I'm currently seeing a sadist....

I saw the orthopedic surgeon (AKA THHS) for another regularly scheduled post-op check last Monday (8/30). He continues to be dismayed and apologetic about the slowness with which my voice is recovering. But he DOES agree with me that there is no reason to return to the ENT for periodic laryngoscopy until I have passed the pre-determined maximum date by which this "temporary" issue should be resolved. Which reminds me, I have an ENT appointment to cancel....

But anyway, the orthopod was trying to send me on my merry way, with instructions to return in 6 months or something, when I finally managed to get his attention and ask if he would refer me to Physical Therapy, because of the persistent spasm I have had in my right neck and shoulder ever since even before the surgery, though it is much worse since the surgery.  And he was more than willing - filled out the orders, and I actually managed to get in to see the therapist THAT VERY DAY for my initial evaluation and therapy.

And may I just say (as I told her on my 2nd visit) she is mean and evil. And I am pretty sure she graduated from the Marquis de Sade Physical Therapy Institute. I have had 3 visits as of this morning, and am doing all my home exercises, and am actually in more pain than when I started PT. But she says it is a process, and we need to give it 2 more weeks.

The surgeon also said that if things didn't improve within 2-4 weeks of PT, that he wanted me to get more epidural steroid injections. Whatever - I am game. Just make it stop spasming!!

Oooh - don't get me started, Rosie Perez

I had the TV on for background noise last night as I checked e-mail, etc. Unfortunately, Entertainment Tonight was on - normally, I would have changed the channel, because ET, Mary Hart, and everyone associated with that show are really grossly mistaken about how much the average American is interested in their "Entertainment News" items. Ever noticed how, after most of the stories, Mary or her male counterpart will "ad lib" to the other one something along the lines of "and we all can't wait to see how that turns out!!" - Well, yeah, actually, most of us don't give a shit.

But I digress. And I couldn't find the remote.

Last night, ET kept "teasing" this "top story" about Rosie Perez, and some injury she allegedly suffered on the set of Law & Order, SVU, (*waves @ Chris Meloni*) and the horrible nightmare she is now enduring. Each tease made it sound more and more dreadful; in fact, I believe the words "wheelchair-bound", "confined to a wheelchair," and "horrific" may have even been used.

So finally the story starts, and you see Rosie being pushed, in a wheelchair, with dozens of people behind her, and many in front of her, flashbulbs lighting up the interview. And it's a poor poor pitiful Rosie story - how she was doing her own stunt on the show, and got shaken too hard, and suffered:
"2 slipped discs, 1 bulging disc, 3 strained ligaments, and a severe pinched nerve".

And she's wearing some designer hard cervical collar to protect her neck, and frailly flailing her arms around, until the big reveal: she opens up her black and white designer cervical collar to reveal the "HORRIFIC SCAR" that she is afraid will end her career. Well that, and the fact that she may never DANCE again (when was the last time she had to dance in a role? And ever heard of make-up?)

So then she tells about the dreadful surgery, and the horrific scar ("but it will heal...."), and how she is under strict doctor's orders NOT to walk more than 2-3 blocks a day; hence the wheelchair. And BTW: "confined to a wheelchair" & "wheelchair-bound" mean you can't get out of the wheelchair. Period. It doesn't mean you get pushed around in it for photo-ops, and then get out to walk your "2-3 blocks a day."

Rosie's "Horrific" scar

Now here are SOME of my beefs with the above:

1) There is no such thing as a "slipped disc". Period. That is a layman's term for I don't know what. But it doesn't exist, medically.

2) I had the exact same surgery on 6/24/10.  Or really, I suspect, not the exact same, because I actually had 2 ruptured discs, 1 of which had acutely herniated, causing a large disc fragment to become embedded in the nerve roots supplying my Left arm, with associated severe pain and loss of strength in my left arm and hand. No strained ligaments that I know of, though. Whew!

3) I was discharged from the hospital less than 24 hours after my surgery, and the only wheelchair involved was the one they mandate carry you from your room to your ride. My doctor had released me to full, normal activity that morning, except I was to avoid lifting over 15 lbs, and I was NOT to do any overhead work. But walking - quite fine with him, as long as I felt up to it. And as a small business owner, I was back to work full time on 6/27/10 -- I was on pain medicine, and I got awfully tired, but you do what you have to do.

