The challenges of going through spinal fusion surgery and the support received from loved ones during recovery
This poem illustrates the impact of the disease on my life, including strong pain relief medication, physical limitations, and strained relationships. It goes into the cognitive and physical changes following surgery and the support received from loved ones during my recovery. Despite the challenges, the support of loved ones played a crucial role in my journey to recovery. This poem is Part 6 of a series about my journey with cancer. Beverley Joy
Listen HERE – Poem – Rods and Screws
My life has been turned upside down
My health, my work, my home
My poetry and my music
My new love relationship.
Each day focused on scheduled tablets
To control the pain and the spread of the disease
I was allergic to this and that pain relief
So, Morphine was the drug for me.
My brain cells no longer race but crawl
I miss the punch line when jokes are told
I fall asleep during a conversation
It’s embarrassing, my situation.
I can’t answer a question without hesitation
Or comprehend a conversation
Voices and sounds, echo and mute
Music sounds out of tune.
My new boyfriend drove interstate
To stay in a motel for a few days
In distress, he witnessed me helpless
I was not the girl he had recently met.
From working and walking every day
To a wheelchair and a walking frame
From laughter and quick-wittedness
To cringing in pain, numb and vague.
The tumour was supporting my spine from collapsing
My L3 looked like a honeycomb
Surgeons operated hours-long
To embed rods and screws in my body.
My daughter was packed to move to Paris
Now, she scrambled to find a unit
For us to stay for a month in comfort
Where she could care for me post Op.
Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry © 2023 All Rights Reserved.
Listen to all my poems HERE
Simply Story Poetry 
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