Fresh, red tomatoes from her garden in hand, Judy Garrell placed them down and began dicing them for her homemade salsa. Tiny rouge squares began to pile up in front of her, and she turned to grab the onion behind her. She paused, feeling a tingle in her right foot. The tingling grew to numbness and spread up her leg. Confused, she called for her husband, Dwain, to help her to a chair. She knew something was very wrong.
Being an elementary teacher for over 35 years, Judy Garrell experienced a life full of long and rewarding days on her feet, inspiring young minds. However, some days were longer than most when Judy would experience flare-ups from her spina bifida occulta (SB). This can cause a wide array of symptoms and chronic pain. Judy dealt with this pain for her entire life, managing the effects of SB and various autoimmune disorders.
One day it became too much to bear. She began to lose feeling in her legs when she stood for more than a few minutes. She turned to her care team at Lakeland Regional Health and expert neurosurgeon Dr. Davide Croci to fix this life-altering issue.
Judy grew up in Tennessee and moved to Florida with her husband, Dwain, and son in 1981. After years of teaching, they retired in Bartow to enjoy living near their two sons and three grandchildren. However, over the years, things became difficult for Judy with her chronic back pain. Her routine of Tylenol, ibuprofen, and cortisol injections no longer provided relief in the same way. She started to feel numbness during everyday tasks, which frustrated her.
“I couldn’t even stand to dry myself off after a shower. I couldn’t stand at church, and I couldn’t cook in the kitchen. It was so difficult to do small daily tasks that we take for granted.”
When her numbness began to affect her daily life, she knew it was time to find a new solution. After multiple tests, X-rays, and MRIs, Judy met with Dr. Croci to hear her options. Her results showed that her L5 shifted forward 7 millimeters, and her S1 shifted forward 12mm. This would mean a five-hour surgery for the realignment and to stabilize S1 to the sacroiliac joint so it would not shift.
“Dr. Croci was amazing, kind, and understanding. He really wanted me and Dwain to know everything about the surgery, so I was prepared.”
After a successful surgery, Judy remembered getting up the next day, knowing that the sooner she could move, the better her recovery would be. Dr. Croci visited her each day after her surgery to ensure she was healing. She stayed at our hospital for seven days, working with our team of physical therapists to practice daily tasks.
“When I got out of the hospital, the PT team came to my home, and they were so supportive. They encouraged me to keep moving and were so excited when I exceeded my goals.”
Judy’s pain tolerance was much higher than most, as she has dealt with chronic pain her entire life. She suffers from fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. However, she looks at life as a gift and takes the advice of her doctor: “You can go home and sit in the recliner and that’s where you’ll stay, or you can keep moving.”
Since her surgery, Judy has never slowed down despite the numbness in her legs. She can stand to curl her hair without discomfort, kneel at church, and keep up with her grandkids. In fact, she is looking forward to planning a trip to Legoland with her two grandsons.
“This entire experience has taught me to live in the moment, but also never take for granted what I have. I was just looking at my Christmas card from last year, and the picture shows how much I was leaning over. Now in my pictures and thanks to Dr. Croci, I am standing up straight again!”
