[Katie]

Hi Jen,

So you have horses too? How did you manage before surgery? My dear husband has taken up the slack for the small farm, and I live for the day that I can play with my girls, and make them do a little work for a living at last. I used to do combined driving, and the equipment has been sitting inside, waiting for a nice trip through the trails around us. I have been very afraid to do much of anything after having the diagnosis of extreme risk to quadriplegia from any small bump or fall.

I have changed my goals to have surgery in NYC with Dr. Fabien Bitan, after seeing him last week. He wants to do hybrids, with a combination of fusion and ADR at both cervical and lumbar levels. This is the only way I can see getting approval by the provincial insurance, as they are so adamant against multi-level ADR. His explanations of why to use both made a great deal of sense to me, and I am happy with the compromise. It is amazing what happens when you 'click' with a doctor! The confidence level grows and the way ahead finally seems clear.

Can you explain what an inflammation marker is? I am very close to eliminating almost everything except very basic foods...no preservatives, chemicals, grains of any kind, yeast, etc. I do have a weakness for some sugar, and am fighting hard to get off that completely. It is just a craving for some kind of carbs, I suspect.

Thanks so much for verifying the vertigo, etc. I truly have felt like I have been going nuts. Who else has weird symptoms like this, after all...my local doctors certainly think I'm tripping down the yellow brick road.

Dr. Bitan seems quite confident that many of my problems will disappear after the cervical area is looked after too. It is interesting to hear you say that the myelopathy is the source. I was bouncing between that and the medication sensitivity.

This is exactly what I was hoping to receive...confirmation that others have gone through similar symptoms, and there is hope at the end. Thank you so very much.