WM, 53. A Risky Operation

In general the Doucette family experienced good health, but there was one exception to this. In 1959, Velda was experiencing a lot of back pain. At first, she thought she may have strained her back at work. The pain was constant, and she could not get relief from it. Finally Velda took time from work and went to see a

doctor.

The doctor took some X-rays which showed there was some damage to the lower backbone. Dr. Gencheff explained to Velda that the lower vertebra in her spine was damaged; three discs were decayed and this was causing the constant pain. He thought the damage may have come from an old injury. He asked Velda if she

had ever experienced a back injury in the past.

Velda couldn’t remember ever injuring her back, but later recalled an incident as a child. She and Ida had gone in the basement to look for Ida’s eat. It was dark and the basement steps were steep. Velda had carried the kerosene lamp down the stairs, when she slipped and fell. Velda had braced herself, so not to break the lamp. Her back had taken the brunt of the fall, and Velda recalled that her back had been stiff and sore after the fall.

Dr. Gencheff had explained that he could operate on Velda’s back, which might help but it also posed a certain amount of risk. The operation was called a ‘spinal fusion’, in which part of a small bone would be removed from the patient’s leg and transplanted or infused into the lower backbone. If the bone ‘fused’ with the bone in her back then the operation would be successful and this should eliminate the problem. If the bone didn’t fuse, then the patient might not walk again. Dr. Gencheff had not gone into a lot of details, but without the operation, Velda’s condition would get worse. After discussing with her parents, Velda decided to take a chance on the

operation.

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