There's just been so much going on, the days have been jam packed that I just feel as if I'm going in circles. Who knows...maybe I am! So with everything that has been going on I am just now able to post a update.
I have waited and waited to get a Orthopedic Surgeon, I've waded through the red tape, I've prayed and prayed and practiced patience.
I told one of my nurses the week before my appointment that it looked like we might get some bad weather come the day of my highly awaited appointment. She said "well you know you can always reschedule....RESCHEDULE...... huummp!! Reschedule.....what a mean and cruel word! I could very well be waiting another six weeks if I did that. I replied "girl, you don't know me very well, I will spend the night in Fort Smith in a cheap, flea bitten motel before I reschedule, they do have cabs here you know". So of course, just as my luck would have it February 1st dawns and with it comes ice. I kept telling Eric I should have stayed in Fort Smith, I didn't sleep the night before because I was too busy watching the weather, getting up and going to the front door to look out the window. With each passing hour my tension rose. Eric on the other hand.....was snoring up a storm! Sometimes that just really irritates me. Yes, the snoring but also the fact that he can sleep!
He had just gotten to go back to work and was scheduled to work that Tuesday and yeah honestly we really need the money. I was nervous for him to ask for the day off to go with me, he's been off so much, and a day off means a day off without pay. And well...when are they going to get tired of it? So I'm having all this worry, all this anxiety and tension and he rubs my head and says, "all that matters is that I am with you and no job is worth it. Since the accident I've learned that while trying to get ahead and be on top of the game is great we've spent alot of time getting ahead, fortunately we were, but we wasted alot of "time". And now we've been knocked on our asses, and at the end of the day it doesn't matter. Because at the end of the day they don't care about me like you do. You worry about the bills and the house and you take all the stress to make sure everything is taken care of and how we are going to make it, that Ty is taken care of but at the end of the day they don't give me the shelter you do". Awwwww.......sniff......sniff........ And well he said some other stuff too.....which I will just keep to myself because I'm sure that he's gonna strangle me for telling what bits I did! lol But well...he hasn't said a whole lot since the accident, you know the "deep" stuff. He doesn't say stuff like that all the time and he says, "it wouldn't be as special if I did it all the time".....so there you have it folks, the philosophy of a simple country boy. We had a great talk, about things that are important now and things we feel aren't any more.
But even though my handy husband can do alot of things he can't change the weather.
We were blessed with safe (slow) travel to and from and I got to keep my appointment.
I was nervous. I think it was more from the fact that I already had built my hopes up so much on the last appointment with a orthopedic surgeon and that didn't go so well, that doctor that never really checked me out, that doctor that said I needed to give it more time and that I probably didn't have anything that really needed fixing.
So after about a 20 minute wait I had some new xrays taken on my knees, in some different positions that haven't been done before, get my chart updated and get in a room finally to wait for like thirty minutes or more. Now my tension is building because I'm so anxious for this visit to go better than my last one with that "other" doctor did, my ears are doing that ringing crap again along with the roaring in them. So in sweeps this big guy, he's talking 90 to nothing and my ears are making it very hard for me to hear him plus I really need him to slow down so I can keep up. I process information just some days I'm processing it slower than others especially when my ears are ringing. They can't get my CD disk I brought with all my prior xrays, cat scans and mri's on it to open, do I know the trick or what program was used, sometimes they can't use the disk, have you seen your xrays, ok you have numerous issues, a motorcycle wreck tell me exactly how you flew, oh excuse me my cell is ringin I really need to take this call, etc, etc, etc. He leaves the room and Eric looks at me and says, "did you get any of that?" Well, no not really, so Eric's catching me up to speed and I'm checking out these cool new xrays of my knees that I got done and telling Eric today of all days my ears are really bothering me and I'm just running slow. Which in reality is my biggest complaint and causes me the most stress next to the actual pain.
So back in comes the whirlwind. I got put through the ringer. Poked and prodded really good. I didn't take any pain meds before the appointment and I really should have. By the time Dr. Jones was done digging (yeah that's what it felt like to me anyway) his fingers in all my pain places, I had sweat rings under my arms and down my back, I refused to cry and told Eric once I thought I might be sick. And I was determined I wasn't going to pass out. It's this and it's that and we need to do this and need to do that and this this and this and these are the steps and Eric is trying to get him to slow down, but the man has a plan! A plan I tell you! Dr. Jones was all business and moving along pretty fast all the while poke, poke, POKE!. Moving from one knee to the other, my left shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand and then onto my back and hips. Then he said the words that brought tears to my eyes...."You do have issues. Many issues that need fixed and if you'll work with me I'll work with you. I don't guarantee anything, but I think you are a prime candidate for several repair surgeries". Holy Cow! At first I didn't hear the part about several, I didn't really pay attention to the part about healing time in between surgeries and Dr. Jones stopped and asked if he had lost me and all I could say is, "you'll never know how much it means to me to hear you actually say I have things wrong that need fixed. All this time I have waited and prayed and felt like alot of people weren't believing me that I hurt that things aren't right and I am having trouble getting past the fact that you said I''m going to get repaired. I'm so thankful just for the fact that you believe me".
Finally someone that believed me that things aren't right, finally someone who did tests and can see that things aren't right, finally someone who isn't intimidated by all my issues! Thank you Lord!
