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ProfessorTomoe

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I had an EMG (Electromyography) run on me yesterday at the spine doctor's office on my left and right sides (upper). Quite a pain - hurt like the dickens at times. It's supposed to show the doctor where exactly my nerves are being pinched/cut off/whatever so he can plan for back surgery if necessary on me. I had some zones that didn't react to the shock at all, while others kicked like a pissed-off mule. That, and I've still got red welts on me from the acupuncture needle. All in all, it wasn't a fun experience.

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3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

It's supposed to show the doctor where exactly my nerves are being pinched/cut off/whatever so he can plan for back surgery if necessary on me.

I thought that was given.

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1 hour ago, mlooney said:
5 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

It's supposed to show the doctor where exactly my nerves are being pinched/cut off/whatever so he can plan for back surgery if necessary on me.

I thought that was given.

For some nerves. This will uncover all.

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I've had what is probably a similar test, except on my wrists (for carpal tunnel syndrome). Painful? I volunteered to confess!

(Turns out I have all the symptoms, including the effect on one of the three nerves to the hand... the wrong one.)

 

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1 hour ago, Don Edwards said:

I've had what is probably a similar test, except on my wrists (for carpal tunnel syndrome). Painful? I volunteered to confess!

(Turns out I have all the symptoms, including the effect on one of the three nerves to the hand... the wrong one.)

The test they ran on me is supposed to differentiate between carpal tunnel, elbow nerve trouble, back nerve symptoms, and everything in between. It was quite comprehensive. I'll find out tomorrow exactly how comprehensive it was.

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Just got back from the spine surgeon's office. He said the EMG test pinpointed a pinched nerve on my left side at C6/C7. This, in combination with my MRI and my reported pain, was reason enough to operate. He's going to do an Anterior Cervical Decompression Fusion on C4/C5, C5/C6, and C6/C7. Basically, he'll be removing my discs and replacing them with metal & bone grafts. This will all be done through an incision on the front side of my neck.

No date is scheduled for this yet. I've just finished going through the hell of setting up a pre-op neck X-ray for tomorrow. After that comes a few pre-op clearances, then a pre-op appointment, then lord knows what else.

Recovery is going to take a while as well. I'm going to be inpatient for a couple of nights, then home with a cervical collar for 6 weeks, then doing physical therapy for 6 weeks. Much fun.

All of this for a predicted 50% pain reduction. Oh well - it's better than nothing.

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6 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

All of this for a predicted 50% pain reduction. Oh well - it's better than nothing.

Does sound like a lot for not a lot of results.  On the other hand your pain has been so high for so long any reduction is better than none.

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11 minutes ago, mlooney said:

On the other hand your pain has been so high for so long any reduction is better than none.

This.

The pain is somewhat mitigated now - the pain doctor only temporarily numbed me. The EMG showed that I still have problems, plus I still have numb fingers and pain that set in after the pain management procedure. There's no time like the present to get the root(s) of the problem.

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7 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

There's no time like the present to get the root(s) of the problem.

I have a lower back pain that I say is "pi" level of pain.  Low, never ending, and irrational.  I can't imagine having pain of your level for long periods of time.

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On 2/7/2022 at 11:59 AM, mlooney said:

From my lab report:
gfr was 59, now 54, increase fluids, please ask pt if he would like to see nephrology to see if he would like to touch base as do not think at this time he will improve higher than 55-60 as baseline, please let him know it is stable, just want to touch base with a kidney specialist for assistance/suggestions from keeping this from getting worse

Just got of the phone with the kidney specialist.  I have an appointment the 31st of March.  Less than thrilled about it being that far out, but I can live with it.

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2 hours ago, mlooney said:

So you are going to set off even more metal detection alarms when you fly.  That should be fun.

He did warn me of this, yes.

1 hour ago, mlooney said:

Just got of the phone with the kidney specialist.  I have an appointment the 31st of March.  Less than thrilled about it being that far out, but I can live with it.

Less than optimal, one might say.

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1 hour ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Less than optimal, one might say.

