As you all know, my wife had rotator-cuff surgery several
months ago. It was a failed job right from the start but a
few months of time had to be spent for healing, what could
heal, before anything else could be attempted. An MRI lately
showed there was a section that had not 'gotten sewed down',
it was lose and needed doing. This had been the source of her
intense pain for several months. A second now operation seems
to have repaired everything and she is recovering at grand
speed. This is like it should have been the first time. There
is some pain, of course, but manageable and appropriate for
the work done.
The last same months for me have been busy as well. The decision
was made, by three doctors and us included, not to fuse or
otherwise repair the two scrunch compression fractured vertebra
in my back; just let them heal by themselves however they may.
The two vertebra in my neck, the same; too far gone, old man,
quit squawking, live with it.
Moving right along with all of this, my health provider (not a
doctor, but a very nice MN, ARNP) determined that a severely
enlarged prostate gland was causing all of the grief I was
having with 'my little water station'. She referred me to,
after due examination, a specialist in that kind of thing,
whom using the same 'method of testing' agreed with the diagnosis.
Shoving a long, skinny camera up what seemed like a 'mission
impossible' if ever there was one, revealed that the prostate
was indeed squeezing things, but that everything else, all the
way up looks good. Old, but good. I watched the little monitor;
very interesting but I soon got bored. No characters and no plot.
However also, no cancer anywhere. That was a plus.
They did find a kidney stone, that was a minus though. Needs to
be dynamited. That they will blast it apart in the next month
or so. Right after they insert a RF (microwave thingy) needle
(up there again) and cook several sections of my prostate gland.
This area will self-decompose within a month and relax the pressure
on my plumbing. While in the general area (back-door, can you
believe this?) they will do an ultra-sound of the prostate and
a few stabs (from though there!) with a needle for a biopsy.
Oh ya, the test/treatment (last week) where they shoved a tube
down my throat to see why I have problems swallowing showed
nothing wrong. They were kind enough to knock me out and did
send me home with some groovy pictures of places I have never
seen, not had really wanted to. It just cramps up once in a
while; fun. Now, that was something to write home about too.
So, this last Thursday I got my (outpatient) 'chestnuts roasting
by an open fire' treatment. Some sort of an oral 'date-rape' drug
half an hour before in the doctors office and now the fun of
wearing a plastic bag for a week, day and night, and the novelty
of yet another new experience.
Oh yes, always make sure you tighten 'really good' the little
valve on the bag after you empty it. Just a word to those of
you who may be new to all of this. ~ James Castwell
|