JudyR
11-08-2007, 08:35 PM
Our girl saw her neurosurgeon today (a full week before she was supposed to originally - I'm not sure why it worked out that way, but it was for the best!).
The doctor was totally pleased with her x-rays (yes, she faxed a copy to me, yuck!! now her upper spine and a plate with two screws in it are indelibly engraved on my mind...!) and her progress. So pleased, in fact, that he allowed her to begin Range Of Motion physical therapy right away, and resume light weight-lifting exercises!!
Anna, Janis has been doing a lot of alternative medicine work. She and her dear friend Anne McCaffrey correspond continuously about flower essences, hands-on healing, etc etc. She worked closely with a local hypnotherapist for weeks before the surgery, using guided imagery and re-affirming that the surgery would go well, there'd be little pain, her voice would be better than ever and the like.
She also works closely with a chiropracter and two PT's - one specializing in musicians and ROM work, one doing a lot more cranio-sacral, "healing hands," working with her cerebrospinal fluid etc. I don't think there's anything Janis herself discounts when it comes to health. Just this afternoon, as she was telling me about her PT today, she said something like "You know, our bodies get it; we just get in the way sometimes...."
She said to me once, when I was raving about something, "Judy, you can't discount anything. Not anything. There's just too much we don't know." And if you think about it - burst intestine, liver surgery, this surgery - she's really come through like a trouper, in large part I think because she doesn't discount anything.
I must admit, Janis has been true to her word and taken it easy. Her friend Cyndi continued to drive her - to the x-rays, to the neuro-surgeon, to lunch with Pat. Janis took a big nap after that, then drove herself to PT (with her surgeon's blessing, since it was only 1 1/2 miles away.) Then she took a two mile walk, went home, and met up with Pat, who took her to California Pizza Kitchen to celebrate the great test results. She's been trying to walk at least two miles each day, since she hasn't been allowed to do any other sort of exercise.
We were all a little concerned because whenever she's tried to turn her head to the side, particularly to the right, it's spasmed out. (Pat says she does kind of look like a bobble-head at those moments.) But the neuro-surgeon wasn't phased, and her physical therapist explained that the "dark meat" muscles had gone into hiding, while the "white meat" muscles were carrying too heavy a load. Everyone promises it's normal, and will only last another month or two.
After today's session with the PT, she's got 2 PT exercises plus 3 weight lifting (1 lb., no more) to do, and she seems to be feeling a bit more in control and much better about everything. She turned in her autobiography ms. a few weeks ago, and her editor formally accepted it. The editor sent two pages of editorial comments, which apparently is really very little for a first book. Working title is "Between the Lines," BTW.
(Of course - and I'm not supposed to know this - she's also been a little down because she regarded her convalescence time as "free work time," and expected to finish two novelettes and a young adult novel over the two months... what an idiot! We'll see. I reminded her when we spoke that Mike Resnick is expecting to co-write a novel with her next year, and it's not like she'll be touring 7 days a week, month after month. There'll be time for writing.)
On another note, I don't think anyone's mentioned that Janis smoked her last cigarette just before the surgery?! She used a book by Allen Carr (I'm not sure I'm spelling that right) that her friends Cathy and Celia had used; read it right up to leaving that morning for surgery. She says once in a while she misses it, but each time she thinks of lighting a cigarette, she also thinks "If I light one cigarette, it'll cost me $93,000 over the rest of my life, because I'll get addicted again." We don't know if it'll last, but we're all very proud of her!!!!!
The happiest part is that while she still has to wear the neck brace when she sleeps, or in the car or doing brisk walking, she can take it off the rest of the time. Since she's going on vacation from Nov. 16-Dec 1, this is really great.
That's about it. "Our girl" is doing as well as can be expected, much much better than most in her position. I'll be seeing her and Pat when we meet up for vacation Nov. 16 - it's their yearly treat to me, including me for that first week! I'll give you all a report on what she looks like, moves like, acts like then!!!!
