Surgery Update And A Word From Our Sponsor

In case y’all haven’t noticed, I’m deliberately not talking about the looming fiscal cliff. What can we do? Obama hates us and Congress is a bunch of clowns in suits that only care about themselves. But I‘ll make a prediction, the Republicans will cave and all the demons in Congress hell including Obama, will celebrate. The Republic is dead and no one seems to care anymore.

Fa la la la la la la la la

I’ve got bigger fish to fry.

Anyway, I’m well on the road to recovery from my Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. The surgeon said the procedure was “textbook”: no problems or difficulties where encountered. I didn't like the spending a night in hospital but with all the pain I encountered afterwards I can see why the doc insisted on it. The constant pain down my right side is gone, my hearing is restored on the right side, I no longer lose my vision when tilting my head back and I can lean forward without doubling over in pain. Also my right hip no longer is in searing pain. I don't walk like I'm 90 years old anymore. God has allowed me to be healed. Thank you Lord Jesus for your mercy! Now I can ride, garden, do my crafts, etc. etc. I feel like a kid again! It's wonderful. Thank you everyone for your prayers and kind thoughts.

In the meantime, my sweet hubby has been slowly remodeling the master bathroom. When the house was custom built for us in 1993, I had the not so brilliant idea of installing a “garden tub” in the master bath. I have regretted it ever since! After the first 6 months I so tired of the fancy jets and things and it just sat there unused. Now it’s out! And sitting on our back deck (PS: it’s free to anyone who wants it and can come get it).

Preparing to pull the tub out

Garden tub removed! What a job that was!

Everything was now stripped from the room and ready for sanding and floor preparation.

After laying the new vinyl floor, Sweetie installed the tongue-and-groove 'flooring' that became our paneling.

The "cove" is finished! Now we need to finish the area in front of the shower and in the closet. It never ends, this project.

Also installed new halogen ceiling lights. These are some nice lights. They're so bright I almost get a tan standing under them.

So, that's what we've been up to. Thanks for stopping by! I hope y'all have a great weekend.

Sticking My Neck Out (Again)

Herman For some time now I've been suffering from mysterious right shoulder and neck pain. I'm also suffering from unexplained temporary vision loss. Needless to say, I've been to doctor after doctor seeking treatment.

Some doctors have recommended therapy [Ehhhh, wrong answer! Just made it worse!]. Others recommended mind bending drugs [DEFINITELY a wrong answer!]. One even said, "Well, you have a trigger muscle. Learn to live with it."

Today, I gave yet one more doctor a try, a vascular surgeon. Well, let me back up, I gave one more Neurologist a try one month ago. After multiple tests, lots of hmmmm's and ah haw's, he suggested that I might have Subclavian Steal Syndrome.

"Oh Boy!" I thought, "Someone who takes me seriously and has a legitimate suggestion." He had even called his vascular surgeon friend and over the phone they came up with this diagnosis.

I was absolutely giddy with joy! FINALLY, someone had a diagnosis for my pain.

Today, after more on-hands, visual tests with the vascular surgeon, he shot my balloon right out of the air. Now it seems I may have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

OK.

Back to square one. [very heavy sigh] Now I need to have yet more tests to be performed at a local hospital. More precious time spent running back and to. Spending more money we should be saving during this economic Depression. And I still hurt. This seems to be dragging on and on and on and on. I have wept all afternoon. I felt so discouraged and abandoned.

Then, I happened upon this in our local paper:

Billy Graham - My Answer

Q: I have terrible pain all the time from a bad back, and the doctors can’t seem to do anything about it (except to prescribe strong drugs, which I don’t want to get hooked on). What good is God to me, if He won’t relieve my pain? Is it wrong for me to ask Him to take it away? — J. McS.

A: No, it isn’t wrong for you to ask God to bring healing to your body and take away your pain. Chronic pain is a terrible burden, and the Bible encourages us to bring all our burdens to God in prayer. But if your pain stays with you, I urge you not to get angry with God or turn away from Him in bitterness or disappointment.

Instead, I pray that your pain will cause you to turn toward God and draw closer to Him, so you can discover His strength and presence. In spite of your present feelings about Him, God has not abandoned you; He loves you and wants to encourage you. The Bible’s promise is true: “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

Think of it this way. In your letter, you mentioned that you are married, and although your wife can’t take away your pain, her presence has been a source of great comfort and encouragement to you. In a similar way, knowing that God cares for you and is constantly with you will bring you great comfort and encouragement.

Bring your burdens — including your pain — to Jesus, and ask Him to encourage you and help you keep your eyes on eternity.

The Bible says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22).

I sure needed to hear that today! Plus, I made mental notes of all my blessings instead of focusing in on the failures and the seemingly endless medical adventures I've been on these past years. I have a lot to be thankful for. Now I feel better. God sure works in mysterious ways, doesn't he?! :)

I hope this encourages others to not give up too. Remember, you are LOVED!

Besides, it reminds me of that old saying, "Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."

I just hope I don't get it chopped off.

[tee hee]

Oh Say Can You See, Part Deux

I will be off-line for a bit
whilst getting my first lens
replacement surgery.


