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ProfessorTomoe

Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

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T-minus one day and counting for the spine injection procedure. I report to the hospital at 1:30 p.m. CDT tomorrow (Tuesday) and have the procedure done at 3:15 p.m. CDT. I know it's an injection of nerve "blockers," which means something that's supposed to remove the sensation of pain, but all of my experiences with hospitals prior to this have been the exact opposite. I am not completely calm, and I believe I will not calm down as the moment approaches. (Eight frigging injections into my spine, for cryin' out loud!)

Add to that the fact that I'm supposed to come home and do household chores almost immediately afterward to rate the pain reduction from the shots, and you can see where this is going. Tomorrow is going to be less than fun.

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1 minute ago, ProfessorTomoe said:
11 minutes ago, mlooney said:

And the understatement of the month award goes to Professor Tomoe.  Tell him what he's won John....

At least I've got jasmine oolong.

While I would not think of that as a "good" thing, obviously you do, so go with that.  Look for the small bits of shinny in the muck.  Just don't throw your back out bending over to pick them up.

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2 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

Hopefully you're on the right path now.

That would be a Good Thing Indeed, with a caveat or two.

I'm going to be reminded that tomorrow's procedure is only temporary and will be followed by physical therapy. If it works, I've got nerve cauterization in my future, and even that won't last forever. Not even success will lead to an easy path,

I think my cat knows what's going on. He's up here on the sofa, next to me after a brief session of head-butting and purring (on his part, not mine).

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7 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I think my cat knows what's going on. He's up here on the sofa, next to me after a brief session of head-butting and purring (on his part, not mine).

Good kitty. In my experience, cats are very sensitive to the moods of their humans. I think he is offering you moral support or, given that he is a feline, possibly amoral support.

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Approximately an hour and ten minutes left before the procedure. I woke up to find that my wife called the spine doctor to confirm the appointment. They said I had to be at the hospital at 1:00 p.m., which clashes with the 1:30 p.m. that she had been told earlier (and forgot about). Just what I need going into this, another clusterfark. I'm nervous enough, my back hurts, I'm thirsty as hell, and now I've got to be there 30 minutes earlier than I'd planned.

Someone is screwing with my life, and I'm not pleased.

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1 hour ago, mlooney said:

It's our major household appliances.  I tell you they are plotting.

You keep an eye on that dishwasher, mlooney. I already told you, if it summons an elder god or even a pack of Chthonians to make more earthquakes I will not be pleased. And I was serious.

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2 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Approximately an hour and ten minutes left before the procedure. I woke up to find that my wife called the spine doctor to confirm the appointment. They said I had to be at the hospital at 1:00 p.m., which clashes with the 1:30 p.m. that she had been told earlier (and forgot about). Just what I need going into this, another clusterfark. I'm nervous enough, my back hurts, I'm thirsty as hell, and now I've got to be there 30 minutes earlier than I'd planned.

Someone is screwing with my life, and I'm not pleased.

May this be as bad as it gets before getting better.

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I'm home.

Turns out Mrs. Prof got her signals crossed. My check-in time was 1:30 p.m. after all. She remembered after she got out of the shower.

They rolled me into the OR and had me roll over onto my stomach. Kind of funny—someone had 80s music playing in the OR. "Our House" by Madness and "Heaven is a Place On Earth" by Belinda Carlisle. Anyway, just as I was getting the face pillow comfortable, someone came around and practically shoved it into my nose and asked if I needed help. I told them I was almost there and pushed it back. After that, it was a puff of propafol and nighty-night.

They injected nerve blocks into both sides of my L2 through L5 spinal exits. Eight injections of anesthetic. Ten needles, if you want to count the two they used to get my IV started.

I now sit at my laptop, drinking cranberry juice, and dreading the thought of what I have to do next—load the dishwasher. Yep. Right out of the OR. I can already tell that I'm getting no relief from the shots. If I had to put the relief on a percentage scale, I'd say that it's a -15% right now. I'm kind of waiting for the pills I take for chronic pain syndrome (which I took as soon as I got home) to kick in, but I can't wait much longer. Besides, every time I cough kicks the pain up even higher.

Thanks for staying with me through all of this. Wish me luck.

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Just did the dishwasher. Relative to the usual horrendous pain I get when I load it, this was about 15% worse on the left side. Good lord, it was screaming bloody murder. The upside is that I wasn't feeling pain in my right side until I sat down on the sofa—just a twinge, but enough to bump the pain relief from 100% down to 90%.

