Real Talk - Surgery, Cuts and Staples

I will give a warning right up front, if graphic medical pictures make you queasy, you might not want to read any further. 

Ricky uses a phrase quite often when he says it like it is, "Real Talk."  I thought it would be the perfect heading for this post:  Real Talk - Surgery, Cuts and Staples.

As I mentioned in my earlier posts, Ricky is extremely interested in the medical field and is doing his undergrad studies toward a degree in sports medicine.  He is fascinated by the human body and so it is with his approval that these pictures are posted.

Ricky was born with a spine issue although it was not diagnosed until he was 17.  As you recall, his spinal cord was slowly being compressed and would have resulted in almost total paralysis or sudden death.  (He would have been like Christopher Reeve after his accident.)  The doctor reaffirmed to us last week that it was not a matter of "if" but "when."

The surgery saved Ricky's life.  He will be able to move forward, graduate from college, have a career, get married and start a family.  :)

To perform the fusion at the base of the skull, bone needed to be harvested from Ricky's hip.  (The body tends to accept its own bone).  The hip material was used along with the hardware in the skull and neck to make the fusion stronger.  Thus, Ricky has two incisions, one in the back of the head and one on his rear hip.  

Back of Ricky's neck, 5 days post surgery

 Ricky's neurosurgeon is one of the best, if not the best, in the state.  He has never done an exact surgery like Ricky's because it is so rare but he has done 10 "similar" surgeries in his medical career.  

Real talk.

Hip incision, approximately 3 inches, 5 days post surgery.