Good news: I won't need more surgery, thank God. My arm is no longer paralyzed, and I've regained some strength.
Bad news: The reason I won't need more surgery is that because the first surgery never healed properly, the doc is afraid that re-doing the spinal fusion would leave me even worse off than I am now. He feels that I won't ever get full strength back on my left side, and that the pain I feel now is going to be a permanent condition. I'll be going to the pain clinic as soon as I can get an appointment, so I can learn to live with this.
Also, I am back in the wretched collar part-time. The doc wants me to sleep in the collar and also wear it while I bead (so my neck won't tilt to one side). He asked me how I would feel about giving up beading, and when I told him that was not an option, he said that we will work on some way to allow me to bead without making my condition worse.
More Good news: While waiting for an X-ray, DH and I started talking to a fellow who repair Harley Davidsons for a living. When we mentioned that my sister's husband is a Harley nut, he asked if it was Bill. Amazed, we repied that it was -- turns out the fellow knows my sister, and since we look alike, he figured out that Bill was the Harley nut we were talking about.
Without prompting, he said that my sister is the light of Bill's life, and that before he had met her, Bill was the saddest person he had ever met. Bill is a sweetie, but not the hearts and flowers kind of guy, so I was sure that he had never told my sister anything of the sort. So, I called and told my sister. She was so surprised and happy that she started crying. :-)
Even more Good news: DD had been placed in a disciplinary class in error, and was scheduled to be moved to a regular classroom. Her principal called me and asked if I would allow DD to stay in the disciplinary class for a week, to show her what happens to people who refuse to do schoolwork. (Last year DD was on a homework strike and got very poor grades, despite having "A" averages on tests.
Today, after a week in the Hell class, DD was moved to her proper class. I had assumed it would be a standard level class, but it turns out that she is in an advanced placement class, and is very, very happy. The principal has promised her that if she reverts to her old lazy ways, she's back in the other homeroom. Right now, she's so happy to be actually learning something, she did her homework without any complaining.
-----------------------
So, it's been a mixed day. After all the poking and pulling and prodding at the hospital, I really hurt. I think I'll take an evening off from beading and try to get some sleep.
Oh yes, one more piece of good news: DH brought 11 packages to the post office today, and I have sent out pretty much everything. I only have two more packets to put together: the one for the beading class and one for my cousin. Hooray!
Kathy N-V