As Janis herself would say, thanks to all of you for your support, and your kind remarks!!!
The doctor was totally pleased with her x-rays (yes, she faxed a copy to me, yuck!! now her upper spine and a plate with two screws in it are indelibly engraved on my mind...!) and her progress. So pleased, in fact, that he allowed her to begin Range Of Motion physical therapy right away, and resume light weight-lifting exercises!!
Anna, Janis has been doing a lot of alternative medicine work. She and her dear friend Anne McCaffrey correspond continuously about flower essences, hands-on healing, etc etc. She worked closely with a local hypnotherapist for weeks before the surgery, using guided imagery and re-affirming that the surgery would go well, there'd be little pain, her voice would be better than ever and the like.
She also works closely with a chiropracter and two PT's - one specializing in musicians and ROM work, one doing a lot more cranio-sacral, "healing hands," working with her cerebrospinal fluid etc. I don't think there's anything Janis herself discounts when it comes to health. Just this afternoon, as she was telling me about her PT today, she said something like "You know, our bodies get it; we just get in the way sometimes...."
She said to me once, when I was raving about something, "Judy, you can't discount anything. Not anything. There's just too much we don't know." And if you think about it - burst intestine, liver surgery, this surgery - she's really come through like a trouper, in large part I think because she doesn't discount anything.
I must admit, Janis has been true to her word and taken it easy. Her friend Cyndi continued to drive her - to the x-rays, to the neuro-surgeon, to lunch with Pat. Janis took a big nap after that, then drove herself to PT (with her surgeon's blessing, since it was only 1 1/2 miles away.) Then she took a two mile walk, went home, and met up with Pat, who took her to California Pizza Kitchen to celebrate the great test results. She's been trying to walk at least two miles each day, since she hasn't been allowed to do any other sort of exercise.
We were all a little concerned because whenever she's tried to turn her head to the side, particularly to the right, it's spasmed out. (Pat says she does kind of look like a bobble-head at those moments.) But the neuro-surgeon wasn't phased, and her physical therapist explained that the "dark meat" muscles had gone into hiding, while the "white meat" muscles were carrying too heavy a load. Everyone promises it's normal, and will only last another month or two.
After today's session with the PT, she's got 2 PT exercises plus 3 weight lifting (1 lb., no more) to do, and she seems to be feeling a bit more in control and much better about everything. She turned in her autobiography ms. a few weeks ago, and her editor formally accepted it. The editor sent two pages of editorial comments, which apparently is really very little for a first book. Working title is "Between the Lines," BTW.
(Of course - and I'm not supposed to know this - she's also been a little down because she regarded her convalescence time as "free work time," and expected to finish two novelettes and a young adult novel over the two months... what an idiot! We'll see. I reminded her when we spoke that Mike Resnick is expecting to co-write a novel with her next year, and it's not like she'll be touring 7 days a week, month after month. There'll be time for writing.)
On another note, I don't think anyone's mentioned that Janis smoked her last cigarette just before the surgery?! She used a book by Allen Carr (I'm not sure I'm spelling that right) that her friends Cathy and Celia had used; read it right up to leaving that morning for surgery. She says once in a while she misses it, but each time she thinks of lighting a cigarette, she also thinks "If I light one cigarette, it'll cost me $93,000 over the rest of my life, because I'll get addicted again." We don't know if it'll last, but we're all very proud of her!!!!!
The happiest part is that while she still has to wear the neck brace when she sleeps, or in the car or doing brisk walking, she can take it off the rest of the time. Since she's going on vacation from Nov. 16-Dec 1, this is really great.
That's about it. "Our girl" is doing as well as can be expected, much much better than most in her position. I'll be seeing her and Pat when we meet up for vacation Nov. 16 - it's their yearly treat to me, including me for that first week! I'll give you all a report on what she looks like, moves like, acts like then!!!!
As Janis herself would say, thanks to all of you for your support, and your kind remarks!!!