Six Months later

We have heard from several readers wondering how David is doing now so we thought we should give you an update. We also welcome questions and comments and are more than happy to answer any other questions any of you may have.

David is doing extremely well! He still tires more quickly than normal, but most people wouldn't really notice. The cold makes his neck ache, but we live in Utah so it is unavoidable and we make sure to keep a heated neck wrap handy. One thing we also found to be valuable a couple months after surgery is one of those heated Shiatsu neck massagers.

Six months after surgery, David is skiing (with a helmet, of course), and enjoying winter. He does a little too much sometimes and I grounded him from the Black Diamond runs this year because three hours after we get home he can't function and sleeps the entire next day. But I never expected him to be doing as much as he is so soon after surgery.

His first few weeks back to work were pretty difficult. Holding his head up for an entire day was much harder than he thought it would be after sitting in a recliner for so many weeks. I really think that the surgeon you choose makes a big difference in your recovery. Make sure you know EXACTLY what he plans to do during the surgery because we have heard some horror stories.

David's surgeon did a craniectomy, increasing the size of the foramen magnum (opening at the base of the skull) by 1 cm. He also did a C1 laminectomy which trims the back portion of the C1 vertebrae to allow more space. He also did a dural patch. Our surgeon took the patch piece from the lining on the side of David's skull. This area is still sensitive as it is healing, but the surgeon believes that by using David's own parts, it has a greater chance of accepting the patch.

When we asked if David had any restrictions, they told us that he is actually much safer doing physical activity than he was before. His only restrictions are not too lift enough weight to make him hold his breath, (the first four months it was nothing more than a gallon of milk). They suggested wearing a helmet for safety since his C1 vertebra has been trimmed and, of course, no football or soccer, but he is too old for that anyway :)