Well, it almost rhymes.
We all look back over 2012 with a mixture of regrets and satisfaction. Same here. Everything we have been through has been intended by our loving God to be a learning experience. I usually wish that some of the things I have had to learn in a given year could have been gained by less painful methods, but the main thing is that I learn from life.
I began these 12 months researching and dreading the possibility of needing back surgery. My L5 vertebra had broken loose and slipped forward (spondylolisthesis), putting pressure on the nerve root to my lower right leg & foot. I opted for that surgery and on April 23 had 360 spinal fusion at the L4-L5-S1 level. The jury is still out on the wisdom of that decision and I'm not really sure when (or if) it will come out of the jury room! The back doc tells me I'm doing well, but the nerves in my lower legs (yes, that's with an "s") and feet don't agree with him. They, along with the rest of my rapidly deteriorating body, will have to wait and see if my nerves are indeed regenerating at the bullet-train rate of 1mm per day. By the tape measure I'm looking at about 1500 days, give or take a few. So far I'm a whopping 250 days in! Practially there! Calculated well date: June 1, 2016.
Just when I was beginning to turn a corner with the whole nerve issue in my left foot (the more painful one now), a blood clot set into my left leg. Through that process I learned that I have developed a blood condition called antiphospholipid syndrome. In short, I now tend to clot in a very unhealthy way. So, I will be on blood thinners and in compression hose the rest of my days. My left leg will always be at least a little bigger than my right one and not because of a highly developed muscle! On December 18, I had a procedure on the left leg to essentially insure that I will not have as many problems in that leg 10 years from now as I would have had otherwise.
Okay, so enough of the doom & gloom! God has gotten my attention very well in 2012. I had quite a few discussions with Him as I walked the streets around our home in my back brace. I learned to lean into Him in the long hours of the night when sleep was not where I normally found it. I wept my way through my first back-to-church service on Mother's Day, realizing not just how much I missed it, but how far my heart actually felt from God. I have prayed harder during this year than I have in a long time. I have been humbled by the ocean of prayers that have been uttered for me, most especially for how much my precious wife has asked God to heal and protect me. I don't know what I would have done without her presence and her encouragement.
As I close out 2012, in spite of the speed bumps in my health, I realize how fully blessed my life is. I can do almost anything that I need to do. I can carry on all my work duties at The Hills. I can do most of my household projects & chores. I sleep all night. I get to spend lots of time with my family. I can still do Wal Mart trips, if I pace myself. :)
All in all, I finish the year with great hope and energy. And, as if to add one more blessing to my list, God gave us a white Christmas! It was so great! All our grandkids were here at our house and once the snow had done it's thing, most of them hit the back yard for some frolicking in the beautiful whiteness! It was the perfect Christmas!
So, still some healing to do and plenty of blessings to enjoy! Happy 2013 to all! And...
Prayers up!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Goin' wit da flow
Actually I got a little better news from my vascular surgeon today that I expected. Based on what he told me in the hospital on Tuesday, I didn't think he would have much encouragement for me today, but it was somewhat better.
He did achieve a small flow through my deep vein that was 100% blocked before the procedure. He said that would make a big difference to me in about 10 years when, untreated, my leg would have given me major problems. So, this procedure has been mostly an investment in the future.
As far as the blood clots go, he said that now they are not considered as blood clots, but as scar tissue. So, they will remain. But, at least the blood flow is getting by them.
He told me to wear knee-high compression hose, actually on both legs, from now on anytime that I am up. I don't have to wear them while sleeping, but when I'm up, the blood will want to descend into my legs through my veins. That is because the clots have destroyed the valves that keep that from happening. The bit of good news with the compression hosiery is that over time, they should help my swelling to decrease. The squeeze on the leg will help keep the blood from descending as much. My left leg will never return to the size of the right one, but the swelling should not stay where it is now. I told Terrie that I just need to exercise the right leg a whole lot and beef it up to match the larger left one!
I go back to see him in a year, so I hope he has something much improved to look at next December!
Oh, yeah. One more thing: I found out that I have an ear infection and the beginning of a sinus infection. No, the vascular surgeon didn't diagnose that one - it was a doc-in-the-box. So now, I'm doing 10 days of two horse-tablet-sized antibiotics per.
But, who's complainin'?
Prayers up!
He did achieve a small flow through my deep vein that was 100% blocked before the procedure. He said that would make a big difference to me in about 10 years when, untreated, my leg would have given me major problems. So, this procedure has been mostly an investment in the future.
As far as the blood clots go, he said that now they are not considered as blood clots, but as scar tissue. So, they will remain. But, at least the blood flow is getting by them.
He told me to wear knee-high compression hose, actually on both legs, from now on anytime that I am up. I don't have to wear them while sleeping, but when I'm up, the blood will want to descend into my legs through my veins. That is because the clots have destroyed the valves that keep that from happening. The bit of good news with the compression hosiery is that over time, they should help my swelling to decrease. The squeeze on the leg will help keep the blood from descending as much. My left leg will never return to the size of the right one, but the swelling should not stay where it is now. I told Terrie that I just need to exercise the right leg a whole lot and beef it up to match the larger left one!
I go back to see him in a year, so I hope he has something much improved to look at next December!
Oh, yeah. One more thing: I found out that I have an ear infection and the beginning of a sinus infection. No, the vascular surgeon didn't diagnose that one - it was a doc-in-the-box. So now, I'm doing 10 days of two horse-tablet-sized antibiotics per.