4) Rosie's surgery was, in my educated* opinion, well before 6/25/10 - and I am basing this on my professional* observation of the "horrific" scar she unveiled on ET last night - it looks a hell of a lot better than the way mine looked on 7/12 when the doctor took off the last of my steristrips - mine is STILL considerably swollen, both on the outside and the inside (per X-ray), and I still have no audible voice (a rare complication from the amount of scar tissue the doctor had to scrape away during surgery.)

My swollen, formerly swan-like neck - red from the allergic reaction to the dressing, 21 days post-op.

So I am baffled as to Rosie's wheelchair, and non-plussed by her "horrific" scar - and suspect this is all part of some impending lawsuit against SVU. Or just some badly needed publicity for her sagging career. My opinion, of course.

*Yes, I have a professional degree that allows me to formulate educated medical opinions.

Doctor's visit, and a New Bracelet

And the two have NOTHING to do with each other.

But 1st, the weather. We are having the MOTHER of all thunderstorms right now. Big booming thunder, pouring rain (that sideways kinda rain), low rumbling thunder, and lots of lightning. So far, the power has only gone out once, and that was brief.  It has been very overcast all day (but still 96 degrees, of course) - but at 4:30 I noticed that there was suddenly no light at all in the bedroom except from the bedside lamp (and the computer, and the TV...) - I looked at the windows, and it was just pitch black outside. And one minute later, the storm just seemingly came out of nowhere, full blast. Naturally, Bailey is now in hiding in my closet.

OK - Now the story about the new bracelet:

Future bracelet, 10 AM, Sunday, 7/11/10 - these are 16 gauge sterling silver rings made from square wire:

Bracelet, 3PM, Sunday, 7/11/10. This is the tryzantine (trizantine) pattern, a variation of the more well-known Byzantine pattern, using 3 rings at a time instead of 2 (that's a fairly basic over-simplification). I love how just changing from rings made from round wire to those made from square wire can completely change the look of the finished piece. And those of you who know me well know that my motto (for almost everything) is "the bigger the better" - so I am always going for the heavier gauge rings, and the wider weaves.

Different view of my new bracelet: There is no clasp yet, because I forgot to bring any home with me from the shop. So I will add a clasp tomorrow, and tumble it, and as they say on Etsy, "wallah!"**  I will have a shiny new bracelet!

I learned this weave in school last month - but it was a really quickie lesson, and I only made up one tryzantine unit, and packed it away with the rings, waiting for the opportunity to start in on it when I felt a little better. And I had left the handout directions at the shop - because who needed them? Well, I'll tell you who: ME. Because I am no longer 22 years old, and evidently can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, much less directions to a new chainmaille weave I briefly worked on 5 weeks ago. So I spent about 2 hours on the computer yesterday trying to find a free tutorial, and finally, "wallah"! And I was able to make the bracelet.

Oh - and speaking of Etsy - I have many, many new listings in my shop - things I have made over the past 2 years and never gotten around to photographing (ugh) and listing. I spent all day last Saturday (7/3) photographing the stuff, and most of 7/4 and 7/5 doing the listings, and I have been gradually adding 1-3 items a day to my shop. Still have about 40 things to add!

I saw the THHS (Tall, hot, handsome surgeon) for my first post-op visit this AM (cue the tiny violins: he was in Cancun, lying by the pool, last week. And yes, I was eavesdropping as he was telling one of the nurses about his vacation as he was running between rooms, seeing patients. What of it?)

THHS says I am healing wonderfully, but he is very concerned about my persistent laryngitis/hoarseness. On the day after surgery, as he was discharging me from the hospital and explaining stuff, and telling me he would be putting off my normal 1-wk post-op visit until 7/12 because he was going to be "on vacation" blah blah blah He told me that I would be hoarse for up until 3 weeks, and not to worry. So, I haven't been worrying, because the 3 weeks isn't  up until 7/15.

But upon hearing, or NOT hearing, as the case may be, my voice this AM, he told me that he was concerned, and that in all the years he has been doing this surgery, he has only had 2 patients who had ultimately required cortisone injections INTO THEIR VOCAL CHORDS to restore their voice.

