Two Weeks have passed...

...since the last time I blogged here.  The past two weeks have been sort of uneventful.  On Tuesday the 26th I had another appointment with the surgeon.  It was at the 5 weeks mark, and he had told me I would be wearing the brace for 8 weeks.  Imagine my surprise when he told me I could take the brace off after only 5 weeks.

Evidently he felt I had healed better than he thought I would.  I was excited and scared all at the same time.  I managed to ride all the way home without the brace, but shortly afterwards, my neck and shoulders were so tired I could barely hold them up!

He said to give it 2 days before I started driving, a couple weeks more of lots and lots of rest and then gradually going back to normal routines.  I have to take it easy for another 2 months (and I did not ask what difference between things I could do and couldn't do at the two week and two month mark.  At the time I didn't think about it!  LOL)  He said it would be probably 6 months to 18 months before I could be said to be healed, but unless I had any problems I didn't need to come back.

He was very concerned about my scar...one item I had not given a single thought to!  I am not allowed to go out in the sun without sunscreen on, and I am supposed to massage the scar several times a day.  He told me since I am so fair skinned, it would take the scar several years to heal all the way and would always be at risk of sun burn.

Since the scar is well hidden in a crease (most people call them wrinkles) of my neck, I don't think of it as being noticeable.  Although my family tells me it looks like someone wrote on my neck with a brown marker.  So I am guessing it is more noticeable than I thought it was!  LOL!  Since I always thought of my self as having vain tendancies, this revelation has surprised me.  I would have thought this would have been the most worrisome aspect...but it is not bothering me at all.

I know some people wear scarves so thescar won't show, but I have no plans on that any time soon.


So, other than being tired, and a bit sore, I think it is safe to say I am well on my way to being healed.  I probably won't be making any more posts on here unless something new comes up.


If you are thinking of having this surgery, I think the key is to have confidence in your surgeon, and do your own research.    Knowing what he was planning on doing and therefore knowing somewhat ehat to expect, made the whole process a bit easier.  The actual pain was surprisingly non exsistent after leaving the hospital.  A few periods of some discomfort, but no real pain.  Overall it was MUCH easier than I thought it would be.



Nini