We will not be posting for a week possibly two starting Aug 23rd.

We try not to post about our personal life, but sometimes it is necessary to do so. Starting August 23rd we will not be posting anything for a week or possibly two due to upcoming surgeries.

As many of you may have read I have MS (Multiple Sclerosis) along with Degenerative Disk Disease, COPD and a few other things and I was recently hospitalized for two weeks with a Collapsed Lung.

We had planned to have lower back surgery earlier this year, but because of my hospital stay we had to put it off.

After I was released from the hospital I finally was able to get my MRI's done on my back and after the surgeon saw my Cervical MRI he had to change it to Neck Spinal surgery instead due to my C-3 through C-7 vertebrae literally squeezing my spinal cord from the front and the back causing spinal cord injury.

So on August 23rd I go into St Luke's for the first surgery from the front so the can re-align the vertebrae and the fuse them so they cannot squeeze my spinal cord again.

Then on August 26th they will do the second surgery from the back and if I understood the surgeon correctly he will be removing the back side if C-3 through C-7 to relieve the pressure on my spinal cord and will be installing rods and screws.

I am not sure when I will be getting released, but I am figuring not before sunday or monday. Once I get home I will not be able to move much for a week or two and depending on how I feel will depend on how fast I get back to posting.

We have full confidence in my doctors and that they will get me through these two surgeries without any complications and I should fully recover in time for winter to be able to plow our driveway so that my wife can get to work and back without a problem 🙂

I will miss you all and can't wait to get back and be able to post again.

Scott Drake
Editor of The West End of Monroe County, The West End Reporter and thewestendreporter.com