Excuse me - into their vocal chords? And as he is telling me this, he is miming a giant needle going in through the front of the neck - so I guess it is done under fluoroscopy? Who knows...

Then he says, and I am NOT making this up: "Why does everything weird always happen to YOU?"

Gee,.. THHS thinks I'm special! ♥

So he started me on high dose steroids to try to reduce the inflammation (woo-hoo - here comes the mania again!), before we start driving needles into my neck, and is standing up to leave -- because he is so far behind because of having been on vacation last week, boo hoo hoo ... and I told him that I had a few questions -

So he sits back down, and answers all my questions - one of which was about returning to my daily walks. Because Bailey and I had been walking 3 miles a day every day up until the day of surgery - and while I am not ready to do 3 miles tomorrow, I wanted to know if I could start walking again.  Except that last week, I suddenly developed this killer pain in both my heels - it's there when I get out of bed in the morning, but only when I step on the heel, and goes away after I have been up and walking for about an hour. But OMG, it is some bad pain - and stairs are the worst.

So he diagnoses plantar fasciitis. Great - that little devil can be a real bitch.

But he tells me that I developed it because I had been really working out my feet on those long walks, and the inactivity for the last 2 weeks is the cause, and that we have caught it early, and that the high dose steroids he prescribed for my voice will also fix the plantar fasciitis. And that I should wait one week, and then very gradually start building up my walking again.

And I am to call him in 2 weeks if I still have either the hoarseness OR the heel pain.

THE END.

**Yes, I know how to spell "voila".

Doing a little better

Surgery is scheduled 6/24 - lots of things to get settled before then.

The pain is a little better today - maybe the injection is finally kicking in. I need to go put some ice on my neck and arm, though.

Thanks to everyone who contacted me after my last post - it really is better today.

Really, KM.

And I let my best friend's husband go back home this morning - he was such a tremendous help to me - someone should open up a "Lend a Hubby" business - I think there is a market there!

My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Another update, and then I just really never want to speak of this again. I never want to think of it again. Can't it just please be over?

I had a really, crappy, bad week last week, as any of my readers know, and lots of my Etsy forum friends have been staying in touch. Thanks, guys!

And life happens, you know - because small business owners have little choice but to keep the show running, and I am basically a one-woman show, so I had to be at the shop everyday last week, and I also had a day-long specialty class yesterday (Sunday) - so it was a hard week.

My best friend actually send her husband down here from North Georgia on Thursday after I had called her Wednesday night to just to vent - I had been keeping all of this to myself, and she was furious, and sent him to help me with driving, and lifting, and just ordinary stuff. And I just had no concept of how this could help me, until he had been here for a few days - you know, I have lived alone since I was 17!

But with John here, I was able to actually take my pain meds at near-normal doses - I say "near", because if I took the actual prescribed doses, I wouldn't have been able to run the shop. But he drives me back and forth to work (driving is one of the most painful things for me right now  - the only thing MORE painful is trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. And no amount of drug is helping with that!).

So, after all the rigmarole that I went through last week just to get my PMS on the phone, I had my appointment with him this morning. John and I arrived about 30 minutes early, and they took me right back. PMS was outstanding, and took a lot of time listening to me, and examined me, and told me I needed to get an appointment with the surgeon, because this was no longer a simple pain management issue (duh). I told him I had already called, and had an appointment at the end of June (first available, according to the surgeon's appt. desk). Well, PMS said, "I don't think so - can you see him this morning?" I said "sure, but are you going to be able to do something for my pain?" He said, "Oh yeah - we are going to do an injection right now, but while you are changing into your gown, I am going to run down and tell the surgeon to work you in this morning."

So I got my injection, and then went for some X-rays (again - no waiting), and then went to the surgeon's office (all of these places are in the same bldg) - and after waiting maybe 45 minutes, I was in talking with tall hot handsome surgeon (did I type that out loud???)

THHS wants to do surgery the day after tomorrow - but there are some things that we just can't reschedule and rearrange right now, so the surgery is currently scheduled for 6/24. He said that if I could wait that long, he certainly could....

I was on a bunch of pain drugs and sedatives while talking to THHS, but I know we discussed the fact that since I already had one disc done (one level above the currently ruptured one,) and already have all this hardware in my neck, and since my neck had done such a fantastic job of healing, with beautiful bone remodeling and regrowth, that basically it is going to be one gigantic pain in the ass, and much longer surgery, to fix the new problem, because he has to remove all this beautifully grown-over hardware. And naturally, I am going to lose even more mobility in my neck.

