The IDEA of Blogging sounded so good....

The REALITY of blogging has turned out somewhat differently than I expected!

IT'S DONE. The surger(ies) are over. Here is what I can promise to my "blogging people" out there (Thanks for your interest, by the way!...)

Since sitting up at the computer and typing takes quite a bit out of me, and the ordeal at the hospital took a LOT out of me, then what I'll do is stop by for short, sweet blasts until I feel like I'm caught up, OK?

For now, leave it well enough to say that #1 I'm ALIVE. #2 Everything WORKS. #3 I have a deeper love and appreciation for my family than ever before! They have been there, step by (sometimes very PAINFUL step) and I love and respect them now more than ever!

Stop by again soon for more to come!

Testing, 1, 2, 3, ....4.....5....?

Tests, tests, and more tests. That's what you'll run into when you get ready for big-time major surgery! I have had at least 5 different tests so far: myelogram, discogram, bone density, echo cardiogram, cardio-pulmonary test, and blood work.

First, the myelogram: A myelogram uses a special dye and X-rays to make pictures of the bones and the fluid-filled space (subarachnoid space) between the bones in your spine (spinal canal). While there was no pain from the needles used to inject the dye, it was quite intense when the dye entered my spinal canal. It was like a 500 pound guy was standing on my butt cheeks! Very uncomfortable! Also, it was cold as a meat locker in the room! The table tilts, head down, while gravity pulls the liquid down the canal. After about 20 minutes of twisting, and turning, nearly sliding off the table onto my head, the pressure finally eased. Then, once that was complete, they wheeled me right across the hall and into the CT machine - that was easy! You just lay there while the table slides in and out of what looks like a giant donut.

The next test was a discogram, or disc-gram. For this test, thank God for anesthesia! They lay you out on a table on your left side, on a pillow to prop up your hip. Then you bend your legs one straight, and one bent, in order to position the body properly. Next, they conk you out with some light-duty anesthesia, while they insert the needles into the discs in between your vertebrae. Once the needles are in, they wait for you to wake up so they can talk to you while they inject the dye, once again. This time, the needle goes right into the center of the disc, and when they pump in the dye, the disc swells up and down, replicating the pain you might be having. Once again, as soon as possible, they wheel you in to another CT scan, and take detailed pictures of the discs. The purpose for this test for me was to determine if my two lowest discs are OK to stay, or if they'll have to be replaced with the newer technology artificial discs. The issue is whether or not they can stand the pressure from now on. The idea here is to only do this ONE MORE TIME, and never again have any more problems!

On to the next test!

The cardio-pulmonary function test (CPF) is designed to analyze your lung capacity, and to see how well your lungs are functioning, and how well they absorb oxygen as you breathe. You sit inside a little glass box, that looks like a phone booth with a door on it (see photo.) With your mouth over a mouthpiece, the technician coaches you to breathe in and out, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. When it's over, they can tell how well your lungs perform!

Next!

For me, the next test was a bone density scan. This one was a piece of cake, and took all of 10 minutes. While lying on your back, they pass a machine that looks like something out of War of the Worlds, over your hip. It's a laser type x-ray, that measure the density of your bones, making sure you can stand the surgery, and that your bones will heal properly.

Finally (at least for now...) the last test I had was an Echo cardiogram Stress test. This is the one where they hook up about a dozen leads to your chest, and abdomen, and then you get on the treadmill, and go, go, go, until you can't go no mo! I lasted 7 minutes, and 35 seconds! Before you start, they take a sonogram of your heart (just like the sonogram they give expecting moms, except of your heart.) Then, as soon as you finish the stress test, they take another sonogram, this time with your heart beating fast. They compare the 2 tests, and look for any signs of heart disease or prior heart attacks, etc.

The best news about all of this, is that, once I'm done, I'll know exactly how healthy I am overall, and so far, so good! The ticker is in good shape, lungs are strong, and blood work came back all good!

