Doctor

Several months ago Spouse & I received a letter from our doctor's group practice informing us that our doctor had left the practice to work at the VA hospital.  We were instructed to call and make an appointment to be transferred to the new (female) doctor taking his place.

I was rather disappointed in this news.  Although I don't go to the doctor a lot, I really liked my doctor and felt comfortable with him, especially when it came to 'male things'.

Spouse mentioned this to his personal trainer who suggested a doctor in a nearby town that was very nice, so Spouse called and made an appointment.  He really liked the new doctor and thought I would too, so I made an appointment in January.  I'm hopeful that I will feel as comfortable with my new doctor as I did with my previous one.

Nervous tick

Last Sat I was showing homes to new clients and we looked at a home that was bank-owned.  "Bank-owned" is a nice way of saying it was a foreclosure.  Since no one has lived there in a while the yard has not been maintained.  Banks will occasionally pay someone to mow if they get a letter from the HOA saying the grass is too high, but in this case the home was not within an HOA so the grass had not been cut in a while.

While still showing homes I noticed a tick on calf so I removed it with a tissue.  Of course the rest of the day I was nervous and kept checking my legs and arms every time I thought I felt something.  A few hours later when I got home and was changing my clothes I found another tick on my upper thigh!  I removed that one too, then stripped and made Spouse check me for any additional ticks.  Fortunately he didn't find any others.

Then on Mon I was showing homes to 2 nurses so I asked them if there was any kind of after-care I should do after finding 2 ticks on me.  They suggested seeing my doctor for a Lymes disease test, so I got an appointment for Tues afternoon.  My doctor said the Lymes test is not conclusive, and that a negative test result wouldn't mean I didn't have Lymes.  He said people have tested negative but then developed Lymes weeks/months later.  Instead of the test, he suggested I just go ahead and take the special antibiotic they would prescribe if I had Lymes disease.  This kind of made sense to me, to treat as if I had it just to be on the safe side.

So now I'm taking the antibiotic twice a day for 21 days, just to be sure I don't develop Lymes disease or any other tick-borne illness.

Surgical follow-up

Today I went for my surgical follow-up.

The surgical assistant looked at me and said "Well, you certainly look like you're feeling better!  The last 2 times we saw you you were wearing sweat pants and you looked like you weren't feeling well at all.  Today you're wearing regular clothes and you look great!"

Indeed, the last 2 times I was there Spouse had to drive me, laying on my side across the back seat of my car, since I couldn't sit.  But today I drove myself, sitting on a memory foam pillow, and went to work after the appointment.

The surgeon's exam was quick.  He was very pleased with my progress and the condition of the "wound".  Then came what I'd been waiting to hear:  "You don't need to have the wound packed and unpacked anymore.  Just use gauze to catch the drainage."  

HOORAY!!!

Since the wound is not closed yet, it still drains so I wear absorbent pads in my underwear to catch it.  The pads are easy to change myself, unlike the packing/unpacking which I could not do myself.  Now I can shower whenever I want.  When I was being packed I would have to shower when Spouse was home so he could unpack me before the shower, then pack me afterward.  This definitely gives me more freedom and flexibility.

No more doctor or surgical follow-ups required.  I'm almost good as new.

What happened to Feb???

Indeed... what happened to Feb???  Well, Feb was a combination of pleasure and pain, both of which prevented me from posting here.

1st the pleasure:  our trip to Puerto Vallarta.  We had a fabulous time!  The weather was terrific and we had a lot of fun.  I'll post photos and details of the trip in another post.

Now pain:  an unexpected health issue.  Unbeknownst to me, prior to leaving on our trip I got cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection.  I thought I had a muscle strain and just took ibuprofen during the trip.  You know how it feels after you've pulled weeds or done some other kind of activity that uses muscles in a different way?  It was more of a "discomfort" rather than "pain".  

However, upon our return home it quickly became more painful so I made an appointment with my doctor.  He diagnosed the cellulitis and prescribed 2 antibiotics.  (I'd heard of cellulitis but really had no idea what it was.  I thought it had something to do with cellulite!)

