Ranea H.
At age eleven I was injured in a car accident. It left me paralyzed on the left side from the waist down. Two months later I was able to walk out of the hospital in a body cast. (An item that would become a staple in my wardrobe over the years).
My next surgery was in February of 1981 to treat degenerative disc disease and scoliosis that had developed during my teenage years. My Harrington Rod procedure made history as the first double rod and the longest rod in use at that time. Once again I would walk out of the hospital in a body cast (and no ladies, the fashion design had not changed in 13 years!). Not long after that, I made history again when my body rejected the rods and, in September of 1981, they were removed. Good news, no body cast was awarded at this time.
Eighteen years, two full-term pregnancies, working 40-plus hours a week, and not getting enough exercise finally started to take its toll. During this time I would visit my orthopedist for new ideas in pain management as my degenerative disc disease and scoliosis had returned with a vengeance. He informed me that I needed surgery but that the local hospital was not equipped to handle the severity or the length of surgery time required. He sent me to St. Louis and Dr. Lenke. God smiled on me that day!
I met Dr. Lenke and Kathy, his assistant, in July of 1999, and my surgery was scheduled for December of that same year. The surgery plan was explained to me: they would fuse the bone as is, so that I would not lose any more height (I had been losing ¼ inch a year, and my heart and lungs were starting to be affected).
An MRI was ordered and I requested that copies be sent to Dr. Klaus Leyendecker, renowned neurosurgeon in Germany whom we had met through mutual friends. After reviewing the films, Dr. Leyendecker requested that they be sent to Dr. Harms, an orthopedic surgeon in Germany. So we asked Dr. Lenke to send copies of my films to Dr. Harms. After listening very intently, Dr. Lenke said he would be pleased to have Dr. Harms review them, and he would deliver them personally, as he would be meeting with Dr. Harms next month for a review of cases. Dr. Lenke, Dr. Harms, and a few other orthopedic surgeons meet a couple of times a year to review each other's cases and to discuss new techniques and instrumentation. He went on to tell me the brackets they would be using in my surgery were invented by Dr. Harms and are called "Harm's Brackets." Once again, God had reaffirmed He was in the planning and had been for quite sometime.
On December 16, 1999, my husband and I traveled to St. Louis, where I was scheduled for the artery-port placement in my chest. After this was done, we met with Kathy in the clinic for last-minute pictures and instructions. I was also able to give to her fifty teddy bears from my church for the children in the pediatric ward. This was very dear to my heart because thirty-one years before, I was a child in the hospital on Christmas.
The next day my surgery was scheduled to begin at seven, so check-in was at six. I was a little nervous because they told me the surgery would take most of the day. It ended up taking eleven hours. As a result of my condition, part of my back had degenerated to the point of being "almost like powder", and had almost fallen into Dr. Lenke's hand. This enabled him to straighten the spine, and the Titanium bars, screws, and brackets were then added.
The next day, the nursing staff and therapists had me sitting up in a chair by my bed. This was just amazing to me, for after my other surgeries I was left to lie flat on my back for three weeks or longer. The really amazing part was that I had no stiffness or pain. I had also gained four inches in height. Dr. Lenke informed me I would not need a body cast this time, as I was wearing one on the inside. All was going well.
My next surgery came on December 23, 1999. It took four hours and involved grafting of bone from my right rib to the spine. This time I had a lot of pain. It felt like the whole right side of my body was on fire, and it even hurt to breathe. Fortunately, I had a medication pump and used it regularly.
Twelve days later, I was moved to the rehab unit. Once again I had an awesome staff. In rehab I was shown the right procedures for walking up and down stairs and for dressing myself. Sounds pretty simple, but when you can no longer bend from your neck to your pelvis, it is a challenge. Dr. Lenke came in to check my progress, and after deciding I was doing really well, wished me Happy New Year and released me to go home. Wow! I had thought I would be in rehab at least two weeks, and it was only two days. Thank you, Lord!
I will never forget my son's reaction when I arrived home. I stood so straight and tall, he said, "Mom you have outgrown me.!" But this was only for a short time and he now has the distinction of outgrowing his mother twice.
The weeks following were filled with lots of bed rest, visiting nurses, and rehab. I was able to sit for ten minutes at a time at first, but increased the time as I grew stronger. I stopped my serious pain medication after one month and started on over-the-counter pain relief. My first outing was to church on Easter Sunday. It took a full year after that to be able to do all the things I used to do. Some things I will never be able to do, like sit for more than an hour without getting up, run, stand for long periods of time, and anything that requires bending.
It has been five years since my surgery and I still experience pain in my legs and in the area of my bone graft. My back hurts when I first lie down at night, but even with this, I would still do it all over again. I look and feel so much better. My quality of life is better. I am able to walk two miles every day and have watched my weight more consciously.
I would like to take this time to thank Dr. Lenke, Kathy, and all the staff. There are no words to tell you how much I appreciate all you have done and the care you have given me. I pray God's blessings for you and your continued success.