As soon as I can figure out how to post more than 1 picture at a time, I'll come back and do that!

This blog goes live today

So I'm not really even sure who will read this, or who will care, but for me it is healing. Knowing that you folks are "out there" and I am "in here" helps heal my wounds. Today is Sunday, November 30th, and I am in Austin for the entire week. (P.S. - Happy Birthday Ryan! - my oldest son, Ryan, is 27 today!)

I am staying at the Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin. It is one of the oldest continuously operating hotels in Texas, perhaps in the USA. We are here for Gardco Lighting's International Sales meeting, for which my company has been preparing for nearly a year! There is an army of people working to get the show set up, and all I am is in the way! I can't lift anything heavy, and my back is hurting more and more each day. I am ready for the surgery, to get to the other side!

So I hope you will enjoy reading this as much as I will enjoy posting to it. After my surgery, and while I am incapacitated, my daughter, Alyssa, will be my editor, and will post my thoughts for me.

Thanks for stopping by - please leave your comments, and/or email me directly at lkirby58@gmail.com

A little more "Back" ground....(get it?)

So, here's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

When I was about 14 years old, I was running around the house one day with my shirt off, and my Mom said: "Lee, stand up straight!" I said "I am standing up straight!" So she brought me over for a closer look and said that she thought my back had a funny "hump" on it. That's what started it all...

We went to my local Doctor at that time, who didn't really know anything about scoliosis, so he sent me to the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. The x-rays confirmed what my Mom saw: my back had a hump, and my spine was shaped like a big letter "S." At that time (1974) the Methodist Hospital in Houston had the experts on the subject for the U.S. So off we went to Houston, where I was examined by Dr. Jesse Dickson. Dr. Dickson had worked with Dr. Harrington, the man who invented the "Harrington Rods" which were, back then, the state of the art. A Harrington procedure involved a major operation where they went in from the back, and installed 2 steel rods, and fused the spine together. At this point, we were unsure if I really needed that, so at first, I wore a brace.

The brace, called a "Milwaukee" brace, was a god-awful contraption that fit around my torso, and had 2 steel bars that came up the back, and one steel bar up the front. The bars in the back held pads that pushed against the "S" curve, and the rod in front was attached to a collar that held the whole thing together. I was supposed to wear it 23 1/2 hours a day, only taking it off for a shower! When I found out that I did not have to wear the brace while swimming, I immediately tried out for, and made, the swim team!

This was the summer right before my Sophomore year in High School. I went to Monterrey HS in Lubbock, TX, and talk about a real confidence-builder! Here I was a pimpled-faced teenager, already scared to death to be going to a big High School for my first year, AND I had to wear this horrible-looking brace! I felt like a freak-show. I remember that first year, trying to catch rides with people, because I was not yet 16, an didn't have my license. The brace was so cumbersome, that I could not even FIT into many cars - especially not the "cool cars" like a Mustang or a Firebird!

I wore the brace as best I could through HS, but even before I graduated, I chucked it the closet and said "NO MORE." Mom was upset, but she couldn't force me to wear it.

I went on through college, met my wife, Charlotte, got married, had a kid - had another, and life seemed pretty good. Then I hit my 30's...

In the mean time (new) LIFE goes on ....

Although I don't "feel" old enough to be a "Grandpa" - apparently I am old enough, because my first Grandchild was born yesterday. WOW! It was amazing. I know babies are born ever day - but not in MY family! It was a big deal, and there were tons of people around. My son Evan, and his lovely wife, Julie, have LOTS of friends, and many of them showed up. It was great.

Camden Rhys Kirby was born at 7:14PM on 11/14/08. He is beautiful - look and see for yourself!

To start, you must begin at the beginning!

This blog has been set up to chronicle my upcoming "Spinal Re-Tap!" I have scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and in December of 1991, I had major surgery for "...instrumentation and fixation..." of the double major curves.

So, as you shall read, if you so choose, I shall go back to how this all started, what's happened along the way, and where things are heading from here.