Aug 2018 it continues

I have been unable to log in and post on our blog for some time now. I am now up to 58 procedures. Wow. I have had 4 radio frequency pulse Procedures with great success to my back. No back pain sure is a blessing. I also had a block done on my rt shoulder and a stim router implant on my rt shoulder last week. That works good also. I turn it on and my rt shoulder pain is gone. I have developed a large swollen lymphnode in my right armpit since my surgery last week. If it does not go away in a week I will have to get a ultrasound to try to identify what is causing this. Praying.

Prior to my implant I was hospitalized as I had a migraine with left side numbness. Thankfully I recovered well. But only after cat scans. MRI's and a spinal tap. While in the hospital I was given some meds. Shortly after I started taking them I developed tremors. A week after being discharged I tried not taking the med they gave me to prevent future migraines and my tremors stopped within 12 hours. I had taken topomac for 14 1/2 years. I had been off it for 6 months. I never would have thought when I was put back on it I would develop tremors. What a rotten side effect surprise.

Tomorrow morning Dolly will take me to Stanford to start my first Lidocaine infusion therapy. If I respond well I will continue this therapy monthly. This is to help reduce my chronic pain. It is like pushing a reset button calming my nerves and their hyper sensitivity due to 15 years of pain. So we are praying for a successful outcome.

My pain in my sternum and right clavicle has grown much over the last 6 months. Last month I had ultrasound guided injections to try to reduce my pain but it was not successful. So I am hopefull the Lidocaine infusion therapy will work to calm and reduce that pain. If it does I will be the happiest guy in the world.

Dolly and I have a planned Vacation to Idaho and Calgary Canada. If all goes well. We leave next week.

A year since my last post

My blogger app crashed so I have been unable to make new entries until now. My time has been spent resting and not being very active. I had my 50th procedure early in 2017. I had to have a nerve block in my lumbar region. I also had a surgery to my rt clavicle. A little of it was removed as it was very arthritic and brittle and causing me much pain. This being a cadaver bone that's been in place for 15 years now along with some synthetic bonding material. After the procedure I began feeling Bette for 7 months. Then the pain started to return in my clavicle at the sternum clavicular joint and my rt shoulder. I have gone without pain medication all this time until this month. I need to return to the Stanford pain management center and ask about getting another radio frequency ablation soon. I was told I could get these as needed as often as every 4 months. However it's not been in my budget to travel and get this done over the last year. The migraines and neck pain have also returned due to the stress I'm sure. I have had little ability to do much and my body is feeling the stress but my positive attitude and faith keep me going. I have had little to no interest in hanging with friends and simply find my joy being with my family. I have spent much time visiting with my Dad on short vacations or simply taking him to do his grocery shopping or out for a meal. Dolly has been a trooper being supportive of me while I have struggled to be much of a husband due to my recurring health issues in June of 2017 I had to go on high blood pressure medication and go through a cardio stress test and more. I had developed a tachacardic heart rate so they gave me a few pills for that.

Some good news. My daughters husband Kenneth has joined us in Dec 2017 as he finally got his Immigration visa  approved. He's fun to have around and made our daughter happy. Looks like we have big plans for 2018 but I will share more as that develops later. My lovely wife Dolly has Ben sick with this years flu bug. Some how I got lucky and I only got mildly sick. Dolly is on the mend so I hope to spend more quality time with her soon. Our boys moved to LA and they are still there a year later. Wow. That's it for now. Ciao.

Last week Hat Trick!

The week started at SOAR with an MRI of my Sternum and Rt Clavicle Joint. Followed by an injection to put my arthritic pain to sleep as this 13 year old reconstructed joint needs TLC from time to time. 

After this I was off to Stanford to be evaluated and receive a updated digestive health plan in hopes of avoiding surgical intervention. That went better than expected. 

The week ended at SOAR with a MRI of my Rt knee that left me with the news of bone on bone on the medial aspect and a option for a patella release and debriment procedure. As my symptoms are not constant I chose to hold off for now. 

I feel I now have a good grasp of my current health needs and my current treatment plan is meeting my needs. That's a big achievement in itself. For now I will focus on my diet and my family more. It's time for me to live and enjoy life and all Gods blessings more. 

My Angel and my health

Another trip where my Angel and I turned a procedure into a adventure. After several stressful weeks taking care of my father we were finally able to break free for a few days to get my colonoscopy completed. It went well. I had to have a little extra care due to my health background so I had it done at Stanford. After we spent a day resting on the Monterey coast watching the whales. Unfortunately I returned to Stanford 48 hours after my procedure only to find out I will need to have more testing as my abdomen is very quiet. I was given a scrip for some meds and a strict diet and told to return on the 11th to see the specialist. 

We then traveled to SOAR medical to see DR. Dillingham to check up on my sternum and clavicle and shoulder. All was great but my sternum so I'm getting another MRI to see how stable the reconstructed joint is and what's causing the pinching pain I get? Possible bone spur. My Angel has been amazing through this all. I am very grateful we got to spend a quality afternoon and full day on the beatiful sunny Monterey coast together. 

Rt Shoulder - Clavicle Spurs removed July 5th.

Resting after surgery 

2 days Post op. it's ugly but it's done. 

Dr. Dillingham went in while I was sedated but awake. He identified multiple bone spurs and removed them from my rt clavicle near my rt shoulder. I had to move my arm during the procedure as he felt around inside to identify and locate  additional bone spurs. Check that off my bucket list. 42 operations. I pray this will be my last but knowing I have more issues at my sternum clavicular joint I may be back in again to do some more work later. ***sigh*** I just want to be done with this constant repair and physical therapy program. 

A Bone Spur and Arthritis & ???

It's been 6 weeks of PT since Shoulder Surgery. Pain started to get bad two weeks ago. I got X-rays last Monday. Discovered a bone is growing in my shoulder and it hurts. So now another Surgery is scheduled for July 5th to remove it. Doctor Dillingham said some of my pain is from my neck injury again. 

Dr. Dillingham is going to review my Stanford procedures and start looking at doing another study to identify the exact areas of trauma causing my pain and develop a plan. The goal we agree is to keep my pain under control to where I do not depend on medication to manage it. 

May 10th Right Shoulder Surgery

Sick of doing this but it's done. Had a few small issues in the rotator and arthritis thanks to trauma injuries so a little debri-ment and cleaning to smooth things up. It's been 5 days and I feel much better already. I'm hurting a little but the arms out of the sling and moving well. I expect to be strong and doing well in a month or two. I really don't know what to expect regarding the arthritis? I'm just going to do my best to take care of my body and not reinjure it. Proper diet and safe modified exercises. 

My wife is busy working her business these days. My daughters wedding is just a few months away. Everything seems so crazy. I feel like I got robbed of my career and I want back in but It's not going to happen. Something else is about to happen. A revelation or a gift or something obvious. I'm not sure. But it's going to happen. I just have to wait and see what's next. Whatever it is I pray it's a blessing that helps me move forward.