And the worst part of the day for me is that the Epidural Steroid Injection I got this morning hasn't made one dent in my pain, so I am still miserable. Took a lot of pain meds once I got home, and tried to nap, but can't get comfortable, so I just sit up and cry a little and feel pitiful.

And I guess I eventually have to send my friend's husband home, too - he has really been a life-saver!

Pity-party over!!!!

Ooops!

About a week ago, while trying to put the car in the garage after arriving home from work, I slightly miscalculated, and got a smidge too close to the right side of the garage, and this was the result.


Tore off the whole frame on the right, and bent the weather stripping.

I drive a pretty wide SUV, and I even have to fold in the side mirrors to have any hope of getting the car in the garage in the first place, but have never actually miscalculated.

I was fine until the right rear wheel entered - it seems that the fender over the right rear wheel well sticks out about 2 inches more than the rest of the car (does that make sense? - I'm saying the car is about 4 inches wider over the rear wheels - 2 inches on each side) - and when the rear wheel well fender hit the garage wall, I quickly stopped, and backed up, and re-centered the car, and pulled on in.


It was dark at the time, and I couldn't really inspect the car for damage, but since the garage door wouldn't close, I had to go over and fiddle with the structural damage to the garage so that I could get the damn door to close.

I had to break off a small piece of wood, and manipulate the weather stripping, and then the door went up and down without any problem - fortunately, the garage door track was not involved in the little "incident".

And the next day, I inspected the car, and other than a paint scrape over the wheel well, there isn't even a scratch on the car.

So I called a repair company, and explained what had happened, and told the guy that Monday was my only day off, and asked for an appointment the following Monday (Dec 21) - and the guy refused to give me an appointment. He said, "Just call me first thing Monday morning, and I'll come on by and take care of it".

I had no prior dealings with this "company", but this IS the South after all, and things tend to be pretty laid back, so I agreed.

And I called him first thing Monday morning, and got his voice mail, and left a message.

And 2 hours later, I gave up, and called HouseDoctors, simply based on their ad in the Yellow Pages. The owner's wife said that the owner was on a job at the time, but could come by the house around 3:30 to "take a look".

And he arrived at exactly 3:30, and gave me a professional, written estimate, but naturally couldn't do the job right then, because he didn't have the materials, and it would be dark soon anyway. I told him that Mondays are my only available day, but that I would be out of town for the holidays the following Monday - and then I sort of jokingly asked if he'd consider doing the job on Christmas Eve, since I would be off work that day.

And he said, "No problem - I have a guy who can do it that day."

So we set 11 AM as the time, and the guy showed up at 10:50 AM this morning, and by 12:30 PM the job was done and I was back in my jammies, chillin' with some cappuccino and watching TV.

So I am really, really thrilled with HouseDoctors - and thanks, Scott! Great Job!

Bailey and I are going to just generally laze around the house for a couple of days, and then on Saturday we are driving up to the mountains to stay with Kathy and her pups (oh yeah, and her husband, too - Hi, John!) - and we are really hoping to find some snow when we get there.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Oh yeah - some of you have asked: my little injection was somewhat successful last week - it relieved all of my arm pain, and reduced my neck pain by maybe 40%. The pain management doctor called me yesterday for an update, and wanted me to come in this Monday for a second shot, but since I'll be out of town, we have to put it off until the following Monday. I'm still having a good bit of neck pain - and he says we'll see how the next injection does, but we may be looking at some surgery in the new year...

I just need little a cheering up today

About 14 months ago I had an ACF - an Anterior Cervical Fusion. Left me with a nice 4 inch long scar on the front of my neck, and a plate in my neck.

I had fallen about 3 months before that - I was trying to relocate some beads from my bedroom, which was getting far too crowded and cluttered, to my actual, designated, fully furnished 900 square foot beading studio - which is just down a long hall from the bedroom, in the bonus room over my garage, and required me to step down 2 whole stairs, carpeted stairs, to get to the room. I just preferred to do all my beading in the bedroom, curled up in my comfy bed, with my TV, and all my remotes, and room for Bailey to sit on the bed and pout while I ignored him.

