Terrie and I arrived in Michigan on Tuesday night. SWA made several stops along the way, but we arrived at our next destination a little earlier with each leg of the journey. Finally, we got to Detroit at least 30 minutes early! Charlton still had not left the house when I texted him.
My leg was pretty swollen when I arrived, so it was nice to get a little couch time at the house. The grandsons were pretty amped up to see us! All 3 talked non-stop from airport to supper (Culver's Butter Burger double and a turtle custard sundae - yum!) to home. It was pretty cool to see those boys - and their parents too!
Back to the leg condition. I went on Wed and had my blood checked and the level turned out to be a bit high. Over the phone, my primary care doc gave me advice about how to adjust my Warfarin over the next few days. He also told me not to worry about getting it checked again until next Wed.
The doc at the hospital told me to expect my leg to swell for a while. Fortunately, most of the swelling goes down overnight. Yesterday, I spent a lot of time lying down and my leg & foot didn't swell as much. That was nice.
Today, I took all 3 boys to school. I had to wear my light denim jacket because it was in the mid-50's here (eat your heart out, Fort Worthians!). We had a nice drive around parts of Trenton after lunch today and could see Canada in the distance. Pretty cool!
That's my report for the day. Much love & thanks to all who continue to pray for us!
Prayers up!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Outta Here!
This is the inside view of the front entrance to the North Hills hospital. By the grace & mercy of my God, I will be walking out these doors in a matter of hours!
The doc came in with wonderful news about 10:30 this morning, saying that my blood level had jumped to 2.1! We were shooting for a minimum of 2.0 and here we are - not a moment too soon! She is writing up the discharge papers as I type and maybe I can be outta here shortly after Noon. I have to tell you one funny thing she said. When I was asking about the guidelines & parameters for my activities, etc., she said just to do my normal stuff, but no contact sports! Ha! I love it that she would think I look like I would do contact sports at my age! I guess it's obvious that I look fit, trim & muscular or she wouldn't even think of saying that, right?
I have to go get my INR checked at my primary care doc's office tomorrow. No problem. I have to get it checked 3 times over the next week while we are in Michigan - yes, that means I am cleared to travel. God has been exceedingly gracious to me during this ordeal. I am looking so forward to getting out and back to my normal routine.
So, back to what began this whole blog thing: my back. My lower back has felt wonderful during all this "down time" in the hospital. I have been taking regular walks up and down the hallway of my floor and am feeling great. My left foot still has lots of touch sensitivity and tightness and I still feel like I'm walking on a rock with each step, but it's tolerable and I'm very functional. However, I still need your prayers that my nerves will efficiently regenerate and that the struggles I am having in my legs & feet will one day vanish. But mostly today, I am rejoicing in getting dismissed from the hospital! Yay!
Prayers up!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
1.4 in the 505
That's right! My number this morning according to my new doc is up to 1.4! That's a jump of .4 in one day. Yay! Man, with me careening toward the magic mark of 2.0 like that, she believes it's possible that I can hit it by Monday!
If that proves to be true and I can get dismissed on Monday, Terrie and I just might be able to make our planned trip to Michigan on Tuesday. One possible complication to that might be whatever report I get from my hemotologist between now and dismissal. He ordered a humongous blood test two days ago and I think the results are in, but I haven't seen him since he introduced himself to me pre-test. I don't think I'll see him until Monday, so I guess there's the possibility that his 11th hour diagnosis for me could still affect our trip. We'll just pray it up and see what God does with the situation. I will definitely do what is best for my health.
So glad to have good news to report this morning!
Prayers up!
If that proves to be true and I can get dismissed on Monday, Terrie and I just might be able to make our planned trip to Michigan on Tuesday. One possible complication to that might be whatever report I get from my hemotologist between now and dismissal. He ordered a humongous blood test two days ago and I think the results are in, but I haven't seen him since he introduced himself to me pre-test. I don't think I'll see him until Monday, so I guess there's the possibility that his 11th hour diagnosis for me could still affect our trip. We'll just pray it up and see what God does with the situation. I will definitely do what is best for my health.
So glad to have good news to report this morning!
Prayers up!
Friday, September 21, 2012
News from the 505
I awoke this morning to the slightly depressing news that my blood factor had actually gone DOWN instead of up, from a 1.1 to a 1.0. It doesn't sound like much, but apparently it's a virtual crawl from here to the desired 2.0 figure, so every tenth counts a lot. The next step today was to increase my Coumadin dosage from 5.0 to 7.5, from the peach pill to the yellow one (you Coumadin vets will recognize the lingo).
