The Rob Returns to the Airwaves, Update on His Recovery

This morning, after being away from The Rob's Radio Show With Kat Mykals for over a month, I was extremely excited to return to KISS-FM's airwaves again LIVE this morning with Kat!

As I'm sure you've noticed sometime in the month of February, I've been absent from my post hosting KISS' morning show.  Ryan has been graciously filling in for me with Kat (Thanks, Ryan).  The reason I've been gone is because I had back surgery on January 27th (more information on THAT AVAILABLE HERE).

What I expected to be a four-week recovery process has unfortunately had some obstacles scattered throughout.  This has delayed my return to the radio studio, however with the grace of modern technology, it no longer delays my return to the morning show.  Here are the details about what's been going on with me:

January 27th, 2016: I underwent a major lower back surgery known as a decompression/fusion.  Basically, they took one of my vertebrae discs that was all out of place and screwed it with four screws and a metal plate to the disc beneath it.  I was in the hospital for four days.

January 30th: Obviously, I was in tremendous pain when I got home from the hospital, and protocol is to move very infrequently during the first week home.  I am so thankful I had such a wonderful support system taking care of me.  My girlfriend Brittany continues to do so much for me, and my mom flew out for over a week to help me recover.  I am so thankful for these wonderful people.

February 9th: 13 days post-surgery I had my follow up with my surgeon.  They took X-Rays and removed the 20 staples from my back.  The good news is that the X-Rays looked great and that I should feel better at some point.  The bad and somewhat embarrassing news from the visit was how much pain I was in, even despite the fact that I was being wheeled in a wheelchair...  There was no fathomable position I could get my right leg into that didn't cause EXCRUCIATING pain!  The low point of the visit to the doctor's office was easily when I passed out from the pain of having to stand still during an X-Ray.  I remember the nurse asking me if I was OK, telling her, "I think so," and then blackness and (her) screaming.  The poor nurse who is much smaller than me craddled my head so I didn't hit anything as I went down.  I woke up with a face full of sweat and noticed there were many more people in the room than there were moments before, including my surgeon.  I was on literally on the ground in front of my girlfriend and my medical staff completely embarrassed, unable to stand up on my own free will...  It was awful.  I wish I could say that was the only time throughout my recovery that I've passed out, but I can't...

February 21st: I had another incident where I passed out, this time at home, while making the short trip from my shower to my bed.  Showering after a surgery like this is remarkably difficult.  I have a shower stool, which is generally reserved for senior citizens, because standing still for that length of time would be impossible, although sitting in the stool isn't that much better.  Between the position/bloodflow change from sitting to standing, the change in temperature from the warm shower to the cold bathroom, and the pain created a perfect recipe for a blackout and down I went.  Brittany was there to protect my head again, thank God, but she was saying things to me that I didn't hear and don't remember.  And again, the blow to the ego is emotionally devastating as I'm wet and naked in a fat heap on the ground as your terrified girlfriend tries to bring you to your feet.  She had been noticing my face getting pale and my lips turning purple periodically over the past few days.  Since she's a C.N.A. she knows that's a sure sign of low blood pressure, which I thought made no sense because I'm actually being treated for HIGH blood pressure.  Also aiding in my frailty, I had unintentionally lost 35 pounds since the day of my surgery.  I made an appointment with my doctor to address my blood pressure and hopefully stop passing out.  Obviously, I've stopped taking my blood pressure medication.

February 22nd: It was obvious to me that there was absolutely no way I'd be able to return to work on my scheduled date of February 24th.  There was just no way I'd be able to sit in a chair or stand for a 4-hour show, let alone a whole day of work...  I'm not even close.  I called my superiors at work and I'm incredibly thankful they've been so understanding, supportive, and helpful to me throughout this entire miserable process.  We devised a plan so that I'm able to perform my portion of the show from my bedroom and do the rest of my office duties remotely from home.  Ben, our super-engineer came over with some computers and microphones and wires and got me all hooked up.

Today, February 29th: I officially made my return to The Rob's Radio Show With Kat Mykals, but it was probably much more difficult than people think.  People make jokes, understandably, about how cush and comfortable I must be broadcasting from a fort of pillows in my own bed.  I get it, but I'm anything but comfortable.  "Comfortable" is being face-to-face with Kat in the KISS studio the way we've always done it.  This is merely doing my best to not be in terrible pain

I'm still in a lot of pain.  Strangely, my pain is not focused on my back or incision site as much as it is on my right hip, buttock, and thigh.  Only my right side, which I thought was strange but turns out to be somewhat common following surgeries like mine.  Once I can finally manage the pain on my right side, I will run not walk back to the KISS-FM studio in downtown Evansville.