I think my primary said that I could drink tea, but I'm going to call her Monday to find out. She may or may not let me go up to my normal amount, or she may have me wait on the kidney specialist to change my drinks.  I know that NSAID are off the table for the foreseeable future.   Will find out more about that in March.

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My back surgery is scheduled for the morning of Monday, February 28th.

I still have to have a pre-op lab test appointment with my primary care doctor and a pre-op appointment with my spine surgeon. I had neck X-rays taken on Friday in preparation for the surgery. Seems like I'm going to be busy leading up to the surgery date.

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4 hours ago, mlooney said:

I think my primary said that I could drink tea, but I'm going to call her Monday to find out. She may or may not let me go up to my normal amount, or she may have me wait on the kidney specialist to change my drinks.  I know that NSAID are off the table for the foreseeable future.   Will find out more about that in March.

That would be very upsetting to Tensaided. With NSAID no longer available, what was left would be Teed.

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This might ought to go into a separate "the saga of the pre-op COVID-19 test" thread.

I've got to go to an 8am pre-back-surgery COVID-19 test appointment in a little under an hour. I would have gone to yesterday's 1pm appointment, but that got pushed back due to horrendous road conditions caused by freezing rain in the D/FW area. Things have dried up some, but there's still a little bit of re-freeze, so the Uber that I'm taking is charging an exorbitant $35 for the one-way trip.

Why am I taking Uber? Mrs. Prof. can't drive. Why? Two reasons. Well, three, actually. They are:

  • She has to wait here for a plumber to unclog our sewer line.
  • She has to wait here for a washing machine repairman to come fix our broken front loader.
  • She slipped on the slick pavement while taking care of TNR cats and quite possibly damaged the ACL in her right knee. She can, but probably shouldn't, be driving.

This is going to be a rough morning. I can't even take a shower. To make matters worse, I have another appointment way out in Wylie (an eastern suburb) at 11am, and an Uber out there is going to be much too expensive, considering that it's going to cost me $70 round trip just to get to the downtown-ish hospital for my COVID-19 test.

It's most definitely a saga.

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1 hour ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

This might ought to go into a separate "the saga of the pre-op COVID-19 test" thread.

I've got to go to an 8am pre-back-surgery COVID-19 test appointment in a little under an hour. I would have gone to yesterday's 1pm appointment, but that got pushed back due to horrendous road conditions caused by freezing rain in the D/FW area. Things have dried up some, but there's still a little bit of re-freeze, so the Uber that I'm taking is charging an exorbitant $35 for the one-way trip.

Why am I taking Uber? Mrs. Prof. can't drive. Why? Two reasons. Well, three, actually. They are:

  • She has to wait here for a plumber to unclog our sewer line.
  • She has to wait here for a washing machine repairman to come fix our broken front loader.
  • She slipped on the slick pavement while taking care of TNR cats and quite possibly damaged the ACL in her right knee. She can, but probably shouldn't, be driving.

This is going to be a rough morning. I can't even take a shower. To make matters worse, I have another appointment way out in Wylie (an eastern suburb) at 11am, and an Uber out there is going to be much too expensive, considering that it's going to cost me $70 round trip just to get to the downtown-ish hospital for my COVID-19 test.

It's most definitely a saga.

First, best of luck on your test.

I've only been briefly to Dallas a couple of times on business. Can you take the free public van pool to the airport, and then the train to downtown?

 

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1 hour ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

It's most definitely a saga.

And not all sagas are good.  Sorry to hear about this.  What is the 11:00 appointment for?

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5 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

I've only been briefly to Dallas a couple of times on business. Can you take the free public van pool to the airport, and then the train to downtown?

It's not in that part of downtown, and my knees don't handle walking any sort of distances from a train stop. Especially in 21 degree F weather.

4 hours ago, mlooney said:

What is the 11:00 appointment for?

A check-up on an office surgery to the bottom of my right foot. It was minor, and it's still got a minor bleed going. No big deal.

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5 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

A check-up on an office surgery to the bottom of my right foot. It was minor, and it's still got a minor bleed going. No big deal.

Were they able to reschedule you for after the weather gets better?

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