Repair Surgery

I got my stitches out around 4 weeks post op.  Things were looking good for a while, but then we started to notice an increase in swelling along the lower portion of my incision.  I had one day right before getting stitches out where a small amount of clear fluid was leaking from one of my suture holes.  We were told to go in immediately if this should ever happen.  Of course this all started around 11:30 at night.  So off to the ER we went.  There are no neurosurgeons in our little town so they called down to Columbia to ask what to do.  They were told to put a bandage over it and for me to go in the next day.  What a waste of going to the ER!  After a frustrating visit we went to Columbia to meet with my neurosurgeon.  She didn't know for sure if it was CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) or just fluid from the surgery.  We kept a close eye on things and continued to move forward. 
My swelling continued to increase and I got in to see the surgeon again at 6 weeks post op.  She was not at all pleased with the swelling and decided that it was most likely a CSF leak.  It seemed to be a slow leak, but the incision was obviously not healing properly inside to seal up the leak.  She decided to have the incision re-stitched and ordered and MRI.  The reason we put the stitches back was to give the area as much support as possible.  She was concerned that the CSF was leaking out, but that it could also go back in and put me at extremely high risk for infection.
After a painful hour getting all the stitches back in I headed off to get my MRI.  Before it was even completed the surgeons had set up an appointment for me to have a CSF leak repair surgery and a gluteal rotation flap.  With the first surgery I had 8 layers of synthetic tissue placed over the damaged dura (protective layer of tissue that surrounds the spinal cord and csf).  I would have the repair done in a matter of days, and meet the plastic surgeon who would be doing the rotation flap.  The plastic surgeon planned on making a long incision starting from the top of the original scar and extending all the way to my right hip and down my pelvis.  He took the skin and other tissues in this area and rotated them over the original incision on the spine.  They did this so that the area would be covered by stronger, thicker and healthier tissues.
Once again I found myself headed off for surgery and another long stay in the hospital.  The second surgery took around  6 hours to complete and has left me even more limited in m movements.  I am not allowed to bend or flex my hips at all for 6 weeks.  This means that I can't bend at all.  I have to either stand still or lie down flat.  I can't lift my feet to walk and am not supposed to take big steps so I have to slide my feet slowly along if I want to move at all.  I can't get in or out of bed on my own and have to be completely dependent on others. 
I spent one weeks in the hospital this time.  I didn't have a lumbar drain placed in my spine this time so there were not headaches.  I had to stay so long because of an unusual culture of my CSF.  They found a very rare bacteria growing in my CSF called Roseamonas.  There is not a whole lot known about this particular bacteria and so they wanted to watch me for a few extra days to see if I started developing any signs of infection.  This also had to be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and I will be meeting with them in another week.  We are still not sure of all the implications of this and take things day by day.  Rob's mother is still out here taking care of our boys.  She has done a wonderful job with them.  Matthew is nearly potty trained thanks to her efforts!  By the time I am actually allowed to hold Jeffrey, he will be 6 months old, and I will not have held him for half of his life.  The mental part of this challenge is perhaps the most difficult.  I try to find things to do in bed all day long as I watch my husband take on extra burdens just to keep things running.  He has done more for me than words can express.  I am so blessed to have him in my life!

 

 

This is a picture after the first surgery.  the cord is the lumbar drain coming out of my spine and taped down.  The incision is about 6 inches long.

Day after first surgery.

My incision after the second surgery.  The incision is about 1 1/2 feet long.