But, who's complainin'?
Prayers up!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
"Post" Procedure
As I prayed over the results of my procedure on my left leg, I asked God that it be successful to the extent that He save my leg from getting worse and eventually becoming useless. That part of my prayer appears to have been answered yesterday! The doc said that the deep, main vein in my leg was 100% blocked and that often he is unable to even get into such a vein to do anything. God answered my prayer to the extent that the doc WAS able to get into my vein and balloon it to the point where the blood is flowing once again. I am not sure of the level of flow, but something is better than nothing, right? The veinous work was being done by the colateral veins, so now maybe they won't have to work so hard. So, that new flow should help my leg in the long run (actually, I don't know if the term "run" is really in my future!).
One other thing I took as a good sign is the nurse's comment on how strong my pulse is in my left foot. She said she wishes hers was that strong. I guess the ole ticker is pushing down that far pretty well!
The other part of my prayer was that my leg get better right now. That part I'm not so sure about. Neither is the doc. He predicts that I'm likely to see little, if any, change in my leg. I guess that means that I'm still going to be swollen everyday. I was hoping that at least some of that would go away. Oh well, we will see. Right now, the morning after the procedure, it is too early to see how my leg is reacting. I know God will enable me to deal with whatever I am facing day-to-day.
I have a follow up with the doc tomorrow, so I will prepare a list of questions for that visit. So, prayer-wise, I'm thankful for the long term benefits and will continue to ask God to deal with the current situation with my leg and do far beyond what any of the dox expect!
Prayers up!
One other thing I took as a good sign is the nurse's comment on how strong my pulse is in my left foot. She said she wishes hers was that strong. I guess the ole ticker is pushing down that far pretty well!
The other part of my prayer was that my leg get better right now. That part I'm not so sure about. Neither is the doc. He predicts that I'm likely to see little, if any, change in my leg. I guess that means that I'm still going to be swollen everyday. I was hoping that at least some of that would go away. Oh well, we will see. Right now, the morning after the procedure, it is too early to see how my leg is reacting. I know God will enable me to deal with whatever I am facing day-to-day.
I have a follow up with the doc tomorrow, so I will prepare a list of questions for that visit. So, prayer-wise, I'm thankful for the long term benefits and will continue to ask God to deal with the current situation with my leg and do far beyond what any of the dox expect!
Prayers up!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Procedure is Set
I found out today that the procedure on my left leg is scheduled for Tuesday, December 18 at 10:30 AM. It will be at Baylor Hospital in downtown Fort Worth. It is a same-day procedure, but I will be there for several hours. I arrive at 8:30, have 2 hours of pre-op, about 1.5 hours of procedure and then 2 more hours in post-op. Barring complications, I will go home that same day.
The procedure will begin with a venogram, where dye is injected into my veins so that the doc can get a good picture of the situation and blood flow. He will then proceed with a thrombolysis intervention, which I believe means an attempt to do something about the clots themselves.
Today I met with my hematologist. He agreed that I should go ahead with the procedure because it can definitely do some good for my leg. I also will continue with monthly blood tests in his office and see him again in 3 months. He also prescribed compression hosiery for me, which I knew was coming at some point. Hey, if it decreases the swelling substantially, it will be worth it. There go my shorts-wearing days. I wonder if they come in fashionable colors.....
Like I said in my last post, the vascular doc says he can possibly give me from 20% to 80% improvement in my leg. I really want all our prayers to be that God will take me to 80% and beyond in the improvement to my leg. So...
Prayers up!
The procedure will begin with a venogram, where dye is injected into my veins so that the doc can get a good picture of the situation and blood flow. He will then proceed with a thrombolysis intervention, which I believe means an attempt to do something about the clots themselves.
Today I met with my hematologist. He agreed that I should go ahead with the procedure because it can definitely do some good for my leg. I also will continue with monthly blood tests in his office and see him again in 3 months. He also prescribed compression hosiery for me, which I knew was coming at some point. Hey, if it decreases the swelling substantially, it will be worth it. There go my shorts-wearing days. I wonder if they come in fashionable colors.....
Like I said in my last post, the vascular doc says he can possibly give me from 20% to 80% improvement in my leg. I really want all our prayers to be that God will take me to 80% and beyond in the improvement to my leg. So...
Prayers up!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
A Call for More Prayers!
We need to get all the prayers flowing again!
My latest doc visit today was to a vascular surgeon who specializes in blood clots. Unfortunately, I didn't get very hopeful news, sorta good news, bad news.
We will start with the bad. The doc said that he wishes he could have gotten to me in September when this all began. According to him, my leg will never be the same. There is a pretty extensive clot running from above the knee to well into the calf area, in the principle vein. The clot has hardened. It likely has destroyed the valves in my leg vein. The doc feels that he could have restored up to 95% of my leg if he had seen me early. He says that most dox still proceed with the standard treatment for blood clots: start the Coumadin and let it go at that. He says for the 5 years he has been in Fort Worth, he has tried to get other dox to recognize that something can be done, but the word is not spreading very well. I already know that I will be on Warfarin (generic Coumadin) the rest of my days. Now I learn that I will have to add compression hosiery to that. Yucky, but I can deal with it.
