April 27th
Keep good thoughts.
It's scheduled. No turning back. Think sharp knife, a Dremel saw, tweezers and a crochet hook (Thanks D for that lovely imagery and the offer to do it for 1/3 the price. Do you even take insurance?). Having endured a herniated disc for 22 months I'm finally going under the knife to remove some cauliflower shaped debris that squirted out of disc and set up residence in the nerve channel, thereby pinching the sciatic nerve and making my left leg a hated appendage. The pain has varied from so-so to "I want to cut your eyes out, bitch" levels. I've missed 6 months of work and have had another 8 months of excruciatingly awful work. I've endured five VERY long needles stuck up my spine with the last epidural doing zero benefit. I've had sleepless nights suffering anxiety attacks from too much Vicodin. I've had sleepless nights when pain killers did nothing. I've made hubby learn to tie people's ankles 'cuz I can't get down on the floor, or if I do get down on the floor I don't get back up. (This last one is the total reason I'm getting the surgery done. Hubby does his best, sigh, but I wanna tie up those ankles myself!)
One of my very best friends, a friend of a lifetime, totally one of a kind, passed away a few weeks ago. She was 82. She worked up until a few months before she passed away. The interesting thing is she really started her second life when she was 53. She'd raised her children, had supported her husband, and promptly determined that she needed her own life from there on out. She made the next 29 years of her life absolutely amazing. And that's my inspiration. I'm pretty happy with life so far. But I want 29 more years of even better. This is my turning point.
The doc said I was an excellent candidate for surgery. 92% chance of significant or total pain reduction. A slight chance of some numbness (We sciatica sufferers jump for joy when it's only numb.), and the possibility of a new herniation down the road (the sword hanging over us for life.) He even called me "young and healthy!" I, of course, waited for him to also call me handsome. That compliment didn't come. He should be grateful I wasn't in one of my "scratch your eyes out, bitch" moods or pain levels. Actually, while I have the normal fear of surgery that any person has, I am focusing on these incredibly positive things....
*I'll be able to dry my feet after a shower
*I'll be able to pick things up off the floor without having to use my toes as tongs
*I'll be able to walk more than 3 blocks without worrying whether I brought my cell phone with me to call 911
*I'll be able to help suspend the bondage bed
*I'll be able to roll around on the ground with a pup
*I'll be able to tie people's ankles properly (I love you, hubby......smooch)
*I'll be able to properly flog the snot out of hubby, not having to give up after a few minutes because my left leg pain is making me take it out on him...
And I'm still working on that new and richer purpose in life, that which will consume me for the next 29 years or longer. I've never really been afraid of the major turning points in my life; in fact, I think in the past I've embraced them and jumped in with both feet. I expect I will behave exactly the same way this time around, once I know the right path.
I'm glad to hear it's finally being taken care of, and it sounds like, unlike my lumbar reconstruction, it's a relatively less-invasive surgery. I am SO with you on the sciatic pain. I was so bad I couldn't stand up for more than 30 seconds without EXCRUCIATING pain (and not the fun kind), and was in discomfort most of the time. Mind you I had -three- completely ruptured discs, nerve impingement so bad I was losing control of my legs, and progressive degeneration.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're going to be "right as rain" in fairly short order, and I'm delighted to hear it. My life began over at 54 -- three years after the surgery, to the week, I'd gone from 303 pounds and borderline diabetic to competitive bodybuilder, and stepped on stage in a competition for the first time since I was a teenager.
You're going to be GREAT!
Good luck Boss!! i'll be holding thumbs and keeping everything crossed that it all goes safely *and* successfully!!!
ReplyDeleteAlike heroin Vicodin is basically an opiate which provides an individual with an amazing euphoric body to a huge extent but it is very addictive as well (though it is not as much addictive as heroin). Vicodin has very grave withdrawal effects, alike to those of the heroin, though it is not as severe as the later. The Vicodin medication is especially prescribed for mild to severe pain that any patient frequently undergo after any surgery, but sometimes this medicine is prescribed for long-term use. Basically this Vicodin comes in three major varieties. They are Vicodin ES (7.5/750), Vicodin HP (10/660), Vicodin (5mg hydrocodone, 500 mg acetaminophen). There are several other generic variants of Vicodin as well.
ReplyDeleteJym Leonhard
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