The other distressing news was that I will get to enjoy a few more days in the "North Hills hotel" as my blood inches toward the desired consistency. That translates schedule-wise into not being able to help coach Brishen's first flag football game tomorrow morning, not being in my normal hosting spot on Sunday at church, and finally, the biggest downer, maybe having to postpone our trip to Michigan on Tuesday. We have flight reservations to go see our son, Charlton, and his family for a week. It will be a total bummer if we have to miss that trip.
So, a few more items for your prayer list, if you care to add them. So...
Prayers up!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Another Setback
Well, the last two weeks I have been burnin' it up like the Energizer Bunny! But that all came to a screeching halt on Tuesday night when I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my left leg! I come to you now from Room 505 in the North Hills hospital in North Richland HIlls, TX.
Wednesday night a week ago I noticed that my left leg was swollen from just above the ankle down through the entire foot. By the weekend, it had advanced all the way up to my knee! The swelling would go down about 80% or better during the night while I slept, but as soon as I got on my feet in the morning, it would quickly return. I went to my back doc because I thought it might have something to do with the Lyrica he had put me on a week earlier. His opinion, upon examining me on Friday, was that it was not the Lyrica and did not appear to be a blood clot. Not being happy with that diagnosis, on Monday, I contacted my primary care doc, and his advice was to go to the ER and get checked for a blood clot. I wavered a bit on that, but on Tuesday contacted one of my elders, also a doc, and his advice was the same. So, Terrie and I arrived at the NH ER about 10:30 on Tuesday night. Diagnosis: blood clot
They put me on an anticoagulant IV and admitted me for observation. As I have come to learn, that "observation" involves several days in the hospital as they "observe" how your blood's clotting mechanism adjusts to the meds. That involves becoming a pin cushion for the phlebotomists - all of which are excellent "stickers." My blood clotting factor has to get to a level between 2 and 3. I was at 1.1 this morning. Looks like I'm in for a few more days of "observation."
I did transition from the IV medication to one that is injected twice daily into my abdomen. A better trade than it might sound at first. The needle is small and the first injection this morning was no problem. The best thing is not having to have blood tests every 6 hrs and not being tethered to the IV tree. I can get up and move around, take walks & showers and sit up in a chair. I actually feel great, so I'm just passing the time chatting with Terrie, watching TV, napping, texting, entertaining multiple visitors (thank you all so much!) and now, I have my laptop for a while.
So, don't feel compelled to come by if you are in the area, but I would appreciate a continuation of the following:
Prayers up!
Wednesday night a week ago I noticed that my left leg was swollen from just above the ankle down through the entire foot. By the weekend, it had advanced all the way up to my knee! The swelling would go down about 80% or better during the night while I slept, but as soon as I got on my feet in the morning, it would quickly return. I went to my back doc because I thought it might have something to do with the Lyrica he had put me on a week earlier. His opinion, upon examining me on Friday, was that it was not the Lyrica and did not appear to be a blood clot. Not being happy with that diagnosis, on Monday, I contacted my primary care doc, and his advice was to go to the ER and get checked for a blood clot. I wavered a bit on that, but on Tuesday contacted one of my elders, also a doc, and his advice was the same. So, Terrie and I arrived at the NH ER about 10:30 on Tuesday night. Diagnosis: blood clot
They put me on an anticoagulant IV and admitted me for observation. As I have come to learn, that "observation" involves several days in the hospital as they "observe" how your blood's clotting mechanism adjusts to the meds. That involves becoming a pin cushion for the phlebotomists - all of which are excellent "stickers." My blood clotting factor has to get to a level between 2 and 3. I was at 1.1 this morning. Looks like I'm in for a few more days of "observation."
I did transition from the IV medication to one that is injected twice daily into my abdomen. A better trade than it might sound at first. The needle is small and the first injection this morning was no problem. The best thing is not having to have blood tests every 6 hrs and not being tethered to the IV tree. I can get up and move around, take walks & showers and sit up in a chair. I actually feel great, so I'm just passing the time chatting with Terrie, watching TV, napping, texting, entertaining multiple visitors (thank you all so much!) and now, I have my laptop for a while.
So, don't feel compelled to come by if you are in the area, but I would appreciate a continuation of the following:
Prayers up!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Sudden Renewal
I don't know how to explain it - and then, yes, I do. For the last 10 days or so, I have experienced a renewal in several areas of my life. It's awesome! And really the only explanation is God. I think the boatloads of prayers that I have heard are being offered up for me just plain wore Him out!