Now the good (or maybe only better) news. The doc plans to do a procedure on me where he goes in with a needle-sized hole behind the knee and does something to deal with the clots. I'm not sure exactly what, but he mentioned ballooning some of the vein and checking out some potential problems in my lower abdomen. So, from behind the knee, he will go both directions, up and down my leg, to try to improve my condition. That oughta tickle! I will be out of it enough to not feel anything, thankfully! It was hard to tell from what he said if it will be an outpatient procedure or a one night hospital stay. We plan to do this before the end of the year. His prognosis is that I will get anywhere from a 20% to an 80% improvement in my leg.
So, you know where I'm going next: we gotta pray for the 80% - or better! So, I need you to please pray for me and ask anyone else you know (who knows me) to pray as well! I really like this left leg of mine and I want it to be healthy. It's like we have been together my whole life! My doc's name is Dr. Broker, if you want to mention him to God in particular. Thanks so much for all the prayer you have poured into my health over the last year! I can definitely feel God working. So, once again...
Prayers up!
My latest doc visit today was to a vascular surgeon who specializes in blood clots. Unfortunately, I didn't get very hopeful news, sorta good news, bad news.
We will start with the bad. The doc said that he wishes he could have gotten to me in September when this all began. According to him, my leg will never be the same. There is a pretty extensive clot running from above the knee to well into the calf area, in the principle vein. The clot has hardened. It likely has destroyed the valves in my leg vein. The doc feels that he could have restored up to 95% of my leg if he had seen me early. He says that most dox still proceed with the standard treatment for blood clots: start the Coumadin and let it go at that. He says for the 5 years he has been in Fort Worth, he has tried to get other dox to recognize that something can be done, but the word is not spreading very well. I already know that I will be on Warfarin (generic Coumadin) the rest of my days. Now I learn that I will have to add compression hosiery to that. Yucky, but I can deal with it.
Now the good (or maybe only better) news. The doc plans to do a procedure on me where he goes in with a needle-sized hole behind the knee and does something to deal with the clots. I'm not sure exactly what, but he mentioned ballooning some of the vein and checking out some potential problems in my lower abdomen. So, from behind the knee, he will go both directions, up and down my leg, to try to improve my condition. That oughta tickle! I will be out of it enough to not feel anything, thankfully! It was hard to tell from what he said if it will be an outpatient procedure or a one night hospital stay. We plan to do this before the end of the year. His prognosis is that I will get anywhere from a 20% to an 80% improvement in my leg.
So, you know where I'm going next: we gotta pray for the 80% - or better! So, I need you to please pray for me and ask anyone else you know (who knows me) to pray as well! I really like this left leg of mine and I want it to be healthy. It's like we have been together my whole life! My doc's name is Dr. Broker, if you want to mention him to God in particular. Thanks so much for all the prayer you have poured into my health over the last year! I can definitely feel God working. So, once again...
Prayers up!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Another Doc Tomorrow
Tomorrow I go see a new doc. This one is a cardiovascular surgeon. I don't know if he can help me, but I at least want to ask. Is it possible to go into my leg veins and extract the clots that are there? Without risk of any chunks breaking loose and hurting me elsewhere? When I hear from other docs that my body will eventually break down the clots in my leg, but that I'm likely to have permanent damage from the experience (varicose veins, perpetual swelling), then my question is: if we can go in there and get the clots out now, can we prevent some of that long term damage? It might not be possible. It might be too risky. I won't know until I ask.
The wonderful people at our church are still praying for me way beyond what I deserve. And everytime I'm there, many of them ask me how I'm doing. Many say I am walking better - and I am. Thanks for noticing! But honestly, with my betterment requiring God to reknit my nerves from my back to my feet at the lightning rate of 1mm per day and whatever aeons of time until my body breaks down the blood clots, I really can't tell on any given day how I'm doing. I'm telling my loving inquirers that I am daily trusting God to be doing His silent & slow healing work in my body, even though I might not be able to notice it. That I hope one day to wake up and things will suddenly seem better.
In the meantime, I do everything I can and feel like doing. I get to go to work everyday. I get to enjoy my family. I sleep well at night. I just go a bit slower and step more deliberately everywhere I go. I really enjoy my life. I just have this stupid swelling, numbness & pain going on in my leg. God is being good to me and I am just charging ahead in full faith!
Prayers up!
The wonderful people at our church are still praying for me way beyond what I deserve. And everytime I'm there, many of them ask me how I'm doing. Many say I am walking better - and I am. Thanks for noticing! But honestly, with my betterment requiring God to reknit my nerves from my back to my feet at the lightning rate of 1mm per day and whatever aeons of time until my body breaks down the blood clots, I really can't tell on any given day how I'm doing. I'm telling my loving inquirers that I am daily trusting God to be doing His silent & slow healing work in my body, even though I might not be able to notice it. That I hope one day to wake up and things will suddenly seem better.
In the meantime, I do everything I can and feel like doing. I get to go to work everyday. I get to enjoy my family. I sleep well at night. I just go a bit slower and step more deliberately everywhere I go. I really enjoy my life. I just have this stupid swelling, numbness & pain going on in my leg. God is being good to me and I am just charging ahead in full faith!
Prayers up!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Antiphosphowhat?