The cellulitis unfortunately was on my left inner buttock, and due to the swelling and pain of putting any pressure on it, I was unable to sit or lay on my back.  So I laid on my right side while awake (mostly watching TV) and slept on my right and left sides.  

But instead of improving while on the antibiotics, the swelling and pain intensified.  My doctor's office was closed for the weekend so I called the answering service and left a message.  My doctor called back and I explained the situation.  He called in a pain medication to the pharmacy and said to come into the office 1st thing Mon morning.

However, in the wee hours of the morning on Mon I woke up in a puddle.  I was rather alarmed and woke Spouse up to help.  The cellulitis had abssessed and began draining.  Gross!!!  Spouse was a real trooper and cleaned me up, then stripped the bed, rolled up and threw away the mattress cover, then remade the bed.  He placed a couple of old bath towels on the bed where I was going to lie down again.

As directed, we showed up at the doctor's office.  Remember, since I could not sit I had to lay across the back seat on my side while Spouse drove me to and from the office.  We were escorted into the examining room and I removed my sweat pants and underwear so the doctor could have another look.  

"Ooohhh... this is not good.  The cellulitis has increased in size and has now abssessed.  There are a couple of openings.  This is beyond my abilities.  You need to be seen by a surgeon who can clean this out."

Needless to say, all this was quite alarming.  I've never been told by a doctor that my condition was beyond his abilities!  My doctor immediately called a local surgeon's office, explained the situation, and set an appointment for the next morning.  Spouse drove me to the surgeon's office and again I removed my sweat pants and underwear so the surgeon could examine me.  I guess I should have known it was bad when the surgeon called in another surgeon to consult.  There were a few minutes of talking between them in medical jargon, most of which I didn't understand.  Then I was told what was needed was too involved to be done in the office.  I would need to be admitted to the hospital and have surgery.

I was admitted, IV inserted in my arm, and prepped.  The surgery was a breeze since I was completely out.  I had to stay in the hospital 4 days while the "wound" (their terminology for the cellulitis area that was operated on) was packed (with gauze) and unpacked twice a day.  Despite being given morphine the packing/unpacking process was excruciating!  

I was released from the hospital with prescriptions for more antibiotics and hydrocodone for pain, and told to continue the packing/unpacking process at least until my follow-up surgical visit at the end of the month.  Obviously I could not do it myself due to the wound's location, so I was set up with a visiting nurse.  But then we found out the nurse would only come 3 times a week.  The wound had to be dressed at least 7 times a week!  Fortunately Spouse has lots of sick leave and vacation time.  He stayed home with me for 2 weeks after being released from the hospital to care for me.  

And I really needed the care too.  I was so weak and in so much pain!  In addition to the wound dressings, he shopped and cooked for me, helped me shower, use the bathroom, and dress me, and made sure I was taking the antibiotics and pain meds at the right times.  Since the nurse highly recommended a high protein diet to promote tissue healing, Spouse bought and prepared lots of high protein foods and helped ensure I'd consumed at least 90 grams of protein each day.

I finally began to get my strength and stamina back just in time for my surgical follow up visit on Mon.  The surgeon was pleased with the wound's progress, but said we needed to continue with the wound packing/unpacking for another 2 weeks.  Its March 1 and I'm hoping to return to work next Mon the 6th.  After being on vacation for 1 week, I've been home on medical leave for another 5 weeks, for a total of 6 weeks out of work.

Just this week I've finally begun to sit for a few minutes at a time on a memory foam pillow.  I tried one of those inflatable donuts but found it too difficult to balance.  I'm trying to build up to being able to sit a little more each day.  In the meantime I'm standing at the kitchen peninsula to use my laptop.

I'll keep you posted on my condition.

Kindness

Yesterday was my 1st visit to my new doctor (general practitioner).  I didn't care for my previous doctor so when I heard this new doctor was coming, I got on the wait list and yesterday was my appointment.

