Doctor Visit

This morning we got up early to be on the road by around 7:30 for the trip to Harlingen for Ken's visit with Dr. Eric Six, a neurosurgeon who specializes in spinal surgery. It was a cold, windy, rainy day for a trip, but we arrived in plenty of time to fill out paperwork before seeing the doctor.

We were both impressed with Dr. Six. He was friendly and direct and communicated well. He laid out Ken's situation and the "menu" of possible things to do, ranging from sticking with pain pills and activity restriction to fusion surgery. His recommendation was spinal decompression for sure, and additionally dynamic stabilization using the Dynesys system.

His explanations made sense, and we liked the fact that he's been doing back surgeries for 30 years and has performed 200 of the Dynesys procedures. Ken decided to schedule surgery, and a date was set for January 6. We'll go back January 4 for another consultation.

On the way home we stopped at Dodge Arena in Hidalgo to purchase tickets for the Hidalgo Festival of Lights dinner, concert, and trolley ride for us and the Ericksons. It's a real steal for $8 per person. We went to the festival and concert last year and realy enjoyed it.

When we got back to the park we stopped by to see Gary and Mary Ann and swap stories about back issues and surgeries. Gary has had some laminectomies, which offered some relief, but still has problems.

Today is Ken's sister Romaine's birthday. He called to talk with her and get an update on her progress since her hip replacement surgery last month. She seems to be doing well in her recovery. Rebecca called to thank Ken for the cookies and they talked about the possibility of getting together at Yellowstone next summer.

We are trying not to spend too much time sitting at the computer. Dr. Six said the worst thing for Ken's condition is to sit or stand for too long, so we are trying to get up and move around regularly. We played a game of Rummikub, which Ken won, so I'll be looking for a rematch tomorrow.