my latest dr appt

Not to bore you with the gory details… but I know that my mother hens and blogger babes & buds like to keep tabs on me…
I went to see my nurse practitioner at the “regular doctor” office this morning. Kudos to her for ordering the spine xrays last week, otherwise, I’d still be at square one.
I told her I was concerned last week that I was overlapping by seeing her before we had results from the urologist… she said it was wise to do that and it helped us get closer to a resolution.
A lot of what she said was just a confirmation of what the urologist had said. There is osteoarthritis … which… could be from a lot of things… isn’t particularly uncommon and is not necessarily a big deal.
There is the “spondylolisthesis” (which I have finally learned to say) which is an overlapping of the vertebrae. The overlap is small – 3mm – but definitely causing problems.
Oddly… I have an extra lumbar vertebrae. There are usually five – I have six. This is a congenital defect (in other words, I was born that way).
(between the granulomas that keep popping up in odd places and the extra bone in my back… I have to wonder if we lived close to a power plant or something…)
The extra vertebrae is labeled, “L-6” and the overlap AND damaged disc is between that one and the highest sacral vertebrae “S-1”
Your lumbar spine connects with your sacrum at your lower back…
This is causing a few problems… the nerves are being compromised, the muscles are being stretched …. Because the problem area is in my low back, sitting is painful.
Because it’s compressing nerves, I get odd pains and sensations in other places than right at the spine which is why it initially looked like a kidney stone.
The plan is to have me do physical therapy to stretch the muscles and solve that part of the problem. Because some nerves are compressed, it’s likely that the PT won’t solve all the problems… but we have to start with physical therapy to satisfy my health insurance company.
After attempting physical therapy, the next step is a referral to a neurosurgeon… not because it’s necessarily a surgical issue, but because it’s a nerve issue.
She prescribed lyrica – supposed to help with nerve pain.
This is something that won’t ever really go away… losing weight will help as it will lessen the load on my spine. Physical Therapy will help with the muscle spasms. But mostly… it will be something I live with.

it's whiny wednesday every day here lately!

Welcome to my weekly Whiny Wednesday post. I feel like all I've done for the past month is whine, so I'm not sure I'm due an official whiny day... but I'll give it a shot anyways!

I have a doctors appointment this morning before work. Most likely this will just be to review the findings from last weeks tests and get referrals to whomever treats this stuff. In my research I've found that people with the osteoarthritis issue are usually treated by a rheumatologist. Or... it could be an orthopedic doctor. Not sure. I know I have to do physical therapy. My insurance covers 50 visits a year for therapy. Soooo... there's that. I hate waiting to see the doctor and I especially dislike having a morning appointment because if they're running late, it bites into my time on the clock at work. At the end of the day, if they're running late then it's just cutting into my facebook time... dinner time... sleep time. Hopefully... it won't be too bad today.

Our sweet Holly - the newest staff member in my office - is also having back problems. She's had some serious back injuries in the past and has rods in her back. Yesterday in the shower she felt something pop in her lower back and couldn't stand up straight afterwards . She came to work anyways and toughed it out for most of the day but I could tell she was in a lot of pain... her cheeks were flushed all day. Holly is young... in her twenties... but like me, she's carrying more weight than she should. She's crazy active... climbs mountains, skis, does whatever she wants... but I know that, like me, the extra weight will slow her down at some point. I hated seeing her in pain yesterday.

By lunchtime yesterday I was in excruciating pain. I toughed it out (like Holly) for the whole day but my productivity and ability to think clearly is definitely impacted when I'm hurting like that. We've got to get this pain reigned in... I have to work full time - there's no other option. My problem is not serious enough to qualify for disability - nor would I WANT to go on disability. I'm waaaay too young for that. So we have to figure out a way for me to do the job I'm trained to do with as little pain as possible.

The other issue is that WHEN I work all day, I'm in so much pain by the end of the day that I am unable to do anything around the house... not that I was in the habit of rushing home and being Happy Homemaker. But, little things like needing to run errands and such... it's impossible by the end of a work day. I have been running errands on lunch but... that keeps me from resting on lunch and make the afternoons that much harder. It's frustrating... I'm sure we'll figure something out... but for now... this is no fun.

Yesterday I came home and found Austin in a panic... he can't find his cellphone charger. Great. He lasted three months with it... but has no idea where it is. I did NOT need another unexpected expense. I told him I'd price them today and hopefully it will be within my budget but otherwise - he'll have to wait until child support comes or until my payday. He's jonesing without his phone. I let him use mine last night but I'm reluctant to do that because he is so careless with things.

My beloved Purple Michael has some *special powers* and can sometimes picture where lost things are... I told Austin to call him and NOT tell him what was missing but just ask if he knows where something he lost could be. He didn't lead him to the cellphone charger but when Austin went to the location Michael told him, he found his missing house key. It cracked us up! Michael couldn't see the cellphone charger.

The best part was that I got to chat with Michael for a few minutes which ALWAYS makes me happy. I love him! His show opened last week... he's producing Gypsy in Chicago... the opening was delayed by one day due to the blizzard and there were a few things that weren't ready but they soldiered through. If nothing else, I told him, it will make for epic stories for years to come. One of the backdrops wasn't finished until RIGHT as it was needed opening night. It was hung so close to when it was needed that one of the stagehands got stuck ONSTAGE hiding behind it during the scene and had to just stay there!

We have a small snow event predicted for overnight... just an inch... and it will be in the 40's during the day tomorrow so it won't be much and it won't last long. Just enough, probably, to make me wonder and worry if I should drive to work first thing in the morning. It may be another partial day for us, depending on the road conditions.

I'm hoping/praying that I'll be able to go to bible study tonight. I miss my chicks in my hen party and I really need their love, encouragement, prayers. I miss my nieces... all half dozen of them, biological and adopted. I need their hugs. I need to do something more than work and nest. I just have been in such crippling pain by the end of the day that I don't know if I can hang until 8pm. We'll see...

No progress on weight loss this week. Discouraging. Eating completely on plan... just not losing.

The front coming thru is causing a barometric headache this morning.

My life insurance sales are not good this year. I've only sold one policy all year. That's my big money product... I need to sell a lot more. Of course, my co-workers are all in the same boat.

Pain drains you, you know? I could sleep around the clock. I'm glad to have to go to work because I think it keeps me from slipping into the abyss of depression... I have to keep my game face on and keep trying, even if it's not easy. The routine, even if it's painful, is crucial to my mental well being.

Ok... that's enough whining for the day. I'm gonna get off here, glam a bit and then get my day started...

Love and hugs, y'all!

Newsday Tuesday

I'm still trying to process the information I received yesterday regarding my back pain. I'm frustrated, to be quite honest, that I spent a week being treated for a kidney infection... another week trying to get someone to take the fact that I was in pain SERIOUSLY... another week being treated as if I had a kidney stone... and all the while was suffering from this osteoarthritis and degenerative disc problem. The bottom line is that if my doctor had listened to me at the first office visit, I could have been spared a lot of wasted time and misery.

I don't have all the information yet... I had a talk with the nurse at my regular doctor's office. I'm firing my regular doctor... but the person who had the wisdom to actually diagnose my issue as a spine problem, the nurse practicioner, I plan to continue to see her. It was HER nurse/assistant who called yesterday and said... "honey... you have some major issues with your back and we need to see you THIS WEEK"... I was scribbling furiously as she talked, trying to make sure I didn't miss what she was telling me. She faxed over the radiology report which helped... and I spent a lot of time googling words like "spondylolithesis" and "degenerative disc disease" and "osteoarthritis" and such.

The urologist visit was a whole new exercise in frustration for me. Sitting is painful. I figured that out at some point last week... that sitting was causing me great pain... so I go to the urologist's office and they left me sitting in their waiting room for an hour and fifteen minutes past my appointment time. I was literally in tears by the time they called me back.

The good news... no kidney stones. If there were any, they had passed by the time I had my CT scan. There is no blood in my urine (sorry if that's TMI) which was a great blessing because it was the first time in years that I haven't had blood. Instead of having to have the repeat cystoscopy that they wanted me to do a year ago ... and I put off... they want to wait three more years! Unless, of course, I start having problems. SO that was awesome... scratching that off of my stress list.

The bad news... a kidney stone would have - eventually - passed. What I have won't pass. And ... honestly... it's premature for me to start with the "what ifs" and "what could happens" because I don't have all the information yet. I got a copy of my CT scan - which agreed with what the spine xrays indicated - and they were read by two different radiologists so I feel like I've had two opinions on this - so far. It's premature to worry about what this means... but I can't help but worry and wonder.

It does sort of put together a lot of random pain that I've had on my left side for... I would guess about six months. The nurse in the doctors office said that what they diagnosed as pleurisy COULD have been caused by this spine issue. We know that what was diagnosed as kidney stones was most likely ONLY the spine issue. And when I had my annual gyn exam and described a pain on my left side to the doctor... she wondered if it wasn't diverticulitis, since at that time my mom was in the hospital with it (and I had shared that information with her). So there have been at least six doctor visits in the past year where I have complained of pain on my left side and... up until the last two visits, no one took me seriously.

The CT scan also showed an ovarian cyst, which is not a big deal. And some pelvic adhesions which are probably related to the same problem that caused me to have the endometrial ablation in 2008. Neither is a cause for concern at this point. They also confirmed, again, the granulomas in my lung. (ironically, also on the left side)

The urologist - who, of course, doesn't specialize in spine issues - said that my lower spine looks like what they would expect to see in someone 30 years older than me. The vertebrae are overlapping - the disc is degenerating - the nerves are compressed - things they don't normally see in someone my age unless there's been an accident of some sort. And... I mean... I've had a few falls over the years... I've been hit from behind in three different car accidents. But the research I've done (thank you, Dr. Google) shows that the osteoarthritis can sometimes JUST happen.

However, I feel somewhat like what I imagine a lifelong smoker would feel after receiving a lung cancer diagnosis. I did this to myself, to some degree. A life of being overweight has put stress on my back. I have forced my body to lug around an extra 100 pounds beyond what my frame was meant to handle. It's my own fault. And it's the best reason yet to make sure I lose weight and keep it off. Right now I'm under doctors order NOT to exercise but I have a referral to a physical therapist so I'll be able to learn how to exercise in such a way to keep my back as strong as possible. It will totally change HOW I exercise, because now I know that to have the best possible quality of life, I need to have strong core muscles to take the strain off of my spine.

So that's the news today. Keep me in your prayers. I am worried about the long term implications of this. I'm worried that the pain won't ever really go away. I'm so weary of this pain already... it's been 3 weeks since it started and now I wonder how long... how many doctors... how many prescriptions, tests, etc I will have to endure before / if it is resolved. I know God has a plan for my life and I have felt a sort of peace throughout this process that this is no surprise to God, but is just a revelation of the course my life was always supposed to take.

I know I'll be ok. Just a different kind of ok, once again, that what I expected.

Have a great day y'all!

quick update

I got one set of results back from the stuff they did on Friday. They found that I have "osteoarthritis in my spine… narrowing disk space with overlying vertebrae… degenerative changes including compression of some nerves". I have a follow-up with my regular doctor on Wednesday morning and they will probably order an MRI and refer me to a orthopedic doctor. This afternoon I’ll follow up with the urologