ICT

So here I am getting ready for my ICT exam.... smiles and bunny ears and I even have a slice of heaven, a halo! I actually didnt mind this operation as much as I did my following surgery!! I was so excited as I was going to meet the worlds most incredible Doctor...Dr. Milhorat or so I think( he is grand! )Infact to me ,he is like the Dali Lama. He is a wealth of medical brilliance! Upon meeting him, I had no fear to declare him as my Doctor Lama! I shook his hand with confidence and an air hug through the tubular machines that surround me:) We all had a good laugh and then it was right to Business! I was surrounded in this operating room by a multitude of brilliant Docs, including handsome Dr. Remy, Dr.Milhorat, Dr. Chen to name a few. I wasn't the least bit nervous for them to stretch my neck. I suffer from chiari 1 malformation, syringomyelia and tethered cord syndrome. Chiairi 1 malformation is a serious neurological disorder. Basically your brain stem is herniated and is in the way of normal CSF flow. When it doesn't flow properly, it backs up in to the spinal cord and forms a syrinx..syringomyelia. The spinal cord is tethered and in my case is pulling the brain stem into my spinal canal.
Pretty amazing when you think about it. sooooooooo, basically I might look quite healthy on the outside but boy am I mess on the inside- talk about extreme pain! From head to toe. its like fibromyalgia but times a million! It really hurts and when your spinal fluid doesnt flow correctly and your brain isnt getting the fluid it needs , you begin to fall apart...like in my case.... I had severe migraines,my sight would go intermittingly, my right ear had pulsations on and on it goes. Unfortunately no one was piecing any of this together to form...voila With lots of research and being my own advocate in this rat race of medicine, I was guided to The Chiari Institute in Great Neck NY- Manhassat Long Island!!!
So back to my pic, this is me going in for an ICT. (Invasive cervical traction) Of course we werent allowed to take our cameras in as everything has to be sterile...for god sakes I felt like I was at a concert and busted by security:) But my man Dr.Remy came thru for me and snapped one for me! What happens is, they put you to sleep and they surgically clamp the halo on and insert the pins about an inch over your ear- its a little oowie but no biggie. I knew relief was in sight seeing I had spent the last year practically in traction!! They x-ray your cranium and see if its on the axis point or not. If not they add weight to see if it gives you relief. By adding weight its pulling your head up giving, well, me ..relief! Dr. Milhorat continued to add weight and was intrigued that it took 35 lbs to give me full relief!! usually its 15-20
so Kudos to that great group of Doctors!!!! May 14th,2008 North Shore -You guys rock!