When I saw my hematologist today, that was what he said I have. He said that is what has caused my blood clot. Fortunately, it can be controlled by blood thinners, which I apparently will be taking for the rest of my days. Dr. Gill says he is going to manage this situation for me. He changed my dosage of Warfarin and is getting me an appointment with a vascular surgeon to see if it's possible to remove the current clots.
I really like this new doc so far. He seems very knowledgeable and confident. I trust that he will do the best job possible in helping me deal with this situation.
Please pray for the clots to dissolve quickly or that they can be removed. Also pray that the swelling in my leg totally goes away. I am being told that this is unlikely, but I am going to ask the Lord for it anyway!
Prayers up!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
More Prayers Needed
My last post relished the week we spent in Trenton, MI with our son, Charlton, and his precious family of Mary Beth, Kaden, Ashton & Pierson. We had a great time and hated to come home - especially before the trees had a good chance to display their fall magnificence! However, my thougthful daugher-in-law did post the picture above on Face Book for me a couple of weeks after we returned home.
Immediately prior to the trip, I had spent 5 days in the hospital with a blood clot in my lower left leg. With the Coumadin and other drugs, my blood level had gotten to an acceptable level where I could not only be dismissed, but also make the MI trip.
As far as I could tell from the medical people, my leg would continue to swell everyday and I would keep taking the Warfarin (Coumadin equivalent) and eventually my body would dissolve the blood clot and my leg would return to normal size. Apparently wishful thinking on my part.
After my latest sonogram on my leg (last Thursday), I received a call from my primary care doc's nurse and she told me the following: that clots are present just above my knee, behind my knee and in my calf. She said that I can expect to take the Warfarin for the next 6-12 months and that the blood clot will likely change very little, if any. And further that I can expect to continue experiencing the edema (swelling) below the knee as well as develop varicose veins in that same area. Well, that was thoroughly depressing!
I have a really hard time accepting that prognosis. Surely something can be done. I plan to check around and maybe talk to a vascular surgeon for another opinion. I meet with my primary doc on 11/16 and before that, will see the hematologist who ran my blood test in the hospital to see if there is any blood abnormality.
So, I really need your continued prayers! I really don't want to go through the rest of my life with a swollen leg every day as well as suffer the pain of varicose veins. So, please pray for God to resolve this for me - with or without dox! As far as my back is concerned, things are getting slowly better. I was able to stop wearing my bone growth stimulator device this week because I am now at the 6 month mark since my surgery. I still have a lot of numbness in my lower legs and feet and have to be very careful when I walk to avoid stumbling and falling. There is still a significant amount of numbness, tingling and some pain in my left foot, although the burning band of pain that severely inhibited my walking is gone. Thank the good Lord!
Please keep praying for total resolution of my back & leg problems, but also add strong appeals to God to take away my blood clot problems in the left leg. Thanks so much for coming back!
Prayers up!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Chillin' in Michigan
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!
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Disappointment at S1, too.
Okay, this is starting to get old. Yeah, of course the foot pain is, but I'm talking about these nerve block procedures that I have hoped would temporarily deaden the offending nerves and give me some relief. Not happening.
Today's attempt at the S1 level went pretty smoothly as far as procedures go. I did feel some very slight changes in the way my foot felt. My pain level dropped a number or two and I was walking slightly better. However, the bulk of the pain never left the foot or lower leg and I was soon back to pretty much the same limp I have been saddled with for weeks now.
I will continue to log my pain level over the next 3 days. I return to the back doc on 9/4, hoping that he will have a new plan of attack. What I don't want to hear is that I'm just stuck with this.
So, please continue to pray for me to get some relief, but mostly pray for my spirits to remain high and that despair not set in. There still must be some things that God wants me to learn through all this. Thanks for remembering me today!
Prayers up!
Today's attempt at the S1 level went pretty smoothly as far as procedures go. I did feel some very slight changes in the way my foot felt. My pain level dropped a number or two and I was walking slightly better. However, the bulk of the pain never left the foot or lower leg and I was soon back to pretty much the same limp I have been saddled with for weeks now.
I will continue to log my pain level over the next 3 days. I return to the back doc on 9/4, hoping that he will have a new plan of attack. What I don't want to hear is that I'm just stuck with this.
So, please continue to pray for me to get some relief, but mostly pray for my spirits to remain high and that despair not set in. There still must be some things that God wants me to learn through all this. Thanks for remembering me today!
Prayers up!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Double Joy Day
I have two joyful things to report today: 42 years and another nerve block!
First, and most importantly, the 42 years. That is how long my precious bride and I have been together as husband and wife! That many years ago today, two very excited 19 year olds exchanged their vows in the cracker box auditorium of the Sunset Church of Christ in Lubbock, TX. Terrie has been God's greatest earthly gift to me. She continues to bless my life with love, respect, service, encouragement, forgiveness and prayer! I am honored to be her husband and to have been able to share this great life together. Together, God has blessed us in raising 3 wonderful kids, who each did their part in showering us with 10 unbelievable grandkids (hence the 10 in my blog address). Terrie, I love you totally and look forward to our special date tomorrow night.
Of course, on today as the anniversary day, we had a date to my doc appointment. How romantic is that! However, we did manage to squeeze in a lunch at a very cool Mexican restaurant on the way to the doc's office. It was fun to do that together.
