Yet Another medical update - Day 2099 (Year 6, Day 270)

Zephyrhills, FL

I'm mentioning this for prosperity, as I know all my readers are fully aware of the global situation right now -- the coronavirus pandemic.  At this point in time (and things change on a daily basis), many states have declared mandatory quarantines -- what they're calling "social distancing."  Pretty much all schools have been closed, as have restaurants, bars, concerts, anywhere where a crowd might gather.  Even Broadway has been cancelled, and the news staff (anchors, even weathermen) as well as talk show hosts are live streaming from their homes.  Everywhere is like a ghost town. There have been thousands of deaths in China and all over Europe (with Italy being hit the hardest).  It has reached the US, but as we all know, the US is very far behind where it should be in terms of mitigating and being prepared, including testing. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are starting to get overwhelmed and are severely understocked (mostly due to people hoarding masks, gloves and sanitizers). So while the infected and death counts seem very low right now, it's only because only a very small percentage of people have been tested. We're certain there will be millions affected by the time this is over.

As for us... for me I can't really say the self-isolation is affecting me in any way due to my lifestyle.  Since I work from home, my daily routine hasn't changed at all.  And since my severe hip arthritis makes it difficult for me to walk, and now the pinched nerve in my neck (still not 100% sure of that diagnosis but something's going on causing severe pain in my upper back, neck and down my arm) makes it even harder to get around, going anywhere "fun", even out to eat, is something we haven't done for a while either.  The most I'm able to do is sit outside (which I'm doing right now, enjoying looking at the green leaves of spring, the blue sky dotted with a few fluffs of white, and listening to the birds chirping and the gentle flow of water from the fountain of my neighbor's koi pond).

For Mitch, he started his new job last Monday and with the exception of 3 days, has mostly been at home doing online training.  Even when he's out in the field, he's repairing, maintaining or installing ATM machines, so he's not in a situation where there are other people around, other than his 1 coworker, and they try to keep their distance.  We are both being very vigilant with using hand sanitizer or washing our hands.

As for my health, I has my first physical therapy session yesterday.  Mostly my therapist (Lucas) did an assessment by doing a lot of pulling and prodding and massaging and manipulating.  He agreed partly with a pinched nerve but feels there may be something else going on the shoulder area.  In any event, he said it's not their job to find a solution, only to help with the symptoms and alleviate the pain.  And that's fine with me.  I left with 6 different exercises to do.  While in the initial stages where it's very painful, I'm confident that this will help tremendously in the long term.

That's it for now.  Everyone stay safe and sane!

Another medical update - Day 2089 (Year 6, Day 260)

Zephyrhills, FL

Saw my PCP yesterday.  He said the nodules were nothing to be concerned about.  He did seem convinced that I have a pinched nerve being caused by the arthritis in my spine.  He showed me some images of how the nerves are attached in the body and I could clearly now see how it IS very possible that the pain in my shoulder blade and down my arm is being caused by a pinched nerve in my spine.

The treatment plan at this point is for physical therapy (I start next Thursday) and then an EMG test (earliest appt is April 20th) to determine exactly which nerve is being pinched.  From there, I would have an MRI which will tell if it's in the muscle or bone (if bone, then I'd need surgery).  Meanwhile, I will have completed 4 weeks of PT by the time the test is scheduled, so things may even be better by then.

He also suggested I increase the dosage of the nerve medication, which I did and it seemed to give me a bit more relief.  So as of today, I still have pain but not to the level where I'm crying, so definitely an improvement.

As for Mitch, he got his company car (a mini-van: it's actually a rental until his real car comes in).  So many great perks with this company!  And it's work he enjoys doing.

Medical update - Day 2082 (Year 6, Day 253)

Zephyrhills, FL

First, Mitch officially starts his new job with NCR on Monday, March 9th.  It couldn't come at a better time as we're at the limit of the credit card and have just incurred close to $8K in new medical bills (explanation below).

I have been suffering greatly for almost 2 weeks now with excruciating pain in my upper back (from shoulder blade, horizontally outwards, and down my arm to below my elbow).  Pain level is mostly at 10 on the scale (lowest has been about 8) and is just about 24/7 and doesn't matter if I'm at rest or moving.

I went to Urgent Care on 2/26 where the PA I saw didn't even examine me.  He asked where the pain was and when I showed him, he immediately diagnosed torticollis, gave me a steroid shot, and rx of Prednisone and muscle relaxants and recommended Tylenol.  When I got home and looked this up, I think he pulled that diagnosis out of his tush as it didn't even come close to my symptoms.  Naturally, none of this helped (and Tylenol never does anything for me, ever!  I don't think my body can absorb it).

In any event, by Sunday (3/1), I was still screaming in pain.  A nurse friend suggested it could be cardiac related and I should go to the ER instead of trying to get an appt with my doctor (and at the risk that he'd recommend a different dr and I'd get bounced around for a few weeks).  So, I took the advice and got a full work-up at the ER.

Thank G-d, cardiac was ruled out (they did chest xray and CT Scan).  The diagnosis was that (in addition to the bone on bone arthritis in my hip and knee), I also have arthritis on my spine which is currently causing a pinched nerve, which explains the pain.  I was given a medication for nerve pain as well as 2 different pain pills (1 narcotic but only 9 pills total so that's not for the long term). 

Although I am still in great pain, I do see a slight improvement.   For example, when taking the meds, the pain level goes from a 10 to about a 6 (although it only lasts about 2 hrs max).  I also slept thru the night last night for the first time in almost 2 weeks rather than waking in the wee hours in pain (although I was screaming in pain when I did get up).

I have an appt with my doctor on Monday (3/9) so we can discuss next steps: chiropractor, orthopedist, PT, other??  Meanwhile, just need to keep taking the meds, heating pad and resting as much as possible.  Not doing too much client work (I'm so far behind right now but they are very understanding that I'm only working on time critical items right now, in between meds when I'm at the 6 pain level (which is now as I'm writing this post instead of working).  But the pain has crept back up so I'm going to cut this short now and go back to bed.

Just one other item I need to watch for... the CT scan revealed 2 other things: a hiatal hernia and nodules on my adrenal glands.  Dr. said nothing to panic about but I should definitely talk to my dr. about it.  So watch this space for future updates.