Surgery?

So Marc is going to have a little back surgery on March 5.

He has some compressed discs that have been giving him trouble for more than three years, and he was tired of taking pain pills every day. There is something - a bone spur, maybe? - that is pressing on a nerve.

Marc has done the physical therapy and every night, he uses a traction machine to stretch his neck. I've shown you pictures like the one below and commented on how cute Lullabelle is, laying on Marc's legs. Well, she is doing this while he is in traction.


During surgery, Marc will actually lay on his back. The surgeon will make a small incision at the base of the neck, move the trachea and esophagus (ewwww!) remove the compressed disc and insert a prosthesis. Here it is: The other option was a spinal fusion, which would work but would limit Marc's range of motion in his neck. and the recovery time would be longer.
Up until now, the prosthesis has been deemed experimental in the US. It has been used in the UK and the Army was using it over in Iraq, but was not covered by our insurance. (As the doctor said, they don't care about insurance in the Army.) But it's covered now!
Keep Marc (and me!) in your prayers on March 5!