September 8, 2010

I went to the Dr. yesterday and after having more X-rays and an exam, another fracture was discovered. This one is right above the other. The thoracic vertebrae at level 6 and 7 are fractured. I have significant osteoporosis from the events of the past year and at a big risk for broken bones. I will be having surgery at North Side Hospital tomorrow morning at 6:30. I'm still waiting for the nurses to call me with an arrival time but I am fearing it will be around 5:30 a.m. Dr. Pagano will be doing a kyphoplasty treating the two different fracture levels. Basically, they create a pathway into the bone with a hollow instrument, insert a balloon through this and inflate it to raise up the collapsed vertebra. Then the balloon is deflated, removed, and the cavity is filled with cement to support the bone and prevent further collapse. He'll do this on both sides of each fractured vertebra. I am really hoping this eases some of the pain I have been having. It's not fun having so much pain. I'll update after surgery.