Thank you to everyone who has written me during these past couple weeks during my back problems - offering to help me out in all sorts of ways - you have all been so kind. For everyone wanting to know more details here is a bit of a story and report. I want everyone concerned to know that I am up and walking again with no assistance from walkers or canes. I had epidural back injections on Monday that are supposed to help me even more in the days ahead (but I was told they have a delay time of 3-5 days before they really start working). When they let me leave the hospital, it was the day after I got through 24 hours without needing IV dilaudid every 6 hours for my pain (because they knew I wouldnt be able to administer it at home). The dilaudid was in addition to two prescribed 5/325 percocet every 4 hours, and I needed it all in the beginning just to get through the day, and I continued taking it after I left the hospital. Percocet makes me pretty stupid though, so I have been trying to ween myself off. Today I have had only 3 percocet total - so the pain is going away and becoming something I will hopefully be able to mange soon without medication. On the plus side when I was in the hospital they discovered another health problem from the constant blood tests they ran (my arms were basically pincushions during my visit). One of my three doctors (the one in charge of my kidneys and liver) believes my body produces too much aldosterone (a hormone that controls the salt to water ratio in your body) which makes me not absorb potassium well and the low levels were causing horrible leg cramps that I have been getting at night for years - so they discovered the problem and put me on something that has fixed it. I havent had a leg cramp since (knock on wood)! I was able to lecture my first class of the semester yesterday (but I needed the help of the worlds most wonderful chauffeur Julie since I wasnt allowed to drive after the anesthesia from the epidural injection process). I get a real good vibe off the new group of students I get to work with this semester - I dont know how to explain it but every collective group of people kind of have a personality and after a while you start to be able to pick up on it and can tell what the semester is going to be like. I cant begin to thank my parents enough for taking care of me during my back problems. They are amazing and were really there for me doing stuff like driving me to appointments and letting me stay at their house so that Julie could still get her work done. I really felt loved. Julie was so supportive and helpful too despite working full time during it all. Im a lucky person to have such a great family! For those of you who dont know, my friend and guitar player Rob Marshal gave me my nickname of Bubonic . He did it not just because we were in a band named Dead Rats and it seemed fitting since the bubonic plague is popularly believed to be carried by fleas on rats - I think the idea came more because at the time I was constantly ill and doctors could never really figure out what was wrong with me - so Robby decided that it must be the plague. I have to admit that I have a tendency towards having health problems of all sorts. For example, my debilitating chronic hives have finally stopped (knock on wood - theres another one they never figured out and after years finally stopped as mysteriously as it started). So, this recent back thing is just another drop in the ocean. I think the reasons for this one are pretty apparent though. Degenerative disc disease is part genetic and part wearing down over a long period of time. It happens to everyone to some degree as we get older. For a year or two now I have a huge numb spot on my right leg and an MRI earlier this year (I think in March) showed that the discs both on top and below my L5 vertebrae were herniated (other terms people use are bulging or slipped - though slipped is more of a misnomer since discs dont really go anywhere). A main problem I have is that I am overweight - my back is constantly carrying at least an extra 100 lbs I should lose. I gained weight when I quit smoking and I have been unsuccessful losing it for any length of time. I always gain it back eventually. I have decided that once I am back in regular form (for me) that Ill try a new diet my friend Wade suggested this summer and see how it goes. In my life I also do the two worst things you can do to your back, I sit in chairs for long periods of time because Im a computer geek and gamer (Most doctors seem to believe that sitting is actually worse for your back than standing because it causes more intradiscal pressure to occur). The other bad thing I do is the complete opposite - I have had several jobs and hobbies that require me to work pretty hard and lift heavy stuff frequently - which can cause my condition to worsen at an accelerated rate and also suddenly become agitated like it was these past few weeks. I was working on the my new stage for use at the Moose Lodge and I over did it - I should have taken it slower, but my excitement and drive to improve the place got the best of me. The lodge needs to generate more revenue if its going to stay around and I am really trying to push as much as possible right now to change it to be more attractive to potential members. I feel a huge burden to do everything possible to make it succeed, and to be honest we need more help than we have. The small circle of core people volunteering there with me doing physical work.are over burdened trying to keep the place afloat -- we need more help. I compensate by trying to do all the work myself, and it has lead to my recent injury. My other problem lately is that I have lost a huge amount of hearing in my right ear. Working frequently with music it has been very distressing. It is not due to wax or blockage - something is going on in my middle or inner ear (according to my ENT Doctor). I already had an MRI taken of my head before my back injury and have rescheduled a sleep study he ordered because of this recent problem (which is now going to happen this coming Sunday night). I cant wait to find out what the results of the MRI and sleep study will be, because I really want my hearing back asap. So those are the recent chronicles of BuBoNiC NATEs constant health problems. And with the length of this post, hopefully I have made up for all the time I havent been on facebook much. My course is clear - I have to ease up on my physical work, diet and lose some weight, stretch and exercise more, find more people to help at the moose lodge and get off these pain meds. 1, 2, 3 - GO!
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 09:23:26 +0000
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