Back to the Future

Well, the verdict is in: Curious George has a severely herniated disk at the L5-S1 level.

After receiving the run-around from the doctor (4 phone calls to even get the MA on the phone) we finally got the MRI taken care of. We figured we'd just take the disk with the images on it with us when we went to the Spine Institute this week. Well, lo and behold, Dr. Wood himself called Steve on Monday with the news. I believe that the exact wording was, "I took a look at your MRI and found a pretty severe herniation. I'm going to call Dr. Rich, who is a neurosurgeon, and turn your case over to him."

Alright. Neurosurgeon. Yikes.

Ok, let me back up. We're getting answers. We've been told to keep our appointment at the Spine Institute just as a second opinion. Apparently, Dr. Rich is going to take a look at the images and give us a call next week. It looks like my hopes of getting this taken care of before the end of the year are in vain.

So, let me just sum this up by sharing my gratitude for a few things:
1. Health insurance. Even if we don't get this taken care of by the end of the year, we've still got insurance to help foot the bill.
2. Money in savings. It will be nice to have a back up for the possible tough times ahead.
3. Good jobs for both of us. We'll both be able to get the time off we need to take care of whatever needs to be done.
4. Talented medical professionals. I'm glad George will be getting the help he needs so he can begin to heal and return to a normal life.

I'm grateful for so much in this season, but these are just a few things at the forefront of my mind today.