In keeping with the theme of this blog, ZuttoZoom (always zoom), I start with this flower found on the grass in the old  Protestant cemetery in Penang, Malaysia.

We came across this place as we were wondering from our hotel to the shopping district known as "Little India".
One of the most interesting graves is that of Commodore Charles Grant, commanding His Majesty's Squadron in the East Indies.  Wikipedia will tell you that earlier in his career, Commodore Grant sailed under Sir Edward Pellew and later on his fleet included the HMS Sophie.

 

 It's not your eyes.  This image is slightly out of focus.

Fans of Horatio Hornblower will recognize these names.  I need to read the series again to see if Captain Grant was mentioned.  I wonder if C.S. Forester visited Penang.

The plaque in the image below was near the entrance.  There was an adjacent Catholic cemetery that we did not take the time to visit.

2015 Family Reunion

This is the family picture from our 2015 Whetten family reunion. Missing are Jeana, Julieanne, Cedric, Christopher and their respective families - although Julie is represented by Lindsay, with her husband, Adam.  This picture was taken about 30 minutes after the baptism of Carson, in the black vest.

Sciatica: Concluding Chapter

This is the end of the story about my issues with sciatica.  After the first epidural in January, I never experienced any dramatic improvements.  The pain has gone away but the muscle in my left foot will not support my weight when the heel first touches the ground.  But over time it has slowly improved.  I completed about 7 weeks of physical therapy; I began chiropractic therapy with a trusted friend; I began exercising 3-4 times a week during lunch.  There was a 2nd epidural at Emory Spine Clinic in the spring, followed by a CAT scan (my choice - but not necessary), and a consultation with a surgeon.  The surgeon said that in this case where there's no pain, there's only 10% chance the surgery would help and it would not be a simple surgery.  I asked what will happen?  He said the body will learn to compensate.  On the chance that something could have changed since the MRI in January, we agreed I should get another MRI.  I did.  He checked it out and came back with the same answer.  It will slowly get better and eventually I'll be going on long hikes and running again.  Thank you for your prayers on my behalf.

The end.
(Let's move on to more interesting things)

Recovery

Saturday was the best I've felt since 12 December 2015.  The sciatic pain has gone away.  My leg is still not working right - there are parts of the top of my foot that has no feeling - and my stride is wrong.  But the pain is gone!  I can deal with this.  The nurse said to take it easy through Sunday.  Here we are at Sunday evening and I'm eager to get back to normal activity.  Mom, don't panic.  I'm not going to be doing things like changing a tire.  I'm just glad that I can start moving again without pain.  Now I'm looking for a good Yoga coach in the area.

My Epidural

I was nauseous last night before going to bed.  I'm wondering if just thinking about the procedure made me feel bad.  I was a little nauseous at lunch time after taking a couple of bites from a rice roll (also while thinking about the epidural).  Then I remembered to check the instructions for preparing for the procedure.  It said not to eat anything within 6 hours prior to the procedure.  I trusted that a few bites of rice would not have an impact.

We were at the clinic 14 min. ahead of schedule.  Being early is a habit I need to learn from my friend who goes by the code name, Brain Dead, in the blog world.  Early arrival helped keep the stress down.  The epidural went fast relative to the impact I expect it to have on my pinched nerve.

I was laying down on my stomach.  The doctor disinfected the area around where the needle would go in.  He gave a shot of local anesthesia, and then, while watching my spine through an X-Ray machine he inserted a needle.  It was definitely a unique pain when the needle got to the spine.  First he injected a die, then it seemed like he pressed the needle further in and injected the steroid.  While doing that, he said "We'll be done in 3...................................2.............................1. And were done."  The time between numbers was like for-e-v-e-r.  I felt faint and extremely nauseous, and I told them so.

I was not so concerned about fainting as I was about throwing up.  I felt really miserable.  I started sweating profusely, realizing later that I had soaked through 3 layers of clothing and the paper on the table.  They kept me face down on the table, raised my legs and told me to move my feet; I did, but it seemed like a long time before the nausea went down and before I could sit up.  I asked them to bring Michelle in.  As she walks in I hear her telling the nurse: "Did he tell you that he faints when in severe pain?"  She had specifically asked me to tell that to the nurse before hand.  There wasn't a good time to tell her... so I never did.  But she found out.  When I could sit up, they moved me to another room and set me in a recliner.  The nurse tried to take a pulse with her fingers at my wrist... but eventually gave up.  As I started to feel better, she used the armband to find out that the blood pressure was low.  (I remember 60).  She gave me a small bottle of water and we sat and chatted while things got back to normal.  The nausea went away.  She took my blood pressure one more time.  It was up - so she let me go.  Well, actually she had to wheel me out in a wheel chair and help me into the car.  That is a very nice nurse.  Jennifer is her name.  By the time we got home (30 min. drive) I felt almost back to normal.

The pain in my leg is greatly reduced.  But the nerves are not functioning right yet.  I tried to walk normally, but Michelle just laughed.  Apparently I'm still throwing my left leg out in front and locking the knee before putting weight on it.

During the first visit, the Doctor said the treatment is usually a series of 3 shots, with 2 weeks in between shots.  I confirmed with Jennifer that it's not always necessary to get all 3 shots.  Now I will see if I have the power to be healed after one shot, because I really really really don't want to do this again.

Epidural tomorrow - Yay...? Maybe?

I was able to move my appointment from Jan. 16 up to Jan. 9th for the epidural injection to address the issue with the pinched nerve that causes pain in my left leg.  I hear these types of injection are quite painful.  I'll let you know how it goes.  I have not been able to walk normal since the 2nd week in December.  I'm getting tired of throwing my left foot out in front of me, locking the knee and then putting weight on it to take a step.

About the comments on 2015 being different.

I appreciate the thought that went into the comments on my post about 2015 being different.  I know both of you have burdens and blessings in your lives that are different from mine.  I respect each of you for the fortitude with which you face your ongoing and unrelenting challenges.  I've been pondering what you wrote and I will continue to do so until I figure out what to do.

Dealing with Sciatica

I've had back pain off and on for years.  I would like to think that a Chiropractor would resolve the problem.  Unfortunately that has not been my experience.  They have helped Michelle, but not me.  I find more relief from stretching.  On Dec. 9th I moved 16 huge bags of leaves to the curb for the yard-waste company to take remove.  By that evening the back pain had kicked in.  I started doing my stretches... but apparently they didn't do the trick this time.  Two days later I woke up in the early hours of the morning with an intense pain down my left leg and tingling in the toes.  I could hardly walk.  I felt like I had to throw my left foot in front of me, then lock the knee before I could put weight on it and move through the stride.

I got an appointment with a Dr. of osteopathy the next morning.  He prescribed medicines to help the muscles relax, a steroid to help with the swelling and a pain killer.  Two days later I went back to the Doctor.  He manipulated the spine, and within a few days, the back pain was gone, but the pain down my leg continues although it certainly is not as bad as the night it woke me up.  Sometimes the pain is more pronounced in the left hip.  In my last visit to the Osteopath he said everything looks good structurally.  It will probably require an MRI to find the pinched nerve.  Hopefully a localized steroid injection in the tissue that's compressing the nerve will resolve the problem.  The Osteopath recommended a specialist.  So I have an appointment with a specialist on Monday to find the pinched nerve.

The most frustrating part of this problem is that I planned on taking vacation several days before Christmas to finalize the shopping for gifts.  Instead of walking the mall, I was home doing battle with the pain in my leg.

Here's where the angelic Michelle came through and made sure Christmas gifts were taken care of.  She made sure I was taking my medicine and patiently put up with me when I failed to control my irritability because of the pain.  Thank you, Michelle.