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“It’s too risky,” Rose protested. “You could have another heart attack during surgery. You could—” Her voice broke.
“I know,” he whispered.
“What happens if we delay the surgery?” Lanie asked, shifting her gaze between the doctor and Steven. “Will he recover?”
“I can’t say for certain until the MRI results come in. Assuming his spine is severely bruised but otherwise intact, then yes, he should fully recover within six to twelve months.”
Six to twelve months? “And how long will it take if we do the surgery now?” Steven asked.
Dr. Myers shook his head. “You’re asking me for absolutes when I can’t provide those. Every spinal injury is different. The recovery timeline is often shortened if the surgery is performed sooner, but it’s impossible to determine at this stage how long recovery will take.”
Once again, the room fell into silence. While Steven had made it clear what he wanted to do, he wasn’t sure anyone in his family would support him. But at the end of the day, wasn’t it his choice?
“Look,” Dr. Myers said. “It’s not even been twelve hours since the accident. The MRI results should be ready in about an hour, and then we’ll know more. In the meantime, I’ll leave you to discuss the options and visit with Steven. Once we have the results, we can decide which option is best.”
After signaling to the nurse that it was time to go, Dr. Myers left them alone. Nobody spoke, but Steven’s increasing heart rate filled the room with sound as the beeping behind him grew in intensity.
“Steven.” Rose placed a hand on his shoulder. “Take a deep breath.”
Instead of listening to her instruction, he pleaded with his eyes. “Only if you support my decision to go through with the surgery before the twenty-four-hour period is up.”
“But—”
His sister stepped into his line of sight. “You heard what the doctor said. Let’s wait until we know more before we have this discussion. For now, you should probably rest and relax.” Her mouth turned down. “Well, as much as possible.”
“I’ll relax when you all agree to allow me to make this choice.”
Rose and Lanie exchanged glances, but his father gave a quick nod. “I support you, son.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Lanie sighed. “Of course it’s ultimately up to you. I just wish you would wait until you have all the details so you can make an informed choice.”
Though she had a point, Steven doubted there was much that could sway him. He needed to recover as soon as possible to get back to his life, his business.
A little over an hour later, Dr. Myers finally returned. Steven’s anxiety had reached epic levels, and he was more than a little tired of Lanie and Rose constantly telling him to take deep breaths and calm down. As if they could be calm if they were in his position.
“So, I have good news.” Dr. Myers rolled in a cart with a laptop perched on top of it. He turned the screen toward Steven and his family. “There are no tears or signs of permanent damage.” Pointing at a shadow near the base of the image, he circled it with his finger. “This is where the injury is located, near the bottom of your spine. As you can see from this darker shadow, there is significant fluid building in the area. This is increasing the compression on your spinal cord, which is part of what is causing the numbness in your lower extremities.” Dr. Myers glanced at the door. “Ah, Dr. Bhati, please come in.”
A short man with black hair and dark eyes entered the room and nodded to Steven. He moved in front of the screen and studied it for a moment before stepping back.
“Dr. Bhati is a neurosurgeon.” Dr. Myers placed a hand on Dr. Bhati’s shoulder. “I’ve asked him to come in to review the MRI results and discuss the surgery option.”
“I’m sorry to meet you all under such circumstances. I understand Dr. Myers has already explained the spinal decompression surgery option to you, and I’m sure you have questions. So why don’t we start there?”
“What happens if we don’t do the surgery within the first twenty-four hours?” Rose asked.
“There are two phases to spinal injuries, with the first phase occurring directly after injury and the second phase beginning a few days later. In the second phase, the body’s immune system will sometimes attack the area, causing inflammation as well as a host of neurological problems.” Dr. Bhati moved to Steven’s side and touched his left leg. “Right now, Steven is only dealing with numbness in his lower body, caused both by the decompression and the shock to his nervous system. But in the second phase, he may start exhibiting more neurological symptoms including slow response time, increased risk of another heart attack, and a higher potential of developing multiple sclerosis.”
Steven closed his eyes after hearing the grim future the neurologist had painted. To him, the decision was clear. Surgery, though risky, was worth it when put in such dire context.
“Why is surgery such a risk after a heart attack?” Lanie asked.
“It’s not the surgery so much as putting a cardiac patient under anesthesia,” Rose responded before either doctor had a chance to. “The heart is already weak from the recent incident, and extra precautions must be taken.”
“This is a lot to take in,” Dr. Bhati said. “But I assure you that I have performed this surgery several times before with a highly skilled anesthesiologist.”
“I want to do it,” Steven said. Rose stepped in front of him as if to stop him from speaking, but he wouldn’t be deterred. “I understand the risks, but I’d rather avoid additional complications to my spine healing.”
