Current Pain

So, I’ve mentioned my issue with my lungs.  To be honest, being tied to a plastic tube that feeds me the oxygen sort of reminds me of being on a leash.  I like the oxygen, but I really hate the leash bit.

So, let’s go into another issue that has come up.  I have a myriad of issues which always keeps me in touch with several doctors at the nearby university hospital.  Recently, I have noticed that I am once again not standing up straight.  I’m leaning forward—scoliosis.  I’ve had it before, and much worse   In 2008 I had 2 major spine surgeries, totally about 15+ hours on the operating table.  It was no big deal for me since I slept through it.  For the last year or so I have begun to notice discomfort, and now I’m leaning forward again in the upper body.  Went back to the surgeon the other day, and I guess I’ll have another one of them.  It appears that one of the fusion points never healed properly, and over time it is making all of the metal slowly stress and move.  That is why I’m slumping.

So, when is the surgery going to be?  Ha!  That’s where is gets complicated.  You see, after my surgeries in 2008, something went haywire in my stomach.  Bigtime!  It has never been fully understood either.  All I know is that I could not eat solid food for months.  I was on a feeding tube for over 6 months, and I lived with major spontaneous diarrhea.  I always carried a change of clothes with me because I never knew when I was going to have an unpleasant accident.  It sucked.  And, finally, it suddenly stopped, but not until after I had lost over 40 pounds.  The ortho surgeon won’t do the surgery until he gets a clean bill of health on my tummy.  Well, I have a colonoscopy and endoscopy scheduled for September (the tummy doc won’t do those procedures until it has been over a year since I received a stent—because of a medication I am on that makes clotting more difficult).  So, the surgery won’t be until at least the latter part of September—and more likely October.  The result, at least 5 or 6 more months of pain…..whooooopee!

And this surgeon isn’t really big on giving pain relievers before a surgery.  His feeling is that one will need those things more after the surgery., and the more you take the more intolerance you build up.