Surgery! Part Two!

So Karen came out of surgery, and was in quite a bit of pain. But her pain was localized around the incision. No further pain radiating down her legs! Then slowly, bit by agonizing bit, she was able to do more with her legs. After weeks of physical therapy and the help of a friendly robot named George, she was able to wiggle her toes. We hope that, by the time of the wedding, she will no longer need her motorized wheelchair.


On a more serious note, Karen is doing quite well, and seems to be able to do almost everything she used to be able to do. (Strangely, taking out the trash is exempted from this...) Her biggest problem has been a rash caused by the bandages. She had the sutures removed on Wednesday, but still has some itching.


So it is all systems go! for the wedding. See you there!

Surgery!

Mike and Karen have been keeping it under wraps, but Karen has been in a fair amount of back pain since Memorial Day weekend, when she fell off the Ring of Death at a local playground and hurt her back. Her pain continued to get worse, and early last week she finally had an MRI of her back, which demonstrated a ruptured disk at L3-4 leading to severe spinal canal stenosis. She was seen in the Neurosurgery clinic at UIHC on Friday, and now just entered the OR for a laminectomy/diskectomy. More later.