doctors meet and my optimism soars

Yesterday I had to go to sign my consents

with Dr. Donner the neurosurgeon

and Dr. Marino the general surgeon who happens

to be my local surgeon for my bowel issues.

I will share now what I love already about these

doctors and the people they employ.

They, after just seeing me two times, know me.

The receptionist who also seems to have the big

job of a lot at Dr. Donner's office knows my name

as well as my nick name, Lilly.

She knows everything about my case and when

she tells me she is going to call me tomorrow,

she calls me tomorrow.

She is funny and I can joke around with her.

I know that post operatively I will be able to call her for anything

and get my needs met.

I do not wait as I am escorted by Stacy into Doc Donner's office.

I like that he is waiting for me and all the consents are ready to go.

I like a doctor who takes you into his personal office.

I like a doctor who takes the time to get his own consents signed.

Before he asks me to sign he goes over everything I thought

I had to question. He has a spine model waiting for me.

He shows me exactly what he plans on doing.

He goes over every known complication that could happen

from a block to the artery to a bowel ileus.

I like this in a doctor, tells me everything prior to signing

the consent. I ask if he has gotten any notes from my

visit from Dr. Marino and he says that they had a lunch

pow-wow to discuss my case.

Well this, of course, being the nurse that I am, impresses me.

I know I am probably not the only patient they discussed

but they actually met to discuss me as a person and

what my case means to each of them.

Well that is impressive.

We go over the individual issues I have with the abdominal

scar tissue and he agrees just as Marino did that

if it seems to be too much to go through the abdomen

they will not hesitate to abandon the surgery.

However, unlike Marino had suggested about

maybe going through the back on the same day,

Donner explains that this is not the approach he is going to take.

He will allow me to heal from that surgery prior to giving

me the option of the plan B. He explains that his reasons are

he is just not sure he can go that route and give me

freedom from the chronic pain I already live with now.

I like an honest doctor.... this means so much to me.

I sign my consents knowing exactly what the surgery will

entail. I will be in the hospital anywhere from 2 to 5 days.

There is no way of telling how long it will take me to

feel well enough to go home on oral pain management

and free of possible complications from the surgery.

I asked how long, how long before I can return to work.

If no complications and all goes perfect,

8 to 12 weeks, 8 to 12 weeks, well I can do that!

This fires me up....

There is a possibility that I will not need physical therapy

depending on how much I can do on my own.

Half of his patients feel so well after surgery that

they can do more than they could before surgery.

There are those who need the help but some don't.

Yes, I am going to have to wear one of those lame

back braces, this is the cast for the bones that cannot

be casted any other way. He promises me that by

the time I go back to work I will be brace-free.

It is worn just until he is confident that the plate has

held and the fusion is healed.

I am impressed and optimistic of all of the above.

This doctor takes this surgery thing very serious.

It is all and more of what I have heard about this doctor.

He has taken my whole case into consideration.

He even brings up the bladder and one kidney issue

and assures me that Dr. Ray will be consulted and follow

my case. I will have a catheter for some time just to

make sure that I have no neurogenic bladder complications.

I then head to Dr. Marino's office to sign those consents,

they do not know I am coming so I doubted they would

have the paperwork ready but another office that

not only do they call me Lilly but they know my case,

they know when and what day I am having surgery.

I am known by the doctors that are about to open me up.

This gives me comfort that I am in the best hands.

Optimism runs deep in this Riera and with the days

I have been having with pain, even half of pain relief

will be great.... I am not asking for much.

To be with pain that does not require pain meds. and

can allow me to go back to work, it is all I need.

So that is the update as I approach surgery that may

change my life.

Love to all!!!!