getting X-rays, MRIs & CT scans. This bed would be my world for the next 9 days.

All in a day's time