And finally....to those who thought I wasn't so bad, that I was probably milking it....nannie, nannie, nannie on you!
1. Knees (both):
My knees are messed up. They actually are worse than I even thought. My knee caps are not in the middle where they belong, they are displaced to the sides and rubbing the edges of the other bones, so he is going to put them back. I have damage under the knee caps, and he is going to take care of that. I have some damage to my meniscus that will need to be repaired and he will check the acl because it is probably damaged also. And I'm going to get a lateral release done. All this on both knees. They will start with the right knee first since it is locking up. Once he was done examining the knees I had to ask for a break, he had me in a sweat and I was about to throw up I hurt so bad from all his poking and prodding and let me remind you I had no pain meds in me. He said some big guys sure howl right about now.
2. Left Shoulder:
This doctor finally figured out what happened to my shoulder , which in turn caused problems elsewhere and now I know why I have the pain and problems in those areas. When I hit my left shoulder and it was shoved up under me it jammed it into my collar bone which shoved the collarbone into my sternum at my throat and causes a rib to hurt. so he starts his exam of my shoulder and I swear not only did I see stars but the moon too! I can't even follow half of what he's saying I'm doing all I can not to pass smooth out and fall off the table. He's got a plan....ok ok I'm shaking my head and my ears are ringing I'm not 100% sure what I just agreed to except he seems confident and Eric's sitting in the chair kinda nodding his head. Doc leaves the room to go look at my disk again, the nurse comes in with a tray and Eric says "whatever you do don't look on that tray"...well gee hello.....what am I going to do....what did I do....yep I looked. Now I'm sure these people are just out to torture me, they want to torture me. I'm actually sitting there thinking, "Lord, have I not been through enough, enough pain, enough struggle, enough of everything that on top of it all I have to suffer more, I'm here to not hurt and the plan currently is to just cause me more pain". So for now, more pain it is....I got a big momma shot in that shoulder. Wheeew boy I wasn't ready for that. I asked if I could lay down for it, NOPE, in order to get it in the right place you have to sit up. Ok, bring it on. And I swear sometimes when I think about it now I would almost fly off that motorcycle again because I went numb then I guess when that happened, and this shot hurt a whole heck of alot more. Doc said lots of guys curse, yell or even cry, so I felt better that all he got out of me a big ol long grunt noise. But I tell you if he had said he was doing my knees I think I would have passed right out! lol Plan is if I can not get any relief from the shot, surgery is the only option left. (the shot helped for that night and some of the next day)
3. Left Wrist:
Some stuff is misplaced in there and it won't stay where it is suppose to, therefore it is just going to have to be fixed.
4. Left Hand:
Due to the wrist issued and damage to the hand and fingers the ligaments or tendons or something are not laying where they are suppose to and he will consult with a colleague, Dr. Kelly, to take care of my hand. Dr. Kelly works on hand issues alot more.
5. Left Elbow:
Wait and see on it. He is thinking that after shoulder surgery and wrist and hand surgery that the issues I am experiencing with the elbow will be resolved. If not, then we will back up and punt and fix it too.
6. Back:
Starting with the lower back, taking a MRI. Possible back surgery in the low back/hip area and shoulder region.
Current order of surgeries: Right knee, left knee, left shoulder, left wrist, left hand. Then we will re-evaluate the left elbow and talk more about the back. I'm going to continue to hope and pray and work on my back. If my knees get fixed and I can walk right then I am hoping that some of the back issue will be resolved.
I got back 02-24-11 to go over everything and get prepared. To review my mri done on my lower back. To review the shoulder. They are looking at doing the first surgery on March 8 and I am on stand by. Tyler is needing to see a different specialist and Children's Hospital is working on getting him set up with that appointment and testing that is needed. I don't want to be down and unable to go to that appointment with him.
Two days after this ortho appointment I had my first appointment with a ear, nose, throat doctor in Russellville. I really like him. He was funny and thought he was on top of his game so when I get in the exam chair and he's doing all his funny lines etc, etc, then asks me what happened.....well some things pop in my head, hit my mouth and pass my lips before I can stop them. I had already told two people my story, he had the notes in front of him....so I said "welp... secretly I am Wonder Woman and I flew through the air but failed to stick my landing, I need help doc", he and everyone outside the cubical were laughing. Needless to say it was a fun appointment. The problem as it appears for now is there is a tear between my ears deep in my head, lost of things makes the pressure change in my ears and brings on the ringing and clogged up feeling, which causes my head to hurt and makes it hard to hear plus brings me the slowness at times. And my hearing test showed decreased hearing. I got a medicine to try in hopes to control the fluid and pressure allow it to decrease or go away which should make the ringing stop then the tear can heal on its own and not require surgery. Sounds good, and simple, which is what he suggested we try first. Problem....I took the first pill, had chest pains and felt like I couldn't breathe. The more I moved around or tried to talk it made it harder to breathe. So I commenced to laying around for about a day or two till it wore off. Then I waited a week and a half before I had the guts to try another pill. Same thing happened. My blood pressure is great and it is lowering it. Now what.....
March is filling up fast with appointments for Tyler and me. My mom and dad have appointments for issues with their back and possible upcoming surgeries as well. Please keep my whole family in your prayers, we all do greatly appreciate them. Pray for total healing, wellness, no complications, comfort, etc and also that my sister stays healthy!!
Displaced knee caps
Everyday therapy
