My OR report

I received my OR report today from my cord detethering surgery last November.

My surgeon wrote my Pre-operative Diagnosis:
"Tethered cord syndrome with elongation (53.3 mm) and downward displacement of the brainstem in association with low-lying cerebellar tonsils (3 mm tonsillar herniation); post-traumatic craniocervical instability with incompletely fixed cranial settling and posterior dislocation of the occipital condyles following a C1 Jefferson fracture (2004)"

The post-operative diagnosis states, ""Same: ultrathin dura with L3-4 and L4-5 ectasias."

[I looked up "ectasia" and it means "distention, dilation or expansion."]

I can't explain it because I sure didn't know what this would feel like before this journey I'm on, but it's really a GOOD feeling knowing exactly what was found and is known after world-class experts have performed surgery on you and taken the time and care to evaluate all the imaging done. After so many years of being shined on, often by well-meaning doctors, who really didn't know the first thing about how badly I was really injured. It seemed like they just couldn't believe anyone could be injured badly if they were walking and talking! Maybe I'm an anomaly, but I don't think so.

Anyway, to have on paper, in black ink, exactly what was seen in the best imaging anywhere (much of this was discovered while under invasive cervical traction while at the same time, CT scans were being taken), that feels pretty darn good. Odd as that may seem.