I feel better physically (like 25% better). The pain is still there, but the band of burning fire around my left foot is gone. It still feels very tight and numb, but I am definitely walking better. Everyone is telling me so. My heart is renewed. My spirit is up. I am going strong all day long and not having to rest as much as I have for the last few weeks. I am sure the Lyrica that the doc prescribed for me is helping a lot, but God is getting the full credit for this upsurge!
When I went to the doc a week and a half ago, I was afraid I would hear what I ended up hearing. I posted earlier about those fateful words, "Can you live with the pain?" I had so dreaded the possibility of hearing those words that I built up a fear of falling into the abyss of despair. But I believe that in the moment that I heard those words from the doc, the Holy Spirit scooped me up and ran me in the opposite direction! I am feeling positive and capable and am pursuing my well-blessed life full speed ahead!
I am doing very well, but I do have a couple of additional prayer requests. Three days ago, I noticed that my left foot and lower leg were quite swollen. Almost all the swelling goes down overnight. Also, about the same time, I developed some pain in my upper torso. It feels like it's in or around my lungs. It hurts most when I take a deep breath. I was able to get in to see my back doc today and he wants me to keep an eye on the foot & leg, saying it doesn't have signs of a blood clot, but may be cellulitis (sp?), which, if it develops, would be treated with an antibiotic. He told me to elevate it as much as I can, along with what to watch for if the cellulitis develops. The chest stuff sounded like pleurisy, so he put me back on Celebrex for that.
Well, there you have it. Finally, some good news from whiney boy! Thanks for reading!
Prayers up!
I feel better physically (like 25% better). The pain is still there, but the band of burning fire around my left foot is gone. It still feels very tight and numb, but I am definitely walking better. Everyone is telling me so. My heart is renewed. My spirit is up. I am going strong all day long and not having to rest as much as I have for the last few weeks. I am sure the Lyrica that the doc prescribed for me is helping a lot, but God is getting the full credit for this upsurge!
When I went to the doc a week and a half ago, I was afraid I would hear what I ended up hearing. I posted earlier about those fateful words, "Can you live with the pain?" I had so dreaded the possibility of hearing those words that I built up a fear of falling into the abyss of despair. But I believe that in the moment that I heard those words from the doc, the Holy Spirit scooped me up and ran me in the opposite direction! I am feeling positive and capable and am pursuing my well-blessed life full speed ahead!
I am doing very well, but I do have a couple of additional prayer requests. Three days ago, I noticed that my left foot and lower leg were quite swollen. Almost all the swelling goes down overnight. Also, about the same time, I developed some pain in my upper torso. It feels like it's in or around my lungs. It hurts most when I take a deep breath. I was able to get in to see my back doc today and he wants me to keep an eye on the foot & leg, saying it doesn't have signs of a blood clot, but may be cellulitis (sp?), which, if it develops, would be treated with an antibiotic. He told me to elevate it as much as I can, along with what to watch for if the cellulitis develops. The chest stuff sounded like pleurisy, so he put me back on Celebrex for that.
Well, there you have it. Finally, some good news from whiney boy! Thanks for reading!
Prayers up!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Time to get Tough
You know the old expression: when the going gets tough.... Well, there is no doubt that things have been tough for me in the past few months since my back surgery. And based on the visit with my back doc today, it may just simply be time to see just how tough I am - and if I am gonna get going.
In short, we have tested both of the nerve roots in my back that serve the area of my foot pain and nothing has shown that either of them is pinched or aggravated by any of the hardware store I am carrying back there. We have CT myelogrammed and done 2 selective nerve blocks and the score is foot pain 3, procedures 0.
Then my doc said those fateful words: can you live with the pain? I wish he hadn't said that because the answer is obvious. You do what you gotta do.
He then talked about a lot of different types of pain that could be affecting my foot, most of which were out of my vocabulary range. But almost as quickly as he mentioned them, he ruled them out. One of the solutions he mentioned is called neurostimulation therapy, which involves implanting a small wire in my back creating electrical impulses that block pain messages to the brain. There is an easily-placed test version that I could try out for a few days to see if it helps. The doc gave me a booklet with DVD to check it this out at home. Who knows? I'll look it over.
One other remote possibility could be a problem with my ankle, sort of like carpel tunnel syndrome, only the foot version. He doesn't think this is the problem, but we are going to do an EMG just to be sure. I have had them before and they are not fun, but I can't afford not to check out the possibility.
He has prescribed me another anti-inflammatory medicine to try. (The last one didn't appear to work.) I should get that tomorrow. Other than that, I go back to see him on Oct 30, which will be the end of the 6 months needed for the fusion to totally set up. At that point I should be able to get untethered from my spinal fusion stimulator (that cell phone-looking thingie with the black wire that I have been wearing on my right hip).
