07/29/2025
My ~1 year spinal surgery recovery process has taught me a lot. New X rays show the surgery was a success & I am ‘back in action’. Full story below.
I had a damaged disc in my neck that was injuring my spinal cord and causing excruciating pain. After trying every possible alternative therapy and intervention, the risk of further spinal cord damage became too great and surgery became a last resort. The damaged bone was removed and replaced with titanium implants during a 5.5-hour procedure. Recent X-rays now show a 90% chance that I’ve grown new bone that has fused with the titanium, meaning the surgical site has healed successfully. I am still experiencing some nerve pain which evidently may take up to 2 years to ameliorate.
Firstly, let me acknowledge the reality that what I have gone through is so incredibly minor compared to what so many have and are going through in terms of health and crisis across the world and historically. While I often prefer to write about the stories of others, I share my story as a means of shared my experience and what was gathered.
This experience has revealed both the extraordinary power of modern medicine when truly necessary and the critical importance of being your own advocate in our fragmented U.S. healthcare system. And I’m not referring to the great and well-intentioned doctors, nurses, and practitioners – often, they’re the ones who most clearly see how broken the system is. Many of them come to me through my work in the wellness space, with stories and insights shaped by their own frustrations. Our health system has driven so many to the alternative and integrated health space following horror stories and the feeling that they are being dehumanized; seen as an object instead of a human being thanks to insurance, mega health systems etc.
I consider myself ‘holistic’ or integrative in the sense that there’s a role for both so-called ‘alternative’ therapies and conventional evidence-based medicine. I believe in using therapies like mindfulness, meditation, nutritional supplements, massage, and behavioral work as a foundation of preventative care. But I also recognize that you can’t meditate or supplement your way out of a broken bone or a life-threatening bacterial infection. This is a ‘walking in both worlds’ approach to wellness, with a focus on prevention and natural living.
The small, damaged and jagged disc in my neck thrust me outside of my natural and healthy living goal zone and forced me to accept numerous interventions and pharmaceuticals in order to avoid excruciating pain and potentially mitigate some of the damage. I had the privilege of working with many who cared and were interested in my highest outcome. Due to the fragmented system and insurance requirements, however, there were also run-ins with potentially life-changing consequences. While I researched each and every intervention – injection, pharmaceutical, etc. – it’s virtually impossible to read all of the material (and AI LLMs are extremely helpful but not entirely comprehensive).
As I was working towards the surgery and looking to prevent damage, insurance required that I see various specialists and ‘go through the healthcare’ system as it goes; despite the pleadings of the first expert to expedite the surgery. Along the way, I was given a prescription that I was not aware would cause potential liver failure when taking past a certain time period – of which I was very far past this window. The impact was thankfully limited. Healthcare workers even with the best intentions express frustration that (particularly with complex issues) there is a breakdown in the ability for communication between providers across health systems.
Again, I place no blame on the individuals who work tirelessly for us – only the system that is need of transformation; for the patients and the providers. Also, we are all ready to transition beyond the 15 minute (or less) window of limited attention and likely straight-to-medication approach that many experience (thankfully this is changing).
This is why it is essential to be your own advocate, researching and double checking. Another pharmaceutical I was given pre-surgery has somewhat rare but serious side effects when stopped abruptly. There was a miscommunication as the spine specialist was working until 4 AM the previous night and was (very understandably) not able to be reached by the attending practitioner who was discharging me. A very nice and well-meaning person. Evidently it was not relayed to this new practitioner that I should taper off this medication over months, as a result of several surgical emergencies and other issues that took the attention away.
The result was that I was instead told to stop abruptly, and the prescription was not renewed. It sounded off, and I researched it myself and found that there was a rare and infrequent risk of serious issues if stopped abruptly – less than an estimated 5 percent chance of reaction that has led to hospitalizations and is resistant to treatment. I brushed it off and assumed it would never happen and it was likely considered a non-issue by the practitioners based in what I imagined was a review of my medical history and general health. The result was that after stopping the prescription at home some time later, my blood pressure eventually shot up to 180 and my resting heart rate went from the 60s to 120 bpm. I felt like I was having some kind of cardiac event and had to receive emergency attention while recovering from surgery. Due to my research I was able to raise the rare effect and the specialist was able to conduct research and conclude that it was in fact the result of stopping the prescription; I proceeded to follow a taper plan and the issues subsided over a few months.
My lesson was inculcated that is often applicable in life: even if it means risking coming off as combative when you are uncomfortable with what you are being recommended, or you need clarification, it is essential to achieve full clarity and confidence in decisions relating to your health and well-being. Archetypes have power in the subconscious, even if we do not want to acknowledge them.
I am grateful to have traversed through the discomfort and uncertainty into a place of stability and relatively strong function considering I could not lift my arm above my head nor turn my neck for months. The inner work along the way over the past ~year has proven to be some of the most potent of my lifetime. My compassion has grown for all who experience health consequences, and many many are far greater than my own. If you are going through a dark night of the soul in this regard or any other, may you soon experience the shift you have been looking for physically, mentally, and spiritually.