Now, for the other joyful news. My back doc says that, since the selective nerve block at L5 didn't yield any results, we are going to do another one. This time, though, we are going to block at the S1 level, the one just below L5. He says this level is more directly linked to the feet, which is where I am in anguish (on the left side). If I get relief there, then we will talk about how to keep that relief thing going! Possibly more back injections over the months ahead.
While we were in the examining room, the doc pointed to the chart on the wall with the drawing of the man with his backbone & nerves exposed - you have seen similar. Then I noticed that the man in the chart had something that resembled a smooth stone under his foot - at the same place where I have felt like I have been walking on a golf ball for many weeks! I know this guy! I feel his pain! And my doc says the nerves to this area come from the S1 level in the back. Bingo! I hope we have found the culprit!
The next nerve block is scheduled for 8/28 at 10:45 AM in Arlington and my next follow up with the back doc is 9/4. As you can tell, I'm all over this scheduling thing! Pain tends to light a fire under you.
Many thanks again for all the prayers that are bombarding the throne of God! I definitely felt their affect today in the doc's office! As always...
Prayers up!
First, and most importantly, the 42 years. That is how long my precious bride and I have been together as husband and wife! That many years ago today, two very excited 19 year olds exchanged their vows in the cracker box auditorium of the Sunset Church of Christ in Lubbock, TX. Terrie has been God's greatest earthly gift to me. She continues to bless my life with love, respect, service, encouragement, forgiveness and prayer! I am honored to be her husband and to have been able to share this great life together. Together, God has blessed us in raising 3 wonderful kids, who each did their part in showering us with 10 unbelievable grandkids (hence the 10 in my blog address). Terrie, I love you totally and look forward to our special date tomorrow night.
Of course, on today as the anniversary day, we had a date to my doc appointment. How romantic is that! However, we did manage to squeeze in a lunch at a very cool Mexican restaurant on the way to the doc's office. It was fun to do that together.
Now, for the other joyful news. My back doc says that, since the selective nerve block at L5 didn't yield any results, we are going to do another one. This time, though, we are going to block at the S1 level, the one just below L5. He says this level is more directly linked to the feet, which is where I am in anguish (on the left side). If I get relief there, then we will talk about how to keep that relief thing going! Possibly more back injections over the months ahead.
While we were in the examining room, the doc pointed to the chart on the wall with the drawing of the man with his backbone & nerves exposed - you have seen similar. Then I noticed that the man in the chart had something that resembled a smooth stone under his foot - at the same place where I have felt like I have been walking on a golf ball for many weeks! I know this guy! I feel his pain! And my doc says the nerves to this area come from the S1 level in the back. Bingo! I hope we have found the culprit!
The next nerve block is scheduled for 8/28 at 10:45 AM in Arlington and my next follow up with the back doc is 9/4. As you can tell, I'm all over this scheduling thing! Pain tends to light a fire under you.
Many thanks again for all the prayers that are bombarding the throne of God! I definitely felt their affect today in the doc's office! As always...
Prayers up!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Small Victory
When you are grappling for a solution, any victory, however small, counts for something. This morning, I was able to move my appointment with my back doc from 8/31 to this coming Wednesday. Small, but significant!
I also left a message at the office of the pain doc who did my nerve block. Haven't heard back on that one yet.
Prayers up!
I also left a message at the office of the pain doc who did my nerve block. Haven't heard back on that one yet.
Prayers up!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
This Week's Plan
I want to approach this new week with a fresh positive attitude. In the morning I am going to call my back doc and see if I can get an earlier appointment than my current 8/31 date. I'll even take a waiting list position. I want to hear what he says about the (apparently) failed selective nerve block procedure of this past Friday. I have even thought about calling the doc's office who did the nerve block two days ago. He is supposed to deal in pain medicine.
Am I approaching the time to seek other opinions on what is causing my pain? Not sure yet, although I am getting lots of loving suggestions in that direction from several of you. I first want to hear what my back doc says about where we go from here.
So, this week, please pray for:
Am I approaching the time to seek other opinions on what is causing my pain? Not sure yet, although I am getting lots of loving suggestions in that direction from several of you. I first want to hear what my back doc says about where we go from here.
So, this week, please pray for:
- the Holy Spirit to guard my heart against discouragement & despair
- an earlier appointment with the back doc
- something to show up that will definitively decrease my pain
- guidance from the Lord about seeking other medical opinions
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Disappointment
That describes how I feel today. Disappointed. While the nerve block procedure went very well yesterday, the part of it that I desired the most hasn't happened. There have been no significant pain changes.
I still feel essentially everything that I have been feeling in my foot. There has been the slightest decrease of pain when I walk, but nothing like I anticipated with a successful nerve block. I admit that know very little about this whole process, but surely I should have experienced more of a change than I got.
A ray of hope yet. The pain diary they gave me to chart my pain levels had me record something each hour for 8 hours after the nerve block. It then asks me to record the pain level once each for the next 3 days. When I couple that with what someone at church told me about her back injection taking a couple of days to kick in, I have the slighest hope that something could still happen to move me toward relief. But I have to admit, that hope is VERY slim at this point.
I am scheduled to return to my back doc on the 31st. I can't imagine at this point that he has enough data to cause him to pursue a pinched nerve and a way to resolve it. But, that's why he is the doc and I'm the patient. Maybe he can still come up with something to get rid of my pain.
