Sorry I didn't post last nite but I didn't get in till after midnite & was just too tired to do anything but fall into bed & sleep. Paula pulled through the surgery like a champ. Had a lot more pain in her back than she had anticipated but after they got her pulseox up she got her pain med & that took care of that. She went into surgery at 7:45 AM & came out at around 10:45. The nursing staff at Presby, I must say, are top rate. They really tried to make her as comfortable as possible. I was however, more than a little surprised that they didn't have an air pump for her leg braces (?) to help push the blood in & out of her legs. With her history of blood clots & the risk of them with this surgery, I would have thought they would have had one reserved for her. They also didn't want her to walk around in the recovery room & that was also something that everybody said was real important to do. She didn't get a room until 12:30 AM Saturday morning so she went a long time before she got to walk a little. I'm a little confused by those issues but I'll talk to Dr. Schauer later on. Right now, the important thing is that Paula is doing well. A bit of a headache, we think from the antistetic, and some gas pain (ALOT more than she expected!!).They checked for leaks today & found none so she is drinking 30 cc's water every 30 mins right now, when she is awake that is. We really appreciate all the encouragement you folks have sent out. The support from this group has really touched us in a way that you can only understand, I think, by going through it. I thank you all, not so much for me, but more for Paula. She went into this very well informed & confident in the surgery as well as her Dr. And she helped get me informed so that my concerns were addressed & I felt confident as well. This site & the info that it provides to people looking into getting the surgery, makes the process of actually going through it so much easier & it's all because of you. Well, it's nearly 1 AM & there is church before I go back to the hospital so I will sign off for now. Keep up those prayers & good thoughts for a speedy recovery. They really do work!! God Bless & goodnite! Jim