Mrs. Prof is (reluctantly) keeping a running log for me, to present to the doctor. It's only for a couple of days, but it's an important job.

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18 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

Luck, Prof, and please give our regards to Mrs. Prof. I hope things will improve soon.

Much obliged. She was much help yesterday, despite her initial reticence.

All of the nerve blocks have worn off already, just one day after the hospital procedure. I'm a bit bruised in spots along my back, since they went deep to reach the nerves. No additional pain, though. Just back to the coughing I was fighting beforehand.

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Shortly I will be headed off to the second major medical appointment of the week: the one with the electrophysiologist. If things go as my primary care doctor said they will, I will be getting a 21-day cardiac monitor. Said monitor will supposedly capture the PVCs I've been having, along with any other irregular heartbeats. Why they have to schedule me for a 10:15 a.m. appointment in one of the worst traffic areas of the D/FW Metroplex is beyond me.

The fun doesn't stop after I get home. I get to call the physical therapy place and, based on what the electrophysiologist says, tell them whether and when I can start therapy appointments for my back. I'm not looking forward to those one bit, since the nerve blocks from Tuesday have 100% worn off and my back hurts like hell in spots.

Add a somewhat grumpy Mrs. Prof working from home to the equation and ... well, I'm not looking forward to the rest of the day. Time to gird my loins in my carbon fiber battle shorts.

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27 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I get to call the physical therapy place and, based on what the electrophysiologist says, tell them whether and when I can start therapy appointments for my back. I'm not looking forward to those one bit, since the nerve blocks from Tuesday have 100% worn off and my back hurts like hell in spots.

Hmm, didn't you report that the pain was about 15% worse after that procedure?  If so, I'd think it was a good thing it's worn off quickly.

Here's hoping that one of the nifty new gizmos like our therapeutic laser turns out to be surprisingly effective on your pain!  *fingers crossed*  *tfys ro ryoe tjst qsu*  *uncrosses physical fingers, crosses mental ones*

27 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Add a somewhat grumpy Mrs. Prof working from home to the equation and ... well, I'm not looking forward to the rest of the day. Time to gird my loins in my carbon fiber battle shorts.

*makes Mrs. Prof the baked or frozen goodie of her choice as thanks and to keep her in a good mood*

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39 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

The fun doesn't stop after I get home.

You keep using that word.  I don't think it means what you think it does.

Seriously, get better.  I hope some one finds what is wrong with your back and fixes it.

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Thank you, thank you. Everyone. Thank you from Mrs. Prof as well.

I am now wearing a cardiac event monitor (a.k.a. cardiac event recorder), and I shall be wearing said monitor for the next three weeks. I've been cleared to wear it while I undergo physical therapy. I'll call the therapy people and let them know I can start next week. Meanwhile, I'm just going to get acquainted with my new toy, rest up a bit, and continue working on getting rid of this damned wheezing cough.

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2 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Thank you, thank you. Everyone. Thank you from Mrs. Prof as well.

I am now wearing a cardiac event monitor (a.k.a. cardiac event recorder), and I shall be wearing said monitor for the next three weeks. I've been cleared to wear it while I undergo physical therapy. I'll call the therapy people and let them know I can start next week. Meanwhile, I'm just going to get acquainted with my new toy, rest up a bit, and continue working on getting rid of this damned wheezing cough.

Good. Take care of yourself, Prof. And once again give our thanks to Mrs. Prof. Hopefully there will be light at the end of this tunnel.

On a slightly different note, my own doctor doesn't like the way my blood pressure is behaving. It has increased dramatically over the last year or so. Last time I measured it earlier today it was at 160/110. So now it looks like I am going on medication to lower it. Yay. :/

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1 hour ago, The Old Hack said:

On a slightly different note, my own doctor doesn't like the way my blood pressure is behaving. It has increased dramatically over the last year or so. Last time I measured it earlier today it was at 160/110. So now it looks like I am going on medication to lower it. Yay. :/

Lisinopril would seem to be in your future. I would not worry too much about it. It is a rather benign medication, in my personal experience.

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5 hours ago, mlooney said:

Why has Felix Hoffmann and the men and women that followed his research not been canonized yet?

No need to be such a Bayer about it.

Take two Aspirin™ and call the Pope in the morning.

Edited by Pharaoh RutinTutin
Relevant detail added

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