As is typical, I filled out the new patient forms in the comfort of my home and just handed them to the receptionist along with my insurance card and co-pay.

Prior to the doctor coming in to see me, a nurse came in to weigh me, take my blood pressure, and go over some info.  She was very impressed that age 52 I have no illness or condition which requires medication.  I believe Spouse & I are the only 2 among our friends who can say that.

Then came the part where she asked about my family medical history.  I knew this was going to happen, and I prepared a brief, non-judgmental, non-emotional comment to explain my lack of information.  I basically said I've had no substantive communication with my parents or siblings in 23 years so I really don't have any information as to their health.  I suspect that since both of my parents are in their early 80s now, they probably have typical age-related conditions, but that I was not aware of anything like cancer or asthma that might be hereditary.

The nurse tried to hide her surprise at first, and then said "Well, you must not like them."

I kindly replied that it was not my choice, and explained that they belonged to a very conservative religion that teaches if someone leaves the religion, members must treat them as if they didn't exist. 

There were a few seconds of silence as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth, then blinked away a small tear.

"Wow... that is really a shame" she offered.  Not knowing quite how to respond, I said "Yes... it is."

She asked if they were Amish, which kind of makes sense since Amish practise ex-communication too.  I said "No, they're Jehovah's Witnesses."  She said that they must be pretty strict, because she knew of a JW family whose daughter stopped being a JW, got involved with drugs, had a child out of wedlock, and her parents continued to talk to her and even helped support her.  I agreed with her that my family was strict about it, feeling they were modeling the behavior that "good JWs" should have toward those who leave the religion.  Then we moved on.

I was a little surprised and actually touched that the nurse was so gracious.  This was the 1st time we'd met, yet she had a genuine emotional reaction to my estrangement from my family.  Somehow it seemed very kind of her to care.

After 23 years I've gotten pretty used to "my situation".  I grieved the loss of my parents and siblings all at once, the way one would do if their family had all been killed in a plane crash.  But that was years ago, I've gotten used to the scar since there is very little pain left from that wound.

I've also been very fortunate that Spouse's family has always been not just accepting, but welcoming to us both.  I also have some extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc) with whom I still have contract, since they were never JWs, so its not like I'm an orphan.

But that nurse's kindness was really appreciated today.  She probably doesn't know just how much.

Pain in the neck: Cured!

For the last month I've been dealing with a herniated disc in my neck which presses on the nerves that run down my left arm.  Lots of physical therapy visits and 2 pain pills a day have been keeping me out of pain and hopefully helping to rehabilitate my disc, but I really wasn't sure.  I didn't know if the pain was absent because I'm getting better or because the pain pills were working.

So 2 days ago I stopped taking the pills, knowing I had my 1-month follow-up visit with the orthopedic doctor today.  I wanted to be able to tell the doctor how I was really feeling.

I was extremely happy to tell the doctor today that I had no pain, and that I hadn't taken the pain pills in 48 hours!

He did a couple of physical tests on me and we talked a bit.  He said that some people respond well to chiropractics, but I didn't.  Some people respond well to physical therapy like me.  Others have to have nerve injections and/or surgery.  Fortunately my situation improved dramatically from the PT.  

He also warned me that this recovery may not be permanent.  He said its possible the symptoms could return again, but at least we know what worked for me last time so if the symptoms come back, he will send me back to PT.  In the meantime I can do the stretching exercises at home, and even have an inflatable traction collar for at-home use if I need it.

I can't adequately express how happy I am that I do not need any invasive treatment or surgery!!  I feel like celebrating!!

Follow up

You may recall that about a month ago I had a physical, my 1st in about 4-5 years.  The results were not what I was expecting.

So after a month of modifying my diet somewhat and increasing my exercise a bit, I went for a follow up visit and to talk with my doctor more about what I need/should do going forward.

The good news is that my blood pressure was lower than last time, although still higher than it should be.  He said that if I continued watching my diet and exercising, it may be in the normal range in 6 months, so I will go for another follow up visit then.

