How on earth I hobbled around for the length of time I did with vertebral fractures is beyond me. The hard Boston brace helped tremendously. It was molded to my body, sent out to be expertly fitted, and arrived just in time for me to board a plane to see my father one last time before his death. I went back and forth between a walker and a cane. I tried everything imaginable to heal without surgery. I had started with a body weight of 127 pounds before mulitple assaults, and ended up with a BMI of obesity. Something had to be done to reverse this.
I finally went under July 2018 to have one of the vertebral fractures repaired! L-1 was bad. So painful. Here it is Memorial Day Weekend 2019 and I am just now feeling stable in this area. I am not out of the woods, but I have made great stride. I have managed to get my BMI back down to “healthy!” The physicians and surgeons at UCSF have helped me greatly. Earlier in June 2018, I went under for a 3 hour angiogram. This facility was top notch and helped me make it through. I highly recommend them. I also want to give a shout out to Mount Tam Spine Center as they treated me for years. They have performed rhizotomies and nerve root injections as needed.
I am a survivor. I am blessed to have a wonderful support group and love of family and friends. I am just now starting to be able to write about this fully. I am here if anyone needs to reach out for support. I understand the shame involved in speaking out.
The Voice of MELISSANNE VELYVIS 