Dot`sThoughts

Friday, January 16, 2009
Another new year and test results

Another new year and getting older has a funny way of making you face truths you might otherwise ignore. I have been doing great with acting like everything is ok even though I knew the condition my back was getting into. Well, after the x-rays, now this Dr also knows the condition my spine is in. He told me I have degenerative problems. He also told me that the arthritis has deformed the bones in my spine and the damaged bones were in terrible condition and causing curvature of the spine. This deformed shape is putting pressure on the sciatic nerve causing this terrible pain from my hip on down my whole leg to my foot. I was pretty sure that was what was causing the pain as I have been completely bed ridden twice over the years from the sciatic nerve and needed therapy to be able to walk again. Another Dr was treating me back then, so this Dr knew nothing till he saw the x-rays. He did surprise me when he told me that I could be doing a lot of complaining and he would understand in my condition. He said I have a lot of reasons for complaining and he could see that I was not a complainer. Nice that he finally is getting to know the real me. :) My family also has known about my back problems. When my youngest son was getting married years ago, he told me I was going to be at his wedding if he had to carry me there. That was the last time it put me flat in bed. I do better now because I know all the therapy exercises so well and the minute I feel a lump in my back I start doing them and so far am able to put the discs back in place. On top of all this, the Dr knows I have sleep apnea, allergies, and Diplopia ( double vision caused by a Minnie stroke years ago), plus he has told me he doesn`t see how I do anything with my hands in such rough arthritic shape. plus I had both hands operated over the years from ruptured tendons from working with tools so much. After the right hand operation, that surgeon told me to go back home and works with more tools and then come back and see him in another year as he only did this type operation on Mechanics and Carpenters. My dad had also had one of his hands operated on for the ruptured tendons. That Dr died long before I needed the second op on the left hand. I told my Dr that people are always telling me they can`t see how I do anything using my hands. But as I tell them, my Dad had a saying that I live by- "Where there is a will, there is a way". He continued working on cars right up to the day before he died and his hands were also in real bad shape. My mother had a lesser case of arthritis and still crocheted with her aching hands. She also had a broken arm from a car accident which never healed and the bone in her arm was only held together by the wire they put in during that operation when she was 47 and was still in the same shape when she died 4 days before her 91st birthday. But, she never complained even when I often could see the pain in her face when she was doing things. She still washed walls and ceilings, replaced wall paper , painted, had her garden up into her early 80`s and canned a lot, and just continued doing her own housework. I learned the best thing to do is keep exercising the fingers and told the Dr my large organ and the computer keyboard are good ways for exercising my fingers. You see we had good examples to learn from.

When the Dr asked me how I managed, I told him a few things I do, such as my hands can`t hang onto small or thin items and I can`t pull up the tongues in my shoes so I keep a pair of pliers in my kitchen to do such things. I have trouble tying my shoes, so when daughter Theresa asked me what I wanted for my Birthday last Sept., I told her a long handled shoe horn. Now I leave the shoes tied and use the shoe horn to slide my feet into the walking shoes. I would probably have yelled at my kids if they had done that. I even keep an old small shoe horn in the gym bag to use when changing shoes at the Hosp. gym. I also told him I use enlargers on my crochet hooks to hold onto them and keep a large pair of shears in the kitchen drawer with the pliers. His reply was that I was very resourceful. I told him there is almost always a way if we want to do something bad enough.

So, all I actually learned from these x-rays was that the spine bones are getting more brittle and in worse shape. But I had to expect that to happen eventually. He asked how the pain pills were working. I told him I stopped taking them because they were not helping any. He offered stronger pain pills, but then I wouldn`t be safe driving or working in my shop without worrying about getting hurt. my eye specialist would like to wait longer between changing my prisms in my glasses as he says there are only so many and he wants to be sure they last as long as i do. But, as I told him, I need to see real clear to keep working with the electrical tools and the table saw, scroll saw and Band saw, plus driving or I could get seriously hurt. As for the pain, the large heating pad and the electric lap blanket help a lot, so I sit with it a lot during the days and also sleep with the electric lap robe over my hip and legs all night. I also learned Thursday that I was right - the lumps in my legs are blockages , but in the superficial veins, so nothing to worry about.

Now, i am not writing this to get anyone feeling sorry for me as I still manage to keep enjoying things and as soon as we get rid of this -26 degree below zero F weather, I intend to get the pull out bottle shelf made to go between the two cupboards. I already bought the casters and have wood. The one to feel sorry for is my only living brother who had a leg removed from osteo-mylitis 2 years ago, his thyroid neck gland removed a couple years before that due to throat cancer and now suffers from bone cancer and last month the Dr started him on insulin shots for Di abates. Now, he is someone who can sure use all the prayers he can get. We are all worried about losing him since the Dr says the cancer has advanced. Lost my younger brother from heart problems back in 1994 and our oldest brother in June due to worse Minnie strokes and now we worry about out last brother. One younger sister had a heart attack a few months ago and has emphysema bad, so we also worry about her. All in all, I feel lucky as long as I can keep living in my own home, doing things for myself and do not become a burden to my kids.

I wasn`t going to post the test results, but decided to let others know why I haven`t been posting as often as I used to. Staying inside to keep warm as it is only -26 F outside. Must be worse than that in Canada since that is where they say this cold weather is coming from. This crazy weather we keep having. I can`t wait for spring to arrive. Stay warm everyone and if you live where you get our snow, be careful shoveling. I am sure some one has some hot weather they would love to share with us. :) We have a lot of freezing weather we would love to send to them, along with the snow. Ha Ha. Keep smiling, remember, things could always be worse.