Finally, I feel that God granted me a new attitude this past week. When the second nerve block didn't work (well, it did something, but only marginally), I sorta expected how today's doc appointment would go. Several things happened during the course of the week that helped me to refocus a lot of my heart. I won't bore you with the details, but God spoke to me through my elders, my job, my family, my sweet wife & the Holy Spirit and, in essence, showed me that there is too much going on in my life for me to mope around whining about a sore foot and back.. Right now, this is who I am. Yeah, I have a limp (slightly improved) and I have to shift around a lot to find comfortable positions for my lower back, but I really CAN live with that.
My hope and prayer is that all this nerve stuff going on in my feet and legs is all just a part of the slow and frustrating recovery from back surgery. Everyone has been telling me that already and it's been hard to hear. Well, I have to listen now. My doc says that nerves regenerate at a rate of 1 mm per day. I haven't measured the distance from my lower back to my left foot yet, but my guess is that I'm looking at a year to a year and a half. (For the first time in my life, I wish I was shorter!)
But hey, I am able to sleep through the night. I get around without a cane or walker. I can drive. I get to go to work every day at the best church in the world. I am blessed with an adoring wife who takes excellent care of me. My family gathers around me and loves on me every day. I still get to interact with my grandkids and enjoy them. Why I even started back to coaching Upward flag football tonight (at a much slower pace)!There are way too many blessings going on in Charley Taylor's life for me to get overwhelmed by some stupid leg & back pain. I'm just going to plan to outlast it! So, I invite you to keep on praying me through this and as the tingles begin to go away, I'll let you know that your prayers are being answered!
Prayers up!
In short, we have tested both of the nerve roots in my back that serve the area of my foot pain and nothing has shown that either of them is pinched or aggravated by any of the hardware store I am carrying back there. We have CT myelogrammed and done 2 selective nerve blocks and the score is foot pain 3, procedures 0.
Then my doc said those fateful words: can you live with the pain? I wish he hadn't said that because the answer is obvious. You do what you gotta do.
He then talked about a lot of different types of pain that could be affecting my foot, most of which were out of my vocabulary range. But almost as quickly as he mentioned them, he ruled them out. One of the solutions he mentioned is called neurostimulation therapy, which involves implanting a small wire in my back creating electrical impulses that block pain messages to the brain. There is an easily-placed test version that I could try out for a few days to see if it helps. The doc gave me a booklet with DVD to check it this out at home. Who knows? I'll look it over.
One other remote possibility could be a problem with my ankle, sort of like carpel tunnel syndrome, only the foot version. He doesn't think this is the problem, but we are going to do an EMG just to be sure. I have had them before and they are not fun, but I can't afford not to check out the possibility.
He has prescribed me another anti-inflammatory medicine to try. (The last one didn't appear to work.) I should get that tomorrow. Other than that, I go back to see him on Oct 30, which will be the end of the 6 months needed for the fusion to totally set up. At that point I should be able to get untethered from my spinal fusion stimulator (that cell phone-looking thingie with the black wire that I have been wearing on my right hip).
Finally, I feel that God granted me a new attitude this past week. When the second nerve block didn't work (well, it did something, but only marginally), I sorta expected how today's doc appointment would go. Several things happened during the course of the week that helped me to refocus a lot of my heart. I won't bore you with the details, but God spoke to me through my elders, my job, my family, my sweet wife & the Holy Spirit and, in essence, showed me that there is too much going on in my life for me to mope around whining about a sore foot and back.. Right now, this is who I am. Yeah, I have a limp (slightly improved) and I have to shift around a lot to find comfortable positions for my lower back, but I really CAN live with that.
My hope and prayer is that all this nerve stuff going on in my feet and legs is all just a part of the slow and frustrating recovery from back surgery. Everyone has been telling me that already and it's been hard to hear. Well, I have to listen now. My doc says that nerves regenerate at a rate of 1 mm per day. I haven't measured the distance from my lower back to my left foot yet, but my guess is that I'm looking at a year to a year and a half. (For the first time in my life, I wish I was shorter!)
But hey, I am able to sleep through the night. I get around without a cane or walker. I can drive. I get to go to work every day at the best church in the world. I am blessed with an adoring wife who takes excellent care of me. My family gathers around me and loves on me every day. I still get to interact with my grandkids and enjoy them. Why I even started back to coaching Upward flag football tonight (at a much slower pace)!There are way too many blessings going on in Charley Taylor's life for me to get overwhelmed by some stupid leg & back pain. I'm just going to plan to outlast it! So, I invite you to keep on praying me through this and as the tingles begin to go away, I'll let you know that your prayers are being answered!
Prayers up!
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