Thanks for all the prayers you have offered up for me so far. I can really used continued prayers for some direction and strength in the weeks ahead. This is really hard right now. And yet, I want to keep this in perspective too. I am JUST dealing with pain. There are others right now that are dealing with the impending death of their loved one or grieving over one they have just lost. May God's abundant mercies rain down on all who are hurting.
Prayers up!
I still feel essentially everything that I have been feeling in my foot. There has been the slightest decrease of pain when I walk, but nothing like I anticipated with a successful nerve block. I admit that know very little about this whole process, but surely I should have experienced more of a change than I got.
A ray of hope yet. The pain diary they gave me to chart my pain levels had me record something each hour for 8 hours after the nerve block. It then asks me to record the pain level once each for the next 3 days. When I couple that with what someone at church told me about her back injection taking a couple of days to kick in, I have the slighest hope that something could still happen to move me toward relief. But I have to admit, that hope is VERY slim at this point.
I am scheduled to return to my back doc on the 31st. I can't imagine at this point that he has enough data to cause him to pursue a pinched nerve and a way to resolve it. But, that's why he is the doc and I'm the patient. Maybe he can still come up with something to get rid of my pain.
Thanks for all the prayers you have offered up for me so far. I can really used continued prayers for some direction and strength in the weeks ahead. This is really hard right now. And yet, I want to keep this in perspective too. I am JUST dealing with pain. There are others right now that are dealing with the impending death of their loved one or grieving over one they have just lost. May God's abundant mercies rain down on all who are hurting.
Prayers up!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
New Date!
Wow! You guys are doing great with those prayers! In my last post, I mentioned the likelihood that my nerve block procedure would be on the 24th. I asked you to pray that it could be sooner and guess what! I found out this morning that it will be done tomorrow! Yea!
I report to a pain management facility in downtown Fort Worth tomorrow morning at 9:30 for a 10:30 procedure. I am supposed to log my pain over the 8 hours after the nerve block so I can report the effects to my doc.
So, please continue to pray for this to perfectly and effectively identify the nerve that is in distress. I am filled with a mixture of excitement of not feeling any pain for a while and the fear that it will reveal absolutely nothing. If the latter is true, I'm not sure where we will go from there. No doubt, more waiting will be involved!
Prayers up!
I report to a pain management facility in downtown Fort Worth tomorrow morning at 9:30 for a 10:30 procedure. I am supposed to log my pain over the 8 hours after the nerve block so I can report the effects to my doc.
So, please continue to pray for this to perfectly and effectively identify the nerve that is in distress. I am filled with a mixture of excitement of not feeling any pain for a while and the fear that it will reveal absolutely nothing. If the latter is true, I'm not sure where we will go from there. No doubt, more waiting will be involved!
Prayers up!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Back to Waiting
The early news from the doc that has been assigned to do my nerve block is that I cannot get it done until the 24th - that is 9 days from now. More waiting. Ugh! I proactively called their office today once I had the name and asked for a return call. When the call came, she said that they only got all the paperwork today and the doctors in their office would likely review everything this evening. She will then probably call me tomorrow with a few questions and to confirm the appointment. Some prayer points:
- that this is the best doc for my nerve block
- that the procedure will do what I need - identify the offending nerve
- that God will give me strength & functionality until then
- that they could even have a cancellation and get me in sooner than the 24th
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The Doc Visit
Well, I am beginning to get the answer from the doc that I wanted to get. I think.
Let me explain. As he poured over the CT scan film, he was not finding anything that indicated a pinched nerve to him. However, at that time he was looking to see if any of the screws he put in my back were encroaching on any nerves. All were in place where they should be. Finally, he noticed that the opening through which the nerve passes at L5 was much smaller than it should be (at least smaller than its neighbor). He believes that this diminished passage is likely the culprit. It would fit with my original diagnosis of spondylolisthesis - where the L5 vertebra had moved out of place, constricting the nerve passage.
He is ordering a specific nerve block on the nerve in that area. It will be similar to the epidural back injections that I have had a couple of times. They will put me out and perform an injection that will both bathe the nerve in steroids, as well as deaden it temporarily. If we have zeroed in on the correct area, the pain in my foot should go away very quickly and will likely return after all the drugs wear off. If the pain changes like that, he will know that we have found the problem. He wants me to log about all my pain for an 8 hour period after the injection so he will have an accurate picture of the results. If we find the pinched nerve through the nerve block, then he will schedule a procedure to go in and trim the bone around the nerve and free it up for normal (pain free) function!
I will now have to wait on the pre-certification department to do their thing with insurance, then await the phone call from the injection place to schedule my nerve block. Hopefully, I will hear from them during the first part of next week. I went ahead and scheduled a follow up with my back doc for 8/31 so I won't have to wait a long time after the nerve block to see him.
Thanks so much for the incredible number of prayers you have lifted up for me! I could feel them working as the doc studied the CT film. God finally pointed out the possible location to him and we have something to pursue now. BTW, I heard one of the Olympic athletes just yesterday use a term that I really liked. As he was talking about needing his home town folks to keep cheering for him, he said, "Prayers up!" I love that. You will hear it again from me, I suspect.
Prayers up!
Let me explain. As he poured over the CT scan film, he was not finding anything that indicated a pinched nerve to him. However, at that time he was looking to see if any of the screws he put in my back were encroaching on any nerves. All were in place where they should be. Finally, he noticed that the opening through which the nerve passes at L5 was much smaller than it should be (at least smaller than its neighbor). He believes that this diminished passage is likely the culprit. It would fit with my original diagnosis of spondylolisthesis - where the L5 vertebra had moved out of place, constricting the nerve passage.
