Lots of words today but no pictures.
My back went out (translation: into muscular spasms) about a week ago and recovery has been slow (translation: virtually non-existent). For the first time in our married life except for the times when I happened to be away on business trips I slept in a different bed from Mrs. RWP last night. It finally dawned on us that the mattress in one of our other bedrooms is firmer than the one in our room. Getting out of bed or even just turning over has been excruciating. For the record, changing beds didn't seem to help. Our chiropractor, who used to say "Ice is nice" for lower back pain, has changed his tune and is now telling us that recent studies recommend using cold for crisis pain and heat for chronic pain. Accordingly, not knowing whether mine is chronic or crisis and not knowing exactly what to do, I have been alternating between 15-20 minutes of ice pack and 15-20 minutes of heating pad. Some days it helps and some days it doesn't. Maybe I'm just making things worse.
It has now been about four months since the surgery on Mrs. RWP's left eye and two months since the surgery on her right eye. Her vision continues to fluctuate, probably because the eyes are at different stages of healing. The surgeon said this would happen, but Mrs. RWP finds it a bit disconcerting. Ever since April 15th I have been putting various kinds of drops into first one, then both, of her eyes. These have included Prednisolone 1% ophthalmic solution (a steroid), Vigamox, Oasis Tears Plus (non-prescription), and strangest of all, serum teardrops made from her own blood. Three times now we have made the trek into Atlanta so that the nice people can extract seven or eight vials of of her blood at a time and centrifuge the bejeebers out of it in order to separate the red blood cells from the serum. After a couple of hours they then give the clear stuff back to us in ten or eleven little bottles. The surgeon said using this stuff will help Mrs. RWP's eyes recover faster because it contains her very own antibodies. Each time we go, the bill is $200.00 and it is not covered by Medicare Part D since the drops do not contain any pharmaceuticals.
Today my grandson Matthew leaves Kenya for home after an eleven-week stay. His dad tells me it will involve about 18 hours of flying and 30 hours of travel overall. He will be home for one week and then depart again for his second year at university. He is one busy fellow. I may have mentioned this before -- I can't remember -- but I find it interesting that our three visitors to Kenya this summer -- Matthew, Noah, and Nicholas -- have had completely different itineraries. One flew from Atlanta to New York to Dubai to Nairobi. One flew from Atlanta to Amsterdam to Nairobi. And one flew from Atlanta to London to Johannesburg to Nairobi. And boy, are their arms tired.
Yesterday, as we were sitting in the wing chairs in the sitting area of our bedroom and talking on speakerphone to a friend from church, suddenly a mama deer and a little spotted fawn came into our back yard and stopped not ten feet from our bedroom window. After a few seconds of "freeze time" during which we exclaimed our "oohs" and "ahs" and pondered getting a camera, they turned and left the same way they came. We live in the middle of a large housing development and I have never seen deer in our subdivision before, let alone at our window. It was a moment to remember.
This post is all discombobulated, but it cannot be helped.
You are having a tottering time. I really do hope that you both mend soon but mend is a relative term at my age and you are much older.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember when I last went to a medical practitioner as I find them little better than snake doctors with technology. Vets are going the same way. I have remembered; it was a positive experience. I fell off a snowboard two and a half years ago and it really discombobulated me. I went to the health centre in Aviemore and the bloke was a star. No wanting to know how much I drank or smoked and if I'd ingested a fatty burger from next door. He was great, booked me in for x-rays and was obviously horrified at the state of things as he cancelled the physio lady, gave me a big bottle of dihydrocodeine, 50mg a pop, said take two as and when and have a tot with them. Worked a treat, six months later I was wandering about without pain and without a clue who I was or where I was. Nothing beats epidural morphine but one does look a little odd wandering around towing a trolley with a bag on.
Seriously get well soon.
Spasms suck better than any vacuum don't they? Mine often wake me shrieking in the small hours. I hope they ease off for you quickly and that Mrs Rhymes eyes settle.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Matthew missed most from home while he was in Kenya? And what he will miss from Kenya when he gets home.
Deer? Definitely a moment to remember. And cherish.
Muscle spasms in the back are so painful. I know you are seeing a chiropractor so I won't ask if you are doing mild stretches. I hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your back. If I happened to be passing through Canton, I would happily drop by to give you a healing massage with my magical fingers and a bottle of sandalwood scented massage oil. Soon the pain would evaporate and you would be jiving at The North Canton Ballroom like John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever". It was nice that Bambi and Mummy Deer came to see how you are doing.
ReplyDeleteOooh youre both in the wars there dearie, and I'm sorry to hear of the pain and Mrs RWP's fluctuating eye problems too, so there's a heap oflov sent your way from over the sea. X Also, I have only ever found heat to help chronic pain, the cold works or instant horrors, so I've always ignored the cold option, it made everything worse.
ReplyDeleteLove the wee deer popping up, how marvellous for you both *beamns a smile their way* Xx
Many thanks to everon for commiserating with us in our current situation. Here's hoping it won't last long....
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