My back rant. Forgive me.

Icicles over the back door...

Good Evening Everyone;
Just playing catch up again....

It is Casey's birthday- She is a whole Double-Dozen.

She is recovering well from her vagotomy.
(My spell check insists that 'vagotomy' should be 'vasectomy') - But I can pretty much assure you that is one operation she will never have. hehehe



Below is Regina...


She loves her job at U-of-M, and is a very joyful NA to have around!


As we drove home, Casey took a little nap- Snowfall can do that to a body- Kind of a flurry hypnosis.




'Course maybe the fact that she'd just had surgery had a lot to do with that nap too. hehehe




Driving up B the other day, we saw these horses making a meal out of the trees.
The trees will never recover when the bark is stripped all the way around; and I am thinking that there is something important missing from their diet to be eating the trees.

Punk has been out of sorts as well.




Maybe these little trips take their toll on her too. Casey even brought her to the vet the other day. We have been calling her our Little "PunkaLump" as she has bumps in a few places.  The bump that worried me was on her back- where she had gotten squished as a little puppy.  Oddly the one that worried Dr. Spires more is one between her toes. Time will tell if that growth changes or goes away.

And now...
Turnabout is fair play-
Casey took this picture of me while I was at the hospital last week for my back.


Damn fine thing I am still halfway strong, as I had most of my weight on my arms.
There was no way I was changing my clothes, so they just covered me up with one of those nice warm blankets.
A very nice doctor, and nice nurses too.
As soon as I was treated for my pain, Casey had left to run to her house to get some clothes to be able to stay overnight with me...

The radiologist (Holly) left much to be desired. She came in my little room, demanding that I "jump in the wheelchair" so she could bring me to radiology.
Nothing doing as I had all I could do to get from the wheelchair that carried me in on arrival, and get on the bed.
i explained that I could barely move without excruciating pain, and she got very angry at me, and asked if I could move? I said yes, that I wasn't paralyzed.
So once again, pointing, she demanded me to get in the wheelchair.
Again, after telling her how much pain I was in, I asked could she please wheel me down there on the bed?
She said they don't do that.
What?!? (No I didn't say that). I call BS though, as they have done that many times for Casey.  I didn't say that either.
But I did tell her "I am NOT going to argue with you."
With that she stuck her head out of the room and declared that she would need 4 or 5 people to help her get me down to radiology. While I am not extremely fat, I don't think 4 or 5 people would be necessary...

She wheeled me down the hall while everyone toddled behind.

When we got to Xray, "Holly" said they would pick me up and carry me to the table.
I asked them to kindly put the wheelie bed close to the table and I would move myself. after I was situated, I apologized to one nurse who was there for having made them wheel me down to radiology. Not knowing what had transpired, she looked a little perplexed but said, "Oh don't worry about that, we do it all the time. Besides that is why the beds have wheels on them." 
(Bitch that I can be, I was quite pleased that she'd said that in front of the technician).

Everyone but one male nurse left at that point- He helped me to be able to move to get into position for "Holly"
She told me to pull my bra up to my neck.
HAHAHA- God how I wanted to laugh...
But all I said was "No."
I told her I would unbuckle it and put the metal tabs in my armpits. She told me they would be in the way of the Xray.
I then pointed (best I could) to my vertebrae. i explained that she was taking pictures of the middle of my back and that wire hootchies in my armpits should not interfere with that if she did it right.
Ooh was she pissed...
So onto my back I went.
I bit my tongue so I wouldn't cry out loud-
Sometimes that helps, sometimes not. (Thankfully it did help enough that day so I wouldn't cry out in pain as I slowly got onto my back).

She told me to hold that position after she had taken 2 Xrays, wanting to make sure they turned out before I had to 'move' again. She spoke as though I was lying about my pain, and had I felt better I would have had more than a few nice words for her... ('Course had I felt better i would not have been there to begin with).

After she checked those out and proclaimed that they were fine, her attitude changed almost night and day. Suddenly I was "Anne" -and suddenly she was very quieted and gentle.
Go figure- She'd taken one look at my Xrays and knew damn well what she was dealing with- and it sure as hell wasn't a liar!
Oy- What a bitch she was!
And yes, I do know my back is neither her fault nor her problem, but i do believe there might have been the part where she gave me the benefit of the doubt...

I had an appointment with my pain management doctor the following day. Casey drove me there after staying overnight.
(Thank God they had a wheelchair, or I would not have gotten in the building).
Miss Becky was wonderful as always, and even brought in a different doctor to consult with. I had gotten out of the chair to go to the table, and wound up on my knees by the table. Not too uncomfortable, but I do believe I scared the dickens out of her and Casey. (Sorry girls).
They put 6 shots in my back once I was on the table.

Tomorrow I go in for 6 different ones.
She changed my pain meds too- They make me very tired- so at least I nod off every now and then.

I don't know what will happen next. That's maybe the worst part of it all. Though to be truthful, the pain actually scares the hell out of me at times.

Casey has been so very good to me, and I am sure that she would much rather be sleeping next to Greg than next to the stupid intercom phone here.

I haven't even dust-mopped in so long, and my once tidy house has become quite a mess. The hardest thing when Casey isn't here is letting Punk out, and getting her fed and watered. We finally put the 5 quart pan on the floor by the sink so I don't have to worry about carrying a stupid bowl of water.

I can't begin to tell you all how bad this is. There are no words to even describe this pain.
I did ask about the cement- No go -because it is now my entire back, and that cannot be done on the whole back.

They will put me to sleep tomorrow as these shots go straight into my spine. I pray that they work.

And on Friday, I get my TENS unit. Maybe by then I won't need it?

I wish there was a maid service for people with disabilities...

Casey has just gotten back- They had game tonight- She left early from there so we can be up early tomorrow too.
Poor kid.
She even bought her own cake. That made me cry.

I hope all is well with you all.
My love always.

XOXO
Me