Finally

 Tim's surgery finally happened a few days ago. The surgeon said it would take around 1.5 hours but it took double that. They had to go through the front of his neck (to avoid the spinal cord) and chip away parts of his bone so the artificial disk would slide in there (like a gear with cut teeth connecting); they had to chip away more than expected. So, it took almost three hours for the surgery.  Then it took two hours for him in recovery to start breathing enough on his own to be wheeled back into the room, then another two hours for him to be conscious enough to go home.

I took pictures, did computer work for my job, read a book, wrote in my journal, played phone games, tried to take a nap, and got covered in warm blankets when I told the nurse her hospital was freezing.

Look at these beauts of "underwear" he had to change into.

Purple gown and blue underwear for the win.

Amber just had her rib removed and she said she went into surgery with blue underwear and a purple robe but came out with no underwear and a blue robe....

So... I was hoping...

Getting ready!

Not looking so good after. His whole face wouldn't stop shivering and he was so cold so the nurses put a warm rolled up towel around his face and about five on top of his legs and chest...

He has a gnarly scar; the shiny stuff is glue (instead of stitches)

He looks like he's getting ready to be in a scripture movie with Bible folks who wore turbans around their heads...

But actually he was just in a LOT of pain. They kept him intubated for breathing during it and so the inside of his throat was Really swollen and sore, and the outside was also swollen and sore. So, swallowing the tiniest ice chunk was a lot of work and a lot of pain.

The nurse and I kept trying to get him to wake up so we could eventually leave. He was seriously like a sloth- in slow motion. A slow motion sloth.  

Nurse: Tim, how's your pain? What's your pain scale?

Tim:  Ssssssseeeeeevvvvveeeeeennnnn (about ten seconds to say)

Me: Tim, it's time to go home, doesn't that sound nice?

Tim:  Nooooooo.....nap.......here....

Me: Tim, you have to talk and wake up. It's time to say something...

Tim: Wwwwwhhhhhyyyyyyy.....

Me: Because it will help you wake up so we can go home.

 Tim: No.... a nap....is....gggoooooooddddd

And so on... and then I'd look over and he'd just gone back to bed.

One time the nurse came in and said, "Oh Tim, you put your glasses on!"

Me: No, I did that.

Nurse: Oh.  Well, it's a start...

They put needles on the top of his head and his feet to monitor his nerves during it so he had blook marks all over.... sad!

He couldn't lift his head (out of grogginess but also extreme pain) so I helped him sit up and he just hung onto the rods for support.  This was a few hours later and he was a LITTLE more coherent.

Me: Tim, you went in with a purple robe but came out with a blue one...

Tim: Yeah the doctor violated me...

Me: I'm just kidding

Tim: *asleep*

Me: Tim, how about we put your shirt on?

Tim: Why?

Me: So we can have you rest at home.

Tim2: So I didn't die? Or if I did this is a really pathetic heaven...

Me: Yeah this would be a pathetic heaven. And no you aren't dead.

Me: What's your pain scale?

Tim: I can't see the scale.

Me: You don't need to see it; it's 1-10 with 10 being the most pain.

Tim: Oh. Seven?

Then he went back to sleep.

Later:

Tim: This is my driving finger (as he very clearly uses his middle finger)

Me: Oh! Are you flipping me off?

Tim: No, I'm flipping off the door (and he does). This is a stupid hospital. This hospital is stupid.

Then he went back to sleep.

When I woke him back up I asked if he wanted to see pictures of the girls when they were little. Then I took a picture of his neck to show him and he said, "The doctor tried to slice off my head."

I just agreed and he went back to sleep.

Me: Tim, we should take a selfie together; would you like that?

Tim: (silent)

This is a great picture of us....

Trying to stand up....

In hospital heaven because they brought him a Coke Zero to try and wake him up...

Too bad he doesn't really remember this...

I was a little afraid I wouldn't be able to get him from the van to the couch, but we did it!

He slept another three hours before waking up and deciding he wanted to watch Inception... then (tried to) sleep sitting up because lying flat was a no-no for 24 hours...

Recovery will be long and probably slow. Lifting is really restricted (ten pounds for a month, then twenty pounds for a month), no driving until he can appropriately move his neck, and all sorts of other things, and probably not going back to work for at least six months to a year.

I'm glad he finally got to this point. Even with a long recovery, he's going to be much better off (fingers crossed). And... good news... I also researched all sorts of medical things we can do in the next 11 months until our insurance year starts over. His fun (i.e. traumatic) little ER stay on July 4th was half of our out-of-pocket, and this surgery will definitely c2over the rest. So... expect almost a year of all sorts of stuff the insurance can pay for...