On to the next episode....

I have harbored a well deserved distrust for the Resurgeon's company, a large local group of orthopedics, neurosurgeons, physical therapists, and the like. After several bad experiences with their Lawrenceville GA location, including but not limited to loosing my M.R.I. film and trying to make me pay for their replacement. So, I was a little uneasy about them being my only "real" option as a replacement for my, soon to be out of business, c-spine specialist. I had my first visit with the P.A. that partners with Dr James that will hopefully pick up where the other doc left off. The appointment went pretty much as I thought it would, taking another x-ray and then reviewing it with me and me giving the P.A. an explanation of it and my M.R.I. films that any radiologist would be proud of. He seemed a little bothered at first that I was telling him what was wrong but after a little chatting and Q&A we were on the same page and I felt much more comfortable. A very nice lady then came in and gave us some options for times and dates for my follow up with the surgeon and the actual date (which is somewhat flexible) for my surgery. If all goes as planned by this time next month I will be the proud (ha ha ha) owner of yet another titanium surgical appliance. In this case they feel that the fusion from my previous surgery is in good enough shape that they will remove the old plate and screws from the 4th 5th and 6th and install the new one at the 6th and 7th vertebrae. I am confident that this will all end with me feeling a lot better and hopefully getting back to some of the activities I love and have had to cut back on lately. I have all my fingers crossed that this goes off without any more glitches.

Oh, on a related note the doc says I absolutely have to stop smoking. The smoking really undermines the bones ability to grow with proper density and they don't want to waste their time or mine, so having very good reason to, I am resolved to do as they ask. Suz and I have been talking about it for a while anyway and this gives us a great motivation to get a move on it. A new baby may also be in our future since quiting smoking was one of our biggest goals before we start down the road to family building. I'll keep updating often (with more good news hopefully).