February 4th, 2008

Operations
By James Castwell


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

Till next week, remember . . .

Keepest Thynne Baakast Upeth

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