How we got here...

So, why do we even need this blog? Well, it's a little complicated (of course), and not all good, but certainly not all bad.

Ben had some health symptoms beginning in Fall 2012 that continued to nag at him and bother him through the months. These symptoms included numbness and tingling in his left leg and foot. They also included a scary episode where he gradually lost his ability to swallow solids and most liquids. That particular adventure concluded with an ER visit on Christmas day, an endscopy on December 26th, a follow-up with a general practitioner, a barium swallow study, and no real answers as to what had caused the swallowing issue.

Luckily, Ben and his doctors persisted. Ben visited two neurologists this spring, and had an MRI on March 19th. That's when the real problem was discovered. A tumor on Ben's cervical spine (that's the upper part of his spine, close to the skull/brain). In fact, the tumor is actually on Ben's spinal cord and probably actually INSIDE his spinal cord. It is not thought to be cancerous, but it definitely has to be removed.

The surgery to remove the tumor will happen on Friday, April 5th at 9:30am. It is supposed to take around 3.5 hours. Everything that happens after the surgery for Ben's recovery depends on exactly what happens and what they learn during the surgery.

Here is what we know:
Ben will go straight to the ICU after his surgery. He will stay there probably 2 days.
Ben will spend another 5 or so days in the hospital after his initial ICU stay.
Ben will likely spend time at an in-patient rehab immediately following his regular hospital stay.

None of this is set in stone, but all of it is likely. When surgery is done on the spinal cord, doctors have told us to expect a loss of neurological function for Ben afterwards. The level of that loss depends on what happens during the surgery, but common issues are: loss of ability to swallow, balance issues, and trouble walking. There are two pieces of good news regarding this, though. One, Ben's neurosurgeon said it was amazing that Ben is still so neurologically intact right now, considering the location and size of the tumor. Two, the level of neurological function regained after surgery is usually about the same as the level of neurological function the patient has before surgery. In that regard, Ben is great shape! We are hopeful that this is good news for his healing.

Of course, we are anxious about the surgery itself and about the upcoming recovery period. But, we are so thankful for our amazing family and friends. We are thankful for our understanding employers, our health insurance, and our ability to take leave from work. We are thankful that Ben's issues are treatable, and we are thankful for the amazing healthcare providers he has.

My plan and hope is to update this blog with all of the details that are so up-in-the-air right now.  We greatly appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.