Going nowhere fast

Weeks went by, and the Decadron cycle continued.  Most days, when I was on it, I could walk with the walker, sometimes even manage the stairs.  When I was titrating off of it, I would get weaker and weaker, until I couldn't do the stairs or even hardly walk again.  By the end of October it seemed like the cycle was unchanging and little improvement was being made in physical therapy, so I pressed my neurosurgeon to make a decision:  would more surgery help, and could he do it?  The answer was yes and no.  So he gave me a referral to another surgeon with access to better medical equipment for operating room imaging, and we were delighted to get an appointment with the well-respected new surgeon within a week's time.  This wonderful man was certain that my spine needed to be stabilized to prevent further injury to the cord, recommended spinal fusion with titanium hardware, and felt confident that he could perform this surgery successfully.  We were impressed with his confidence and expertise, and felt great optimism that this surgery would at least stabilize my situation, if not make great improvements in my leg strength and mobility.  Best of all, he was available to do the surgery in just a few days, and afterward I would be able to participate in weeks of thorough, intensive in-patient physical therapy to rebuild my body.  We began to prepare.