Thank you!

It’s five AM, and I can't sleep, so I thought I'd pop on and say thank you to everyone for your prayers, kind wishes and encouraging words.

The surgery went well, but keeping my pain under control that first night did not go so well. I was getting IV morphine, plus percocet, plus muscle relaxers and felt like I was getting nothing at all. I really had to focus on relaxing like during labor just to keep from getting very upset about it. Then at about 4 AM the drugs seemed to kick in.

They've given me steroids, which wear off today, so my pain is supposed to peak today, i.e., be at its worst. I'm still taking two percocet every four hours plus muscle relaxers. And I'm doing pretty well that way. But we'll see how today goes.

Bless my mom for being with me! She and my dad were at my side at the hospital every moment they could be. My mother is a very skilled registered nurse (she was head nurse of an intensive care unit, so we're talking creme de la creme of a nurse here), and she was able to help the excellent nursing staff.

She stayed awake with me that first really rough night and got up with me last night, bringing me my meds. It has helped so much to have her with me.

The surgeon told my family that the operation went well but that the impingement had been severe. He wasn't sure how much nerve function I'll get back. He had to take out a lot of bone and ended up putting some kind of artificial vertebrae back in. So now I have two titanium plates plus eight screws in my neck (I think that's what hurts the most).

But get this: the purple screws weren't the right size, so they had to use gold screws.

I got some serious bling on up in my skeleton now. That's right.

I took a photo of my incision, which is cool, but I don't have the energy to post it now.

So now my entire focus is on staying in control of the pain, getting my 30 minutes of walking in a day (I can't walk by myself due the danger of falling but have to hold someone's hand), and getting sleep.

My mom and I wanted to see what would happen if I took only one percocet at bedtime. Well, what happened is that I woke up at 2 hurting a lot and have only drowsed a bit since then.

But I wanted to let you all know that your e-mails, messages and posts have meant so much to me and to my family.

The paper sent a big bouquet of pink cabbage roses, and my agent sent lilies and roses. So pretty!

OK, I'm rambling and fighting to keep my eyes open.

Thanks again, everyone! Blessings to all of you!