I'm told I won't have to wear eye glasses anymore!
So, I thought I'd get a new pair of non-prescription
sunglasses. Whaddya think of these?


Hope y'all have a great week.
See ya later alligator!

Oh Say Can You See

My vision has been getting progressively dimmer of late. No eyeglasses would work ... at all. So I paid a visit to the eye doctor today. Quite literally "paid" by the time I could escape the office. I hate doctor offices. They're like black holes that suck you in and you can't escape until the evil wizard is vanquished by throwing money at him. [What a drama queen, right?!]

Prognoses? Cataracts!? That was a shock. No wonder my eyeglasses didn't work so well anymore. My first lens replacement surgery is scheduled for mid-March.

I told my husband I want sympathy and lots and LOTS of vanilla Blue Bunny No Sugar Added ice cream with chocolate syrup! He had a good laugh. Well, ok, I'll settle for the ice cream. That's probably more realistic.

In the news, I hear that my Teen Idol, Davy Jones of The Monkees, passed away. Another shock! I had such a crush on him in the '70s and had all The Monkees albums. [sigh] I can't take two of these in one day.

I'll need more ice cream to handle all this bad news.

Eye On The Prize

Cataract removal with
lens replacement
Hubby is scheduled for his first cataract removal, lens replacement tomorrow at O'Dark Thirty. Apparently, the doctors prefer to only remove one cataract at a time. I would have preferred having them both removed at one sitting but "they" don't do it that way.

And the lucky dawg won't have to wear glasses anymore! NOT FAIR!! [ha ha]

Thanks to his ailment I've learned more about cataracts than I ever cared to know and I'll probably not retain a bit of the info. One thing I will remember is the cost.

But, we won't go there. [grin]

Aw well. It's just another adventure ...

Fun Time At The Hospital

WELL! I don't know about you, but I am so glad that yesterday 'is in the can', as I've heard them say in the film industry.

Gosh, what a day. It wasn't bad, just long and tedious. Our hospital rents the machine that does the kidney stone pounding (can't remember the name of the machine).

First, the truck hauling it broke down enroute. The hospital called us at home, "don't show up until 10:30 am". No problem. We arrived at the appointed time. Hubby gets prepped with needles in his arms so he can't move on the gurney. Then, we learn that the machine itself is 'broke' or malfuntioning in some way. We had to wait until 2:00 pm for Fed Ex to rush a part from somewhere. Then the doctor is so backed up with work that he can't get to Steve until about 5:30 pm.

With all this going on, we didn't return home until 9:30 pm! We were gone about 12 hours. The house was dark, doggies were worried and both of us were so tired. Steve had terrible nausea this time for some reason. He *never* throws up but did so twice last night. Poor guy. And I felt sorry for the hospital staff. They were tired too and couldn't go home for quite awhile. I thanked them all profusely, they kept apologizing and I said "it's not y'alls fault". We all had to smile and laugh at the comedy of errors. The staff were exceedingly kind. I got to talk about the love of Christ to quite a few people too. To me, that's a good day.

Our pastor and wife were able to visit with us that afternoon in the hospital and he looked tired (he's had heart trouble). I didn't know that he also has kidney stones but they can't be removed because of the pacemaker and he may bleed to death! Please continue to remember Pastor Byron Scott in prayer? Thanks y'all. Anyway, I made sure to keep the visit short so he wouldn't feel bad about having to leave and get some rest. Pastor said he's napping twice a day now. I hope that's a good thing. We all prayed together, then they could go home and relax. Their stopping by meant a lot to us. At least they live right there in town and only had to travel a couple of miles to get home. We live over 30 minutes from the hospital. That's not bad out here as it's "country minutes". All country driving, not much traffic. :o)

Short story long [giggle] all my husband's kidney stones have been pounded with sonic waves and a stint put in the right side to ease passage. The stint is scheduled to be removed in the Doc's office next Tuesday. Now the remains of the stones should pass as grains of sand and small pebbles as time progresses. Poor fellow is so sore and achy but at least now he can heal and, after about a week or so, get back to his normal activities.

Thanks so much for all the kind thoughts. I will certainly convey y'alls warm wishes his way.

Like, He's So Stoned, Man

Sweetie in Dahlonega, GA
My husband is scheduled to have minor surgery tomorrow (Wednesday) at a local hospital, time unknown at the present. The surgery goes by the wordy title of "Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL)". That's a mouthful, ain't it? He is pre-registering for the procedure this afternoon.

Put simply, he has kidney stones on both sides and they will be "pounded" with shock waves, then two stints left in for one week to allow the stone remains to flush safely. Poor guy. This is the second time he's had to have this done.

In his case, the stones are caused by consuming too many 'dark fluids' (i.e. coke, coffee, etc.). Some stones are caused by eating too much red meat. I think that's how it works. Anyway, this last motorcycle trip jarred the stones lose and upon our return he had terrible back pain on both sides. The real clue was when he started passing a little blood. OK, time to see a doctor! He was fortunate that the Urologist could see him so quickly. After the proper CT scan and exam, Doc said "Yep, you've got stones again." So, there we are.

