Urgent Surgery to Relieve Spinal Pressure

First of all, my thanks to everyone who supported me a few months ago when I had my first cervical spine surgery.

Although it did take pressure off of my spine at the C6-C7 level, my symptoms have continued to get worse. Numbness and pain in both hands have increased as spinal stenosis continues to put pressure on my spinal cord.

After reviewing my latest MRIs, my surgeon has recommended a more difficult surgical option, and yesterday we scheduled it for Monday, May 19th.

To quote my surgeon, this will be a "C4 to C6 laminoplasty, C3 to C7 dome laminectomy, bilateral laminoforaminotomies from C4 all the way down to T1 to get the C5 through C8 nerve roots".

What that means in simpler terms is that for several vertebrae, she'll surgically "raise the roof" and expand the opening around the spinal cord, and for several others, she will remove the rear part of the vertebrae and replace it with a small metal dome. This should take all the pressure off of my spine, allowing restoration of sensation and function in both hands.

Recovery from this surgery will be lengthy and painful, but she's confident this will be successful. So are Andrea and myself. I have even quit smoking (a 47-year addiction) to improve my chances of getting through this without major complications.

I need to ask for help, one more time, to raise the co-payment. Every dollar donated will go to this debt. If you can afford to help, please do so. If you can't, you can help by sharing this fundraiser on your own social media.

My thanks to everyone for your support, whether it be financial, emotional, or spiritual. With your help, this will become a part of the complex backstory that is my life. ❤️