Yachats Oregon Writer Rick Schultze

Nope, not a play on words, I have to go to Corvallis to get a good back. What that takes is surgery; a Laminectomy. That is the name of the surgery that removes the Lamina from the affected vertebra to take the pressure off of the sciatic nerve that was pinched from a damaged or worn out back disc.Nope, not a misplay on words, I have to trek from Yachats to
But enough of the medical talk about backs, all of us have had some back pain and many of you have dealt with sciatica, you know the pain that shoots down you leg feeling like your leg is on fire! Not a fun feeling at all and I for one am ready to commit that feeling to becoming a distant memory. The reason I’m going to on this journey into the valley is that the doctor who gave me a new hip a couple of years ago in Newport highly recommended the Neurosurgeon that is going to fix my back and he works for Samaritan Neurosurgery at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis. That’s one thing about living in a village like Yachats; it’s tough to find qualified Neurosurgeons in the neighborhood. On the other hand a trip like this will be an adventure. A few days ago I had to go to Corvallis to pre-register at the hospital and have some x-rays taken along with an EKG reading and a blood draw. After that I was issued a bright red “Direct Check In Card” which allows me to proceed to the “Short Stay” check in station the morning of my surgery.It’s quite a sensation to arrive at a hospital as large as Samaritan which has more people working there than live in Yachats. It’s literally another world, a self contained city. From the Valet parking to the cafeteria serving really good food, the plethora of nurses, doctors, orderlies and maintenance workers scurrying about, and the office staffs in each section busy on the phones make for a fast paced operation that is always buzzing. I really feel like a small town dweller when I get inside the hospital, there are more direction signs there that in airports. I’m sure there is a real danger in getting lost in there, who knows who would find you!! So with high hopes Crystal and I will head into the valley and a couple of columns from now I’ll tell you how the adventure went. Hopefully when I’m doing that I’ll be loving my new and improved back! To reach Rick Schultze email: yarick@pioneer.net