Nothing like stress-testing the “in sickness and in health” part of our wedding vows. I’m at his side no matter what happens.
So, to be somewhat less cryptic: My husband (40 years old) collapsed yesterday after losing feeling and control in his lower extremities. It turned out to be congenital spinal stenosis – an abnormally narrow channel for the spinal cord between the vertebrae. Basically, the bone was growing into his spinal cord. This has been going on all along and was a ticking time bomb. I guess it’s good that he was at home, but I got to learn what it’s like to call 911 and have the ambulance come to your house (the EMT’s were awesome, by the way).
Off to the hospital we went, and late last night he had emergency spinal surgery: lumbar laminectomy from L2 to S1. There was a good bit of trauma to the nerves in his lower back, and nerves don’t bounce back quickly. We are looking at 12-18 months of recovery, a good portion of which is going to be learning how to walk again.
I’m not going to lie. This is fucking terrifying. It is going to change our lives completely, but this is the new normal and we have to deal with it. The important thing is that I still have the man I love, and god dammit together we will make this work! The support we have received from our friends and family near and far has been overwhelming and immensely gratifying. We are not alone in this, and for this I will be eternally grateful.
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