In March of 1989 i Was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis-otherwise known as Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Spine. Along the way I have also managed to pick up Depression/Anxiety, GERD, Hypertension and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.Journey with me as I continually seek information, possible cures and respite from these diseases and the toll they take on one's physical, mental and social health.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Life Goes on Anyways (continued)
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
5 Days at St Luke's Hospital (on the Neurology floor)
Because I had had breathing problems while in the ER, I was admitted to the hospital. I was there for five days,most of which were filled with tests and procedures. I tried to think back and between the nurses,the techs and the doctors, I must have had 50 people in and out of my room. There was a nurse and a tech for every shift. That's six or more people. I saw Dr. Ahmed and Dr. Sommer(my regular doctors), Dr. Zaheer Ahe'd (a neurologist-since I was on the Neurology floor),Dr. Ruth Decker(thyroid surgeon) and Dr. Brian Wegman,orthopedic surgeon. I also had visits from respiratory who helped with my CPAP machine, the Chaplain with whom I had some interesting conversations. I was also visited by a social worker who arranged for me to spend some time at a rehab facility before going home.
Included in my hospital stay was MRI's of my left leg, back and head. These revealed a tibia plateau fracture in the leg, degeneration of the disks in the lumbar spine and an unspecified head injury. The ultrasound of my thyroid presented a small nodule. A chest xray taken in the ER found something suspicious looking which led to the ultrasound.
Wednesday afternoon I had a thyroid biopsy with ultrasound. The nurse and doctor made it really clear that I was a big inconvenience to them. Usually they only do 3 of,these biopsies per day and they were doing my doctor a favor to work me in as the fourth. That might be true,but they didn't need to tell me that!!
Before I left the hospital I also had a session with their PT. I started to learn how to hop around on one foot,since my left leg will be non-weight bearing for up to 3 months.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
My New Life Motto
This all started about September 2013. Ernie was complaining of shoulder pain that was constant and was waking him up at night. He finally agreed to let me make a doctors appointment for him,only to have the doctor cancel it because Ernie hadn't seen him in six or so years. Ernie ended up going to urgent care than to an orthopedic dr. Fortunately our insurance doesn't require a referral to do that. The orthopedics Dr tried all non surgical procedures (meds,pt,etc) but ended up doing surgery in February 2014 for a torn rotator cuff.
He was doing PT after surgery and at the same time started having lots of rectal bleeding. He thought he had hemorrhoids-but the bleeding was heavier and went on longer. A trip to a GI doctor and a colonoscopy discovered that what he thought was hemorrhoids was actually a tumor on his rear end. He had radiation treatments for the tumor,which is now pretty much gone. While looking for a primary site for the cancer,doctors discovered Ernie had cirrhosis of the liver. Once he finished treatments for the cancer,the GI doctor went deeper to discover the cause for the liver cirrhosis. What he found was Hepatitis C. So began another round of treatment,mostly pills and blood tests. He took the Hep C meds for 12 weeks,then our insurance wouldn't cover it any more,even though guidelines for treating Hep C with cirrhosis are to take the meds for 24 weeks(his doctors plan). A blood test last Monday showed he no longer has the Hep C virus. Dr will follow up with blood tests every 3 months,but he is considered cured!!
Meanwhile I have my own set of chronic diseases we live with. The worst of them is Ankylosing Spondylitis from which my C2-C5 vertebrae are fused,leaving me unable to turn my head very far in any direction and with chronic pain. Most of the time I manage pretty well but I do take a lot of medecines.
On Saturday,July 25 I was bringing a handful of rugs up from laundry in the basement,got to the second step from the top,lost my balance and fell backwards down the flight of steps. Shaken up, I tried to stand up and couldn't put weight on my left leg. What was I going to do? There is no phone and no way to contact anybody from the basement. I managed to scoot up the stairs on my bottom,scoot into the living room and somehow get onto the couch where the phone is. I called Ernie (at work) who was almost done for the day. Ernie came home and tried to figure out what to do. He ran across the street to our neighbors Dino and Tracy. Tracy is/was a nurse, so she could help with assessing my injuries from the fall. She thought my ankle was broken and the best way to move me would be by ambulance. Ernie called 911 and was transferred to our local community fire protection district. They came after going door to door on our street for a while-dispatch had given them the wrong address!! I asked to be taken to St Luke's Hospital (where my doctors are) and they told me they couldn't go there. Either we could call a private ambulance($$!!) or they could help get me into the car and Ernie could drive me. We chose the latter. We arrived at the ER, told the trauma nurse our story and he got really mad. Apparently if a person is in trauma the EMTS are supposed to take them wherever they want to go. The story goes on from there but I'll stop here for now..
To be continued....