Friday, December 4, 2009

out of surgery

Jimmy came out of surgery fine and Janelle, Joy and I just listened to Dr. V explain how the surgery went. They were able to clean out the area surrounding the spinal cord, removing all debris, scar tissue, blood and matter. The cord looked healthy with no tears. They also put in extra hardware in the vertebrae to strengthen and to fortify his spine. The doctor was confident that they did everything in their power to enable healing and to relieve the cord from any pressure.

Bottom line:

  • BEFORE the surgery, Dr. V asked him to move his left toe. He moved it!!!! He also swayed the foot slightly from side to side. This was a great encouragement!!
  • Jimmy will be in extreme pain - this surgery is one of the most painful things a person can go through medically.
  • The road to recovery will be a two-year process.

For the time being, he will regress due to the complicated surgery , but long-term expectations should be better than before. He will return to Craig after his stay here at Boulder Community, currently in ICU.

Many have asked, rightly so, what led up to the initial surgery (especially since he walked in and did not walk out.) Jimmy had a serious neurological condition which could have led to paralysis, loss of bowel control and potentially death and was worsening week by week. As with any elective surgery, you are told of the risks and must weigh them with your decision. Jimmy's case happened to be a worst case scenario. His doctor said he has never had a case resolve like this. The main complication is that Jimmy is a large, muscular guy (one nurse remarked that he was sure "sturdy stock") and his size alone posed issues for both procedure and the hardware involved to provide stability. Even in a best-case scenario with no complications, they still could not guarantee more than a 50-50% chance of improvement. We were hoping against permanent damage before the surgery, but were warned that it could have already been too late.

This journey is a marathon - not a sprint. Thanks for hanging with us!

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5 comments:

  1. kctibsDecember 4, 2009 at 5:36 PM

    You are all in our hearts and prayers during this long journey. We Praise the Lord for small advances and will keep up the prayers for large advances. God Bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 4, 2009 at 7:37 PM

    You are in our prayers. We hope that the loving thoughts of those around help to give you strength and courage during your journey. We have full faith that you will win this marathon.
    John & Liz

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 4, 2009 at 9:01 PM

    Hi Jimmy,
    Maxine has kept me up-to date on your progress and gave me your blog address today so I was able to read it. It sounds like you have great doctors and are in good hands. I'll be holding good thoughts for you - stay positive.
    Love, Phyllis (your CA cousin)

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousDecember 5, 2009 at 7:21 AM

    Hey Jimmy,
    We are thinking and praying for you down here in Oklahoma. Between this blog and Marina, we have been able to hear how you and your family are doing. Keep working toward your goals and don't ever give up!
    Lots of love from Oklahoma,
    Terri C.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownDecember 5, 2009 at 4:33 PM

    Hello Jimmy and Nellie,
    You are in our thoughts and prayers daily. We sure miss all of you Baldwins. Can't wait to see you guys in a few weeks. We love the heck out of you and can't wait to hug your neck.
    The Okies,
    Marina, Dewayne and kids.

    ReplyDelete

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