Thanks for the prayers and good communications that keep coming my way. Here's the latest:
I met with my ortho on Monday to go over the MRI results. It turns out that (1) I have arthritis in my back and knees. That explains the constant nagging pain and soreness. (2) I have a degenerative disk disease that has eaten away at my L3 to L5 disks and a "midline annular tear" at L5-S1. That's creating an "annular bulge" in several of the vertebrae. And (3) I'm developing bone spurs. Those seem to be the cause of the sudden nerve pain I feel when I move the wrong way. And that nerve disruption is what lays my out on occasion. All in all, what this means is: I'm old and I'm not going to get any younger.
Ironically, the typical maintenance for this starts with aspirin to combat the inflammation. But I'm deathly allergic to aspirin. I got straight into anaphylaxis, no lines, no waiting. Fortunately, there is a highly respected and recommend pain clinic here in Smyrna that specializes in spinal pain. The ortho contacted them and I have an appointment for next Monday afternoon. I'm hopeful for good results. And tomorrow I'm meeting with the physical therapist to discuss my knees.
Meanwhile, yesterday I underwent an outpatient procedure that I usually schedule once a year. I have esophageal webbings and rings that can make it very hard to swallow food and vitamins. When it gets bad, the food hangs up in my throat, causing me to choke and gag. I've had this condition since I was a boy and only discovered this procedure in my mid-40's. So yesterday I was anesthetized and the gastro doc put a series of expanding tubes down my throat to stretch and expand the rings. Today I have a terrible soar throat and (bonus) because they pump air into my stomach during the exam portion of the procedure, my diaphragm was expanded, so last night I had hiccups for two and half hours. It turns out that hiccups cease to be amusing after the first ten minutes.
Last night was largely sleepless and today I'm trying to shake off the effects of the anesthesia, soothe my sore throat, stop the chest contractions that happen when I swallow, and not hiccup. I alerted Tom last night that he's at the podium tonight at GCA. I'm grateful to have capable men I can trust to feed the sheep when I'm incapacitated.
Pray for Monday's procedure. It will include a spinal epidural and a series of needles in the spine. But if it gives me the relief I'm so longing for, it will be worth it.
There's the update. I will now resume my previous prone, low-energy position. :-)