I'll be sure to let y'all know when he's back home and resting comfortably. And I'm throwing out all the cola NOW! :o)

It's Go Time!

Well, I'm finally in surgery today folks. I know you're as sick of hearing about it as I am of talking about it. Therefore, I probably won't be on-line for several days. For your entertainment below are a few really cute doctor / surgery jokes. I hope you enjoy!

BTW, please think about my hubby sitting in the waiting room waiting on me would ya? I know he's a big boy but I worry more about him than me. It's really stressful on family and friends when someone they love is under the knife more so than the patient (been there, done that more times than I care to remember).

I'll leave the comments box operational (pun intended).

God bless and thanks for stopping by. I'll "see ya" when I can. Don't have to much fun without me! :o)

*** UPDATE: Sparky is home and feeling fine! The surgery went well and she'll be bad to blogging soon. 5:30 PM 04 Feb 2009 Wiregrass Steve ***







♥ ∞

I've Gotta Pain In The ....

Well, all those years of gardening have finally caught up with me. As my stepmom would have said, "the wages of sin, my dear" and then laugh. She had such a sense of humor.


I met with the surgeon in Savannah today. Here’s the doctors report in a nutshell (with deepest apologizes to all my medical bloggy friends, consider me medically differently disabled) …


My C-3 is degenerated from age.
Between C-4 and C-5 there is a tear.
Between C-5 and C-6 there is a tear and a herniated disc. The nerve is bulging out and getting pinched. Thus, the pain.


Doc takes the disk from out between C 5 and C 6, cleans the area, removes a teeny tiny piece of bone, crumbles the bone, lay that aside, screws a small titanium plate to hold C 5 and C 6 in place and properly spaced, sprinkles the powdered bone on the area. The area quickly grows back like new.

He said I don’t have to wear a neck brace and I only have to spend one night in Hospital. I could go home the day of the surgery if we lived closer to said Doc but he will be 2 hours from our home. Since we live so far out in the country, Doc worries about my going home and having a problem and not being near medical care.

All I know is, I want ice cream afterwards! LOL

Boy, before you know it, medical care will be like on Star Trek after all. We’ll have medical personnel that can wave a wand over the affected area and you’re healed!

Dr. "Bones" McCoy
Cool deal.

But for now, we must rely on the “old” methods of anesthesia, a sharp knife and a skilled hand. Updates to follow. The Doc's office sent me home with some Celebrex is calling me Monday to let me know when to report to Hospital.

A Few Medical Links Concerning This Procedure:
http://www.eorthopod.com/public/patient_education/6452/neck_pain.html
http://www.doereport.com/generateexhibit.php?ID=808

** UPDATE 26 January 2009: Surgery is scheduled for February 4th (Wednesday). It will done as an out-patient procedure. God bless! ***

PS: Many of y’all have very kindly been asking about our 4 year old niece, Amberlee. Happily she is on the road to recovery. Poor little thing has pneumonia. The fever broke yesterday and the doctor has her on a nebulizer inhaler and multiple antibiotics. We’re praying for a rapid recovery. Thanks y’all for your prayers!

Amberlee


♥ ∞

Physical Therapy Has Started

I've forgotten to share with y'all that Steve was finally approved for 12 physical therapy threatments on his left shoulder. He started this week at Open MRI in Waycross. Praise God, he is healing from his surgery rapidly now. We'll be back to riding motorcycles again VERY soon!

Have a nice weekend everyone! ♥ ∞

More About Tropical Storm Fay

Seems that after all the hoopla, most of the fun will stay south of us. Check out the projections now. Oh well. At least we've got plenty of beer and food. [smile] Check out the joke below. Hubby and I laughed so hard I just had to share it. The joke was e-mailed to me this afternoon by a friend down in Florida.

Also, Hubby is improving every day. His shoulder and under his armpit is still all purple and yellow but the actual surgery cut is healing nicely. He's still quite sore and is completely immobile on his left side. I know he's anxious to get back on 2 wheels again, as I am also. I keep going out in the carport and cranking the bikes. His Triumph needs to be run every so many days to keep the battery from running down because of it's on-board computer. It draws a lot of current and can be difficult to crank. You ought to hear that thing power down: whirl, pop, wheeze, ping, boop, pop. [lol] It's really humourous. The bike makes sounds like one of those 1980's Sci-Fi robots. Mine is quiet as a japanese mouse.

TTFN ~ Sparky ♥ ∞

Hubby's Rotator Cuff Surgery

Hubby had rotator cuff surgery on his left shoulder today. This is his second shoulder surgery in one year by the same surgeon, Dr. Randall O'Brien. The first one was on his right shoulder, which is now completely healed. Here's a pic I snapped as the nurses and staff were prepping him for the operation.

Here's a pic of Hubby at home after said surgery. So many of our friends have called this evening. It's heartwarming to hear from everyone. We are exceedingly blessed with wonderful friends! ((Hugs)) Anyway, we're hoping he'll heal soon that we may start riding again.

Thanks for visiting y'all!

Sparky ♥ ∞