But I just had too much crap in the bedroom, so I decided to move some beads into the bead studio. And on my first trip, my socked-foot hit the top of the carpeted stair wrong, and my feet flew out from under me, and my ass hit that top step at about 900 miles an hour, and about 9000 pounds per square inch.

And since I was carrying about 8 gorgeous lampwork beads in my left hand, my only thought at the time was "Save the Beads!!!!" - so I threw down my right arm to catch myself, and felt my entire right arm jam up into my neck.

And I was sore for a few days.

And then the neck pain, and the numbness and tingling in my left arm set in.

I waited about 4-5 months, and finally saw my doctor, and had the MRI, which showed the massive disc herniation at C5/6. He told me I could have surgery, or opt for some epidural steroid injections, but I should realize (which I already did, since I have a medical background) that if the epidural steroid injections worked, they were just a short term fix, and meant that surgery was really the only way to fix the issue.

So I had a couple of the injections, they worked, and everyone conferred and told me I had to have the surgery.

Surgery is really no big deal to me (other than paying for it on a struggling beader's "salary"), and the surgeon reassured me with statistics such as "95% of my patients wake up from the surgery symptom- and pain-free, and remain that way."

So I had the surgery in October 2008.

Most folks miss 4 to 8 weeks of work following this procedure - I missed 3 days (4, if you include the day of the surgery). Because I had just bought the bead store, and had (and still have) no employees - so if I wasn't there, the store wasn't open, and that really has a negative effect on getting the bills paid...

And of course, I was one of the other 5% - the tingling and numbness in my arm resolved, but the neck pain, while it kind of changed, and was maybe a little more tolerable, never went away.

When I went for my 6 week post-op visit, I was still having significant pain (and was supposed to be in that 95% having zero pain) - and the surgeon told me that if I was still having pain in 6 weeks, I would need to start Physical Therapy.

And so I became what is known in medical parlance as "lost to follow-op" - meaning I just quit going back. I had suffered from chronic neck pain for at least 17 years by this point, and had been through at least 3 full courses of physical therapy for it, with absolutely NO improvement, and I just didn't feel like ponying up the cash, on my meager beading income, for what I felt like would be a lost cause.

And so my neck pain remained constant, and unchanged - Not as bad as it had been pre-op, but still a pain in the neck, quite literally.

Then about 12 weeks ago I developed what appeared to be a simple case of tendonitis in my right elbow. Tendonitis is usually a repetitive motion injury, and that didn't apply, but all the symptoms fit, so I returned to Orthopedist #1, and he agreed with my diagnosis, and gave me a cortisone injection into my elbow, and instead of making it better, it got worse. And worse.

So I went back to him 8 weeks later, and confessed about the lingering neck pain, and how it was actually quite a lot worse now, to the point where I get frequent headaches, and often can't even turn my head left, right, up, or down, and he ordered an MRI. (of my neck - not my elbow)

He called me today, and told me I have disc herniation at C6/7, with significant impingement on the nerve root, and need to see the neck surgeon again. (Ortho #1 does all ortho surgeries except the neck and back).

I asked him if we could try the epidural steroid injections again instead, and he said sure - and evidently the anesthesiologist who does them was standing there next to him, because they said if I could come to the office in an hour, they would go ahead a give me one.

So I show up, and the anesthesiologist (the pain management specialist) does a full exam, strongly feels that my elbow pain is still your basic garden variety tendonitis and completely unrelated to my herniated disc, but agrees that I need neck surgery - but he'll go ahead and do the epidural steroid injection, both on a therapeutic basis (meaning I'll hopefully get some relief) and on a diagnostic basis (meaning that if my neck pain and/or elbow pain resolve, then he knows they are coming from the disc herniation).

I get the shot, and within 30 minutes the elbow pain is gone.

But my neck pain is now 100% worse. But this is to be expected, from all the manipulating he did in there -

And, on an unrelated note, my best friend died last week from complication of a stroke she suffered 8 months ago.

So I'm sitting here on some pain medication, and having a little pity party - no balloons, but I am eating chocolate cookies (and diet coke!) for dinner, and posting 3 pictures that make me feel better.

Thanks for listening. Enjoy my pictures!