We also reviewed my blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight again.  He said my blood sugar level was 'borderline', and that if I continued to watch my diet, it would likely stay in that safe range.  My cholesterol number was also just slightly above normal, so he will check that again in 6 months when I return.  Again, better dietary choices will likely keep that in check.  

Then there's my weight.  While not "obese" in most people's eyes, according to that ridiculous chart I am technically 30 lbs overweight.  I told the doctor I have not been that target weight in 20 years!  He suggested that make a real effort to incorporate cardio exercise into my life routine.  Walking or running 3 times a week is my goal.  So far I am lucky to get 1 brisk walk in each week, but now that the weather is more pleasant I should be able to increase that.

So the good news is that my levels have improved since my last visit, and should improve even more if I don't get lazy.  The bad news is that every time I think about exercise it is followed by the thought of walking to Dairy Queen.

Let's Get (a) Physical

So yesterday I went to the doctor for a physical.  The last time I had a physical was probably about 4-5

years ago, with my old doctor who left his practice to work at a hospital.

Last week I'd stopped at the lab so they could withdraw some blood so the results would be in my doctor's office in time for my physical yesterday.  I expected this physical to go pretty much like my last physical, with a pat on the back and a clean bill of health.

Instead, my doctor said my blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, my sugar level was high, and my weight was high.

Record scratch.

Wha?????  How could this be?  I don't smoke, I don't drink too much, I don't take recreational drugs, and I don't take any medication on a regular basis.  I'm healthy, dammit!!

While its true that I don't smoke, drink too much or use drugs, I also don't exercise or pay good attention to my diet.  And even if I did, I can't help my genetic predisposition.  Both my parents (ages 77 and 80) have had heart conditions, as did both my grandparents on my father's side.

I think I was in shock for several minutes in the doctor's office.  Then I started to freak out a little.  Just 4 or 5 years ago I was perfectly healthy and now that I'm pushing 50, I'm falling apart at the seams.  What a slap in the face!

But at least its 'fixable'.  I mean, its not like I have terminal cancer or an inoperable tumor.  Perspective.

My doctor talked to me about treatment options like blood pressure and cholesterol medications, as well as diet modification, exercise, and weight loss.  He wanted to start me on the medications immediately but I told him I was committed to diet modification, exercise and weight loss which should reduce my blood pressure and cholesterol naturally.  We agreed to follow up in a month to see if those efforts reduced my levels enough to not need the medication.

Its not that I'm against medication.  I just feel that if I can reduce my levels sufficiently in a natural way I'd prefer to do that over having to take pills the rest of my life.

Today I'm over the shock and have begun sharing this 'news' with some of my friends.  Some confessed that they are taking blood pressure and/or cholesterol medicines already, while another is trying exercise and weight loss first like me.

Now comes the hard part:  reducing or eliminating all the delicious and tasty foods that have contributed to my high blood pressure and cholesterol, which is basically everything that is worth eating.  Anybody have any heart-healthy recipes to share?

And then comes the exercise.  Time to dust off that gym membership.

Eye exam

Yesterday evening I went to my new eye doctor for an eye exam.

I wasn't that thrilled with my last eye doctor so I took a friend's advice and made an appointment with her eye doctor. Once I got there I realized this new eye doctor advertises in the local 'Letters from CAMP Rehoboth' magazine, which is nice, and that he's also a friend of Dorothy.

Upon entering the exam room we exchanged initial greetings and then he noticed that my flip flops and t-shirt were the same color. "Did you buy them together?" he asked. "No, but I intentionally wore them together" I replied. "But that's a good idea... I should open a store on the boardwalk called 'Flops N Shirts' and sell flip flops and matching shirts" I suggested with a snicker. "I'm sure it would be a hit" he encouraged. From this exchange I knew we'd get along better than my old eye doctor who didn't get my sense of humor.

