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.

Let me write the message first

This time, writing the title of the blog first does not work.  I don't even know what I'm to write about - let alone the title.  Let me write my message and then I'll add the title.

Today I am sad for the tragic storm that ripped through the Philippines this past weekend.  I like the Filipino people.  Corruption has wounded the country so deeply that many hard working people have had to leave in order to be justly compensated for their work.  It's a bonus for the rest of the world - we get to know a wonderful happy people.  Interestingly enough, Mexico has a similar problem - but without the propensity to spread across the world like the people from the Philippines.  Filipinos are a happier people.  I've enjoyed lots of fun with Mexican friends, but overall, the Filipino people are more fun.  Maybe it's something about the islands that engrains you with the attitude of "Don't Worry; Be Happy!"

Within the past year the down turn in the economy coupled with terrible corruption has also hurt Spain, driving Spaniards, young and old, to leave the Iberian peninsula to find work elsewhere - mostly in the EU.  Spain is a beautiful, but troubled, country.  I feel like I can only love her from afar.

I met some wonderful people over the past week, all friends of Fuco & Idoia.  It was apparent to many that I was incomplete and they asked about my other half.  The most direct question was: "What is Michelle like?"  How do you answer such a question?  I could not give it justice in the few moments of conversation that we had and we ended up talking about teaching seminary.

In the long drives and while contemplating the huge vistas of southern Utah, I've pondered on what the correct reply is to the question "What is Michelle like."  I must preface my reply with the note that these thoughts are todays thoughts.  Last year my answer would likely have been a little different - and next year my reply would be a little more accurate.  She is changing.  I am changing.  In fact, even the act of contemplating the question brings about changes in me and consequent changes to our relationship.  So, without further ado, I will begin to answer the question.

Michelle loves to serve. 
The primary example of this is her current responsibility as an early-morning seminary teacher.  She spends untold hours each day preparing for the next days' class.  She's up by 4:30 am to finalize details for the class that starts at 6:15 am.
She also dedicates a lot of time sharing her talent on the piano.  This ranges from spontaneous requests to play for the children in Primary or for the women in Relief Society, through playing the hymns during Sacrament meeting every other month, to playing for the Sugar Hill LDS Choir.  The Choir is important to her because it's the most challanging and the most rewarding.  A lot of practice goes into making the music right.  She has to play the music practically perfectly before the Choir can learn their parts.  You can imagine the frustration of having to work very hard to learn the music while some less dedicated Choir members require her to go over parts time and time again.  This hints to the next key character of Michelle's.  But before I get to that, there is one more example of her service I want to share.  It seems like she is always making something for somebody's baby - even for babies that are yet to be concieved.  OK, just one more example: when we go to a party, she hangs out in the kitchen.

Michelle is patient.
The primary example of this is the fact that she is still married to me.  Wow!  Scott Peck wrote:

"It is in the process of meeting and solving problems that life has its meaning.  Problems are the cutting edge that distinguish between success and failure.  Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom;  indeed they create our courage and our wisdom." 
 

In that sense, perhaps Michelle is so patient because her trials of being married to me have called forth her patience; indeed they have created her patience.  Perhaps.  An alternative source of patience could be more than 30 years of teaching children piano lessons.

Michelle is brave.
The primary example of bravery is the intelligent choice to become a mother.  By "intelligent choice" I mean knowing full well the difficulties of pregnancy, the excruciating pain of child birth and the subsequent 18+ years of rearing a child.  As the father of her children, I have a deep appreciation for such bravery.  Christopher Robin told Pooh Bear "You are braver than you know."  Michelle is braver than she realizes. 

Michelle is practical.
She spends her resources (time, talent, skills, money & emotional effort) on meaningful things.  Her jewelry is simple; her clothes are not extravegant; her preferred entertainement is practical: she enjoys books and movies where the characters motivate her to be a better person.  Being that her husband can be a romantic at times, the patience mentioned earlier comes into play as they work things out such as when to get rid of that old couch purchased their first year of marriage.  This is not to say Michelle is cold hearted.  In fact she is very loving.

Michelle cries.
The first car we purchased together died after long years of service.  As we drove away from the wrecking yard, she cried.  She cries at graduations.  She cries during a performance when she can tell the performer has put a lot of effort into preparing and is bravely doing the best they can.  She cries in movies.  She struggles to hold back tears when she speaks at Church.  She's sensitive, she cares and so she cries.  There was a short time when a teen-age daughter mocked her tears.  But as the saying goes: "Fools mock but they shall mourn."  Now that daughter mourns because she too has developed sensitivity; and she cares; and she cries.

That's what Michelle is like, and I love her.

Curtis