He is ordering a specific nerve block on the nerve in that area. It will be similar to the epidural back injections that I have had a couple of times. They will put me out and perform an injection that will both bathe the nerve in steroids, as well as deaden it temporarily. If we have zeroed in on the correct area, the pain in my foot should go away very quickly and will likely return after all the drugs wear off. If the pain changes like that, he will know that we have found the problem. He wants me to log about all my pain for an 8 hour period after the injection so he will have an accurate picture of the results. If we find the pinched nerve through the nerve block, then he will schedule a procedure to go in and trim the bone around the nerve and free it up for normal (pain free) function!
I will now have to wait on the pre-certification department to do their thing with insurance, then await the phone call from the injection place to schedule my nerve block. Hopefully, I will hear from them during the first part of next week. I went ahead and scheduled a follow up with my back doc for 8/31 so I won't have to wait a long time after the nerve block to see him.
Thanks so much for the incredible number of prayers you have lifted up for me! I could feel them working as the doc studied the CT film. God finally pointed out the possible location to him and we have something to pursue now. BTW, I heard one of the Olympic athletes just yesterday use a term that I really liked. As he was talking about needing his home town folks to keep cheering for him, he said, "Prayers up!" I love that. You will hear it again from me, I suspect.
Prayers up!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
More than medical
Keeley and Sterling enjoyed some lunch together. He preferred to eat off of her plate rather than his own. Typical.
It was great to have Terrie's brother, Dwight, here from Iowa. He brought his oldest daughter, Caitlin (black dress) with him. She's a senior at OCU. We went and picked up Terrie's aunt Cleta(center) and went to lunch at Cracker Barrel. Two more of Dwight's litter of 5 were here - Coulter & Keeci - but they didn't join us for lunch. Their loss!
Okay, one more. You may have noticed Kamalyn's tie dye shirt in the last photo. We have been doing lots of tie dying around our house lately and here is evidence of the creativity. Terrie and I even did our own. It's pretty cool. I wore mine to church a week ago Saturday and got asked where the Grateful Dead concert was!
One medical reminder: my doc appointment is this coming Thursday. Please keep praying! Thanks!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Back to the beginning
My original post on 7/28 gives my most recent update. This post is meant to go back to the beginning of my back troubles and give as succinct an account as possible. Here goes.
In January of last year, I suddenly developed a crippling pain in my outer right calf. I had no back pain at all, but that is where the diagnosis settled. It is called spondylolisthesis and describes a condition where one of the vertebra in my lower back (L5) has slipped forward. The resulting slippage has compressed the nerve opening and put pressure on the nerve root that serves my lower right leg. After seeing my ortho doc and receiving a back brace and some Celebrex, the pain subsided. I had epidural back injections in April and November of that same year. Most of the year I felt fine, but in November, things got worse. After some testing, it was determined that I needed fusion surgery at the L4-L5-S1 level. I consulted with two other spine specialists and chose Texas Back Institute to do my surgery.
On April 23, 2012, I had what is called a 360 spinal fusion. An incision was made in my lower abdomen to allow the best access to the two discs that had to be replaced and to also install the fusion material to secure the vertebra. The fusion material is composed of cadaver bone mixed with some of my own blood. After that work was completed, I was rolled over and 4 screws and two connecting bars were placed in the vertebra to secure them while the fusion sets up. They were placed in a minimally invasive technique that required minimal incisions. I spent two nights in the hospital.
The recovery has been full of ups and downs. I was up and walking the day after the surgery. I went for regular walks in my neighborhood after I got home. I was told this was the best thing for my recovery. I was not prepared for nor informed about the amount of leg and foot pain I would feel after the surgery. The doc explained that when the discs are replaced, the nerve roots get pretty irritated by the procedure and it takes them a while to recover, hence the leg pain. After a few weeks, the pain has settled into the left foot and creates a constant burning sensation that makes me limp when I walk. That led to what I said in the first post about the doc suspecting a pinched nerve at L5.
I had a lot of trouble sleeping at first because the pain kept me awake and I was getting panicky about not sleeping, which was creating a whole new level of stress for me. I finally prayed my way through that (along with many of you!) and began to calm down, realizing that I had plenty to time to sleep during the day if I was up during the night. Sort of a "duh" realization. Fortunately, at this point I am sleeping quite well. For several more weeks, I was back and forth between the bed and the couch, but now am able to remain in bed all night. That part is nice.
God is seeing me through this each day. I have had some very depressing times and I am convinced that the prayers of my family and beloved friends have kept me going. And there is absolutely no way I could have made it as well as I have without the daily loving service of my precious and incomparable wife. She doesn't think she does much, but she doesn't even realize how much I depend on her. I know she prays for me a lot, but I think I 'd be surprised if I knew just how much! There is a lot more I could report, but I have already written more than most of you want to read anyway. I'll keep you updated as much as I can.
Thanks for reading this and many, many thanks for praying for me and my family!
In January of last year, I suddenly developed a crippling pain in my outer right calf. I had no back pain at all, but that is where the diagnosis settled. It is called spondylolisthesis and describes a condition where one of the vertebra in my lower back (L5) has slipped forward. The resulting slippage has compressed the nerve opening and put pressure on the nerve root that serves my lower right leg. After seeing my ortho doc and receiving a back brace and some Celebrex, the pain subsided. I had epidural back injections in April and November of that same year. Most of the year I felt fine, but in November, things got worse. After some testing, it was determined that I needed fusion surgery at the L4-L5-S1 level. I consulted with two other spine specialists and chose Texas Back Institute to do my surgery.
On April 23, 2012, I had what is called a 360 spinal fusion. An incision was made in my lower abdomen to allow the best access to the two discs that had to be replaced and to also install the fusion material to secure the vertebra. The fusion material is composed of cadaver bone mixed with some of my own blood. After that work was completed, I was rolled over and 4 screws and two connecting bars were placed in the vertebra to secure them while the fusion sets up. They were placed in a minimally invasive technique that required minimal incisions. I spent two nights in the hospital.
The recovery has been full of ups and downs. I was up and walking the day after the surgery. I went for regular walks in my neighborhood after I got home. I was told this was the best thing for my recovery. I was not prepared for nor informed about the amount of leg and foot pain I would feel after the surgery. The doc explained that when the discs are replaced, the nerve roots get pretty irritated by the procedure and it takes them a while to recover, hence the leg pain. After a few weeks, the pain has settled into the left foot and creates a constant burning sensation that makes me limp when I walk. That led to what I said in the first post about the doc suspecting a pinched nerve at L5.
I had a lot of trouble sleeping at first because the pain kept me awake and I was getting panicky about not sleeping, which was creating a whole new level of stress for me. I finally prayed my way through that (along with many of you!) and began to calm down, realizing that I had plenty to time to sleep during the day if I was up during the night. Sort of a "duh" realization. Fortunately, at this point I am sleeping quite well. For several more weeks, I was back and forth between the bed and the couch, but now am able to remain in bed all night. That part is nice.
God is seeing me through this each day. I have had some very depressing times and I am convinced that the prayers of my family and beloved friends have kept me going. And there is absolutely no way I could have made it as well as I have without the daily loving service of my precious and incomparable wife. She doesn't think she does much, but she doesn't even realize how much I depend on her. I know she prays for me a lot, but I think I 'd be surprised if I knew just how much! There is a lot more I could report, but I have already written more than most of you want to read anyway. I'll keep you updated as much as I can.
Thanks for reading this and many, many thanks for praying for me and my family!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
I have fought hard against doing this. But it looks like this back surgery and the subsequent recovery are developing into more of a journey than I cared to take. So, I will begin to post today about where I am at present and then my next post will be the catch up - a summary about what has transpired so far. The reason I have resisted blogging to this point is that I am not a faithful writer. I figure no one is really interested in what I am thinking about anything. However, there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of wonderful, godly people who are praying me through this whole ordeal. And I owe you some updates on the results of your prayers.
I have named my blog "Back to Normal" to fit my own prayers that God will move me from where I am after my back surgery to what I call my normal life. That life includes being able to do all the things I love to to do, which chiefly revolves around my family. Free to do all the things I want to do with Terrie - pain free days and dates and outings and vacations. Free to play with my grandkids the way I want to. Free to return to my household chores and be able to lift the things I need to lift throughout the day. This letting people do things for you gets really old and is terrifically humbling! I have always been the doer. I am so thankful for everyone who has stepped in and done so much for me. I don't know what I would have done without you. I'm just ready to do more for myself. Okay, enough whimpering.
The quick update: at my last doc visit, he suspected that I have a pinched nerve at the L5 level in my lower back. To confirm that and see exactly where it might be, he ordered a CT myelogram, which I had done on Thursday, July 19. Apparently, I will not know the results of that exam until I go to my next appointment with my doc on August 9. At that time he will read the film of the exam and let me know what he sees. Frankly, I am praying for a pinched nerve because he tells me he can fix that with another surgical procedure - the one he does most often. So, until August 9, I will deal with the pain in my left foot and keep praying for the pinched nerve diagnosis - or at least that the doc sees something that he can remedy in some way. So, if you are still praying for me, please request the same. Thanks!
I have named my blog "Back to Normal" to fit my own prayers that God will move me from where I am after my back surgery to what I call my normal life. That life includes being able to do all the things I love to to do, which chiefly revolves around my family. Free to do all the things I want to do with Terrie - pain free days and dates and outings and vacations. Free to play with my grandkids the way I want to. Free to return to my household chores and be able to lift the things I need to lift throughout the day. This letting people do things for you gets really old and is terrifically humbling! I have always been the doer. I am so thankful for everyone who has stepped in and done so much for me. I don't know what I would have done without you. I'm just ready to do more for myself. Okay, enough whimpering.
The quick update: at my last doc visit, he suspected that I have a pinched nerve at the L5 level in my lower back. To confirm that and see exactly where it might be, he ordered a CT myelogram, which I had done on Thursday, July 19. Apparently, I will not know the results of that exam until I go to my next appointment with my doc on August 9. At that time he will read the film of the exam and let me know what he sees. Frankly, I am praying for a pinched nerve because he tells me he can fix that with another surgical procedure - the one he does most often. So, until August 9, I will deal with the pain in my left foot and keep praying for the pinched nerve diagnosis - or at least that the doc sees something that he can remedy in some way. So, if you are still praying for me, please request the same. Thanks!
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