After several tests he announced that I don't have glaucoma, cataracts, or any other eye issues. Next it was on to the vision test where they flip the lenses around and ask you "Is 1 better than 2?" and "Which is clearer, 3 or 4?" I always find this tricky, as sometimes just blinking will make the same lens look different. But I got through it with less uncertainty than with my last eye doctor.

My new eye doctor advised me that was adjusting my prescription and suggested a similar but new contact lens. He provided me with a trial pair and I am finding them to be extremely comfortable. Plus the prescription adjustment was just the tweak I needed for additional clarity. I feel like bursting into song "I can see clearly now..."

Once the eye doctor kissed me goodbye (just kidding) I met up with 1 of the assistants out front to discuss my insurance and product choices. According to her, I have very good vision benefits which she indicated would be better used on glasses than contacts. This was just what I needed to know, since I really wanted new glasses.

My current eye glasses (which I never wear) are at least 6 years old and 2-3 prescriptions ago. They never fit me correctly (so I never wore them) and I don't know WHAT I was thinking when I picked them out. My pupils must have been dilated or something. Did I mention I never wear them?

The assistant picked out a dozen different frame styles and had me try on each one and tell her what I did and didn't like. With that info, she selected another dozen and I did the same thing. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Such service! I eventually narrowed down the huge selection to 5 very different frames and even got the input of the doctor and another assistant. I narrowed the 5 down to 2 that I liked equally. At that point it became a question of price, and the decision was made. I really like the new, modern frames and think I might actually wear these glasses occasionally just for looks.

Since my insurance covers glasses or contacts, I will simply order new contacts online and pay out of pocket for them. My new glasses should be ready in about a week. I'll try and remember to take a photo of myself in them and post it in next week's Friday fragments.

Crush du Jour: Marc Jacobs

Doctor visit

Yesterday I went to the doctor about my shin. Now 10 days after the injury/trauma/bite/sting, it is still swollen and tender. Now it is bruised, too.

I explained to my doctor what I'd thought had happened, along with the related symptoms:

• Sun: Sting/pain when I hit the sand playing beach volley ball. No cut or bleeding; no sign of skin puncture. Sting/pain went away; shin swelled to a scary proportion. Thought I'd hit my shin on my opposite heel.
• Mon: Swelling reduced. No pain or discomfort. Thought it was an allergic reaction to a bee sting or insect/spider bite.
• Tues: No change.
• Wed: No change.
• Thurs: Swelling barely visible.
• Fri: Some swelling returned, bruising now visible, and brief/irregular sensations felt. Occasional 'burning' and 'tingling' felt around the swollen/bruised area.
• Sat: More of same. Now I'm really confused. If it was an allergic reaction to a sting or bite, why did I get this big bruise? If it was a trauma that caused the bruise, why was there no pain, and what did I hit my shin on in the sand?
• Sun: More of same. Decide to make doctor's appointment on Mon.
• Mon: Made doctor's appointment for Tues.

After my detailed explanation of the above, the doctor examined my shin and said it could be a number of things. He said the easiest way to rule out the things it isn't was to have an x-ray. So he sent me over to the imaging center where an x-ray of my entire leg was done. (I don't know why they x-rayed my leg above the knee when the affected area was obviously on my shin.)

My doctor's office called this morning with the results of the x-ray: everything was normal. This means that there was no hairline fracture or bone chip, and there was no "foreign body" inside my leg. One possibility was that I might have fallen onto a piece of sea glass and that it might be inside my shin. But the x-ray proved ruled this out.

So now I know what it isn't. According to my doctor this means I may have had a combination of a sting/bite and a trauma to the shin. We'll never really know for sure. He said that had I applied ice to it for the first several days it likely wouldn't have bruised or swelled so much. To my surprise he said I should apply ice to it now, 10 days after the fact, so I will begin doing that.

Fortunately I do not have any pain. There are still the occasional, brief 'burning' and 'tingling' sensations but they are more in the category of 'slight discomfort' rather than pain.

This is what I get for trying to act like a butch 25 year old playing beach volley ball.

Crush du Jour: John Barrowman