No more waiting - surgery is Friday (go away snow!)

Got the call, have to report for my L5-S1 discectomy spine surgery at 10:15 AM ET tomorrow.  Of course the major issue is whether the weather will cooperate. We've had a mild winter here in NC so far and of course tonight's the night that our first winter storm in central NC is blowing through.

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 AM EST FRIDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 AM EST FRIDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* LOCATIONS...A LARGE PART OF THE PIEDMONT AND THE NORTHERN COASTAL PLAIN INCLUDING THE TRIAD...THE TRIANGLE AND ROCKY MOUNT

* HAZARD TYPES...RAIN WILL QUICKLY CHANGE OVER TO HEAVY WET SNOW THIS EVENING. THIS TRANSITION WILL OCCUR WEST-TO-EAST ACROSS THE WARNING AREA.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED

* TIMING...THE CHANGEOVER IS EXPECTED IN THE TRIAD REGION EARLY THIS EVENING...REACHING THE TRIANGLE AREA BY MID TO LATE EVENING. THE SNOW WILL DIMINISH WEST TO EAST AFTER 1 AM...ENDING IN THE EAST BY 4 AM.

* IMPACTS...SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL QUICKLY LEAD TO AN ACCUMULATION ON GRASSY SURFACES. DUE TO THE WARM PAVEMENT AND THE RAIN EXPECTED PRIOR TO CHANGEOVER...MOST ROADS WILL INITIALLY REMAIN WET BUT MAY BECOME VERY SLUSHY...ESPECIALLY WHERE THE HEAVIER SNOWFALL RATES OCCUR. TEMPERATURES NEAR OR SLIGHTLY BELOW FREEZING BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING WILL LEAD TO ROADS QUICKLY BECOMING SLICK AND HAZARDOUS....ESPECIALLY WEST OF THE TRIANGLE. TRAVEL WILL REMAIN DANGEROUS THROUGH MOST OF FRIDAY MORNING.

Blah, Blah, Blah. Nasty weather. I'll get to the hospital though. I've done all my planning and did my pre-op yesterday. According to the surgeon, they will have me up and walking within six hours after surgery if it goes well (!) 

Open discectomy is usually performed under general anesthesia (the patient is unconscious) and typically requires a one-day hospital stay. It is performed while the patient is lying face down or in a kneeling position. During the procedure, the surgeon will make an approximately one-inch incision in the skin over the affected area of the spine. Muscle tissue is removed from the bone (lamina) above and below the affected disc and retractors hold the muscle and skin away from the surgical site so the surgeon has a clear view of the vertebrae and disc. In some cases bone and ligaments may have to be removed for the surgeon to be able to visualize and then gain access to the disc without damaging the nerve tissue. This is called a laminectomy or laminotomy depending on how much bone is removed.
Once the surgeon can visualize the lamina of the vertebrae, disc and other surrounding structures, he or she will remove the section of the disc that is protruding from the disc wall and any other disc fragments that may have been expelled from the disc. This is often done under magnification. No material is used to replace the disc tissue that is removed. The incision is then closed with sutures and the patient is taken to a recovery room. 

My doc will use dissolving stitches inside, but glue me on the outside. I may be released same day or the next day, it will depend on the pain management - I cannot imagine not staying overnight.

Dr. said there will be wifi in my hospital room...woohoo!

Best case scenario is that all of the weakness, numbness and shooting pains down my leg and to my left foot will stop very soon after the operation. Realistically it may be hard to tell how well I will recover until I go back to the surgeon for eval on the 29th.  For six weeks I am not to lift more than 5 lbs, avoid twisting and bending, and need to walk as much as possible, not being sedentary. The latter poses a challenge for returning to work. I may actually feel better within the six weeks, but returning to sitting a desk is not good for healing -- sit no more than for 30 min at a time, they say. In any case, I will follow the recommendations because I don't want another herniation or a return to the operating room because I rushed myself.