One step at a time

Hello everyone!! I think I am finally ready to have my facebook back... now that I am not seeing double. Well I am still seeing double a lot of the time but it's getting better!! Oh and if you all could see my hair...I think I have the worlds worst bed head!!! I am not joking in the slightest bit! Its awful! Embarrassment to my mom, embarrassment to my dad, embarrassment to my dog.... its just bad... so so so bad!! I need to make my mom help me shower today because I really can't handle it anymore!!! We found glad press and seal works best keeping my incision dry and okay enough to shower. Only a few more days of having to worry about that though! :) OOOOO before I forget since I was speaking of hair earlier... Thank you Raquel for curling it the other day and making it look real nice... even though I have the worst bedhead.... Its still curled and looks decent when I wear my cupcake beanie! You're such a good sister!!! And so Baby susan doesn't get jealous... thank you for washing all the glue out of my hair. I still appreciate that... What great sisters I have!! :) You two are the best!! Ashley took me the other day to get my little piggies painted and my fingers also!! Such a little thing really makes you feel so much better!! :) I've had some great friends come and keep me company and take me on walks... Walking just short distances really tires me out!!! I need to walk though. I feel a lot less stiff once I do! I am ready for the pain part of all of this to end though! Getting in and out of bed is the worst!! Its almost as if I have been sleeping on knives all night long... or day... I tend to sleep a lot these days. I can't help it. I am sure thats just my body trying to heal itself. I wish it would hurry up already!! I have to keep reminding myself that I just had major surgery and these things take time! But I am oh so tired of the pain!! Each day I wake up before I make any sort of movements its almost as if I forget... then I move and am quickly reminded "OWWW OWWW OWWWW okay I have to peee..." and thats my morning hahaha But now it is lunch time and I must eat... I am slowly getting my appetite back... I am constantly telling my mom what sounds good! I am pretty sure I have told her everything from Sushi to ice cream... she must think I am crazy!! But I can't eat and type..(plus my momma usually feeds me lol) this is getting messy so more later!!! Love you all!!!
xoxox
Candice

Uphill battle

hello. Having a bit of a rough day today. I am used to the pain but doesn't make it any easier to endure. I received some pretty flowers from Kelvin today. That really did lift my spirits. I can't believe its already been one week since my procedure. I am waiting for it to get easier now.  My poor momma has had to sleep with me at night to keep me calm. It is just hard to explain how much this all actually hurts. And my dear father has really been a great help also! Anything we should need.. he is off to the store to go get it for us. And he put up my new detachable shower head yesterday.... 2nd shower went much smoother.  I couldn't have been blessed with better parents! I have been shown so much love this past week and I just can't even describe how much it means to me! Joe.. I know you're like a million miles away... but you sure do brighten each one of my days!! I love you tons! Thank you for all the gifts you sent! :)) I am so happy to wake up to even just a text message from you!! Ashley... I look forward to each of your daily visits and appreciate more than you know all that you have done. Thank you for stocking my mini fridge!! You're simply amazing!! Im sorry for keeping you up all night with all my crying a week ago. glad you didn't ditch me then! ;-) But you are such a great best friend and I am so glad to have you in my life! Same goes to you Nick Brown!! Sorry i slept through our facetime call today lol! Johnson family!! You have all been so great!! Jeni... whatever you brought me today really knocked me out!! I can't wait to see if it works tonight! I need a full nights rest!! I think my mom does also!! lol! I am sure there are a bunch of you that I am leaving out... I am not the most coherent so please forgive me. As for the rest of you.. if I may ask for your continued prayers. I love you all and hope to be a little more informative...well happy informative later!! 

love,

Candice  

Home Sweet Home :)

Hey everyone!
Well for those of you who do not know... I have made it home. I am so glad to be here but wow is it hard!! I can't even begin to describe how much pain I am in! I had prepared for a lot of pain before and knew what was coming... I think I was a bit naive! I don't think anyone could have prepared me for this kind of pain. I sit and count... I should say I lay and count the minutes until I can take my next dose of pain killers. Which does not seem to help much anyways, but help is help I guess.. My nights seem to be the longest. Lots and lots of waking up. My dear mother has been such a huge help and has been up all night with me also. She is such a blessing!! I love you momma!! And thankfully Baby Susan and my momma gave me a shower yesterday also. I never thought I would see the day that my own sister and mother would have to bathe me. Talk about a whole new closeness.. I just kept apologizing the whole time. Lol! It was a glorious shower anyways even with the soap that kept getting in my mouth! I do still have glue in my hair though... As long as I don't stink... all those fevers caused me to sweat a ton and then shiver and then sweat... lets just say on top of that and all the surgery junk they put all over me... a shower was much needed!!! I don't have a lot of places i can comfortably sit so I spend most of my time in my bed. My momma feeds me there too. I feel like I am back to infant years!! It's craazy!!!  Today I conquered the stairs. I am writing to you all on my moms mac :) lets hope I can get back to my room!! My idiot brother has been messing with my cable and junk trying to get the tv going. I would just opt to read... but I cant read laying down and would be afraid to drop my book on my face. maybe next week when I am not still seeing double. But I am growing more uncomfortable by the minute... I will hopefully have more to update you all with later on!! I thank you all for all the prayers, gifts, visits, just everything... But I could really feel all of your prayers and I really just can't thank you all enough!!!
xoxox
Candice

Prayers

I am not sure how much of this will make any sense. I am on so many drugs its not even funny. I'm trying to go home early! I have has a fever all night and it may cause me to have to stay longer! Lets hope not. I just want to shower and be in my
Own room!
But here are some pictures of my stay

And here I am

Well we made it to the hospital early! Before the hospital even opened! That's quite the accomplishment for both my dad and I! No concept of time... Definitely belong to the Martinez family! We are getting registered... My dad told them we were white when they asked what race I was. Lol! She said she would hate to assume. I wonder if she really put Caucasian down! Lol! And now we are going through who shall make decisions if I should die! Yikes! Lets hope and pray that doesn't happen! I am so nervous! Well I better stop playing with my phone. Too many questions I need to answer!! I'll check back in before surgery... If not then after! :-) love to all!!
Love Candice

The road to here

Hey everyone! :-) I am currently taking care of all those last minute things I will need before my surgery in just 28 hours! So much to do and time is running out!! I'll get it all done though! :-) I can't help but think back to 5th grade and how I was the only one who went home with a letter the day we had scoliosis checks! I had no idea of the road I was about to embark on. When I first saw an orthopedic doctor my curvature was at 34 degrees. I was ordered to wear a hard plaster brace for 16 hours a day for a year. Oh that brace! I am sure my parents had as much of a headache from that darn thing as I did! Lol! (I sure did complain!) So after my year of what I felt like torture... I went back to the doctor and was told my curvature was now 45 degrees and they would like me to have surgery then. My parents decided it would best to look into other options. I received lots of chiropractic care. I also saw a massage therapist named Carlos.. He was amazing! But I would always complain how much he would hurt me! But I am sure I was his favorite! I would always feel much better after seeing him! It's too bad I can't afford to always see him. As for chiropractic care... For someone with scoliosis it is as if you are doing nothing for yourself at all. I wish we had known that before... I feel I wasted so much time and money on chiropractic care... my parents too! My chiropractor told us she could help stop my curve from progressing.... And here I am at 54 degrees. Lol! It's okay though... I am so glad I have waited until now. I found a great doctor and feel this procedure has come a long way from where it was when my first doctor wanted me to have this surgery. I am so excited that I will soon know what it's like to live pain free! No more back pain! Hip pain! Shoulder pain! numb arms! Headaches! It's exciting! My doctor says I will be fully recovered and can do whatever I would like in a year... We will see about that! :-)
I went to my last appointment before surgery on Friday... My appointment was with Claire.... Dr Crandall's PA :-) she is always so nice! First thing she told me was that I can't lift more than 5 pounds for 6 weeks? I think that's what she said haha but then she told me that a gallon of milk is 8 pounds! Something that I never thought about. I am so sad that I won't be able to pick up my adorable new nephews! They will just have to lay next to me I guess! :-)) she also told me I won't be able to bend for 20 weeks! I have been trying to see what I can do without bending... I am sure going to have difficulty with this one. 20 weeks!! Ahhhh! I still need to get a grabber.. I asked if I could get one of those shark grabber things... She said it wouldn't be strong enough to lift even socks! Lol! So I'll find a good one! Thanks to my cousin krysta I got a pretty sweet walker... Which I must send my apologies dear cousin. I have bedazzled your walker.. It wasn't supposed to be as decked out as it is... But yes.. It is very bedazzled and uhh pink! Should you want it back I will make sure to take off all that junk! Haha! I'm sorry!! But must admit it will turn heads when I am taking my required daily walks! So I hope you don't mind! On that note... I will post pictures of my walker and then try and go to sleep!! I have lots to do in the morning and I'm sure you have all had enough of my ramblings! Goodnight everyone!! Love you guys!!
Love,
Candice

Ps. I may start a walker bedazzling company. If you know anyone that wants one send them my way hahaha!

Also... I am posting so many pictures of my walker because it will change with my mood... I think my favorite mood will be pirate! Lol! :-) and thank you Nick for helping me make my walker the way it is... Krysta.. You can blame him! Haha jk

At Hobby Lobby getting stuff for the bedazzling... haha 

5 Days!!

Hey Everyone!!
I know I have been missing for a while... But I am making a comeback!!! I really am not sure how to do this whole blog thing. You will all have to be patient with me. Sooooooo I have 5 Days until I have my surgery!! For those of you who do not know... I have a 54 degree curvature in my upper spine and a 33 degree curvature in my lower spine. We have tried to stay away from surgery as long as we could, but now have reached a point where I can't even remember the last time I was without pain. My parents and I have decided that it is not a fair way to live and started the process of learning all we could about the procedure before I made any decisions. Thanks to a good friend of mine, I was referred to a great doctor who I have full confidence in. (Thank you Bunni!!) Sonoran Spine has been wonderful!! I will post a video of a demonstration of the surgery for you to see. Don't worry.. its just an animation!! I think it is pretty neat!! I will be made of titanium!! That way I won't have to worry about that darn airport security!! I would really appreciate any and all prayers!! I have a long road ahead of me, but am determined to recover as quickly as possible!! If any of you want to come over and take one of my required daily walks with me just shoot me a text or call me... maybe?
I will be posting in here as often as I can... and posting lots of pictures! I hope none of you have a weak stomach!! lol! Just kidding.. they wont be that bad! So again, please send some prayers my way! I sure do need them!! I would also like to thank all of you who have been so supportive already!! It means so much to me and makes this whole thing so much easier and less scary to go through!! So really, thank you so much!!
Love,
Candice

Here is the link to the Video! Check it out!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztg7hzVgQrw 

And this is an X-ray of my spine. I think its gross lol!!