Flowers 2 - An update on me.

This note provides general information about Farmer Kevin’s upcoming neck surgery at the UT Medical Center.  

What . I will have spinal surgery on 18 November to replace the discs at the C5-7 (my neck) and fuse those bones together. (Procedure is called ACDF) In the Neurosurgery world, this is a routine operation.

Why: the c6/7 disc has ruptured into the spinal canal and is causing severe stenosis which is risky and problematic. This narrowing has pushed the spinal cord against the bone and is constricting the 6/7 nerve bundle. This results in pain, degradation of the muscles in the right arm and risks further damage.

Why now ? Damage has already occurred to the right arm nerve bundle resulting in a ~25% capacity of the right tricep muscle. Waiting will further damage the cord and more atrophy in the impacted muscles.

How did this happen?  Shit happens. Original deterioration was discovered in 2017, it has just caught up with me.

What if you opt out of surgery?  The real problem with this issue is risk of paralysis.  Given the vulnerability of the cord, a fall or blow to the head or neck could be catastrophic (loss of legs and potentially right arm too). Every day I wait is an acceptance of greater risk of a paralysis event and further degradation of the nerves and muscles in the right arm.

What does Recovery look like ?

First few days after – Very Limited. 

First 2 weeks. No driving, no lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk. Don’t do much.

Week 2-6 slowly resume activity. Limitations in lifting ease up some, no overhead work. Light duty.

Within 12 weeks I should be getting back to normal life

Within 6-12 months the right arm could recover with work.

Farm and business impacts

This comes at a good time – Winter. We have most of the bases covered, but there could be a few market Saturdays impacted as well as some fulfillment delays for whole hog buyers. I will keep you posted.