Mario Spagnolette

Karen S. Poshefko <poshefko@ptd.net>
Hi All,

My dad's surgery went very well. His neurosurgeon, Dr. Lee, is reported to be the best in the Valley and is also an avid fly fisherman! All of this gave my dad a lot of confidence going into the procedure. Dr. Lee said they were monitoring my dad's spinal functions during the procedure and that the electrical impulses have returned to his hands. Yeay! Dr. Lee said my dad will be back fly fishing in a month.

My dad does have some difficult days ahead. We had a little setback the night before the surgery, as he suffered hallucinations from one, or a combination of drugs. This is not surprising, as he has been on TONS of pain killers and muscle relaxers over the past week to relieve his intense pain. They added a steroid a couple of days ago to relieve the inflamation around his spinal cord. He also had Ambien to help him sleep. His glucose level is up due to the steroids, which he is very concerned about. My dad has been a "pre-diabetic" for about 25 years and has been controlling his condition with a strict diet. Up to this time, he's been on no medication and doesn't even like to take aspirin. This is quite amazing for a 78-year-old! We keep telling him all these meds are temporary, but necessary.

Dr. Lee expects my dad will go to Good Shephard for a few days of rehab. We'll see how things go over the next couple of days.

THANKS to all of you for your prayers, and offers of food and rides to hospital. We really appreciate it!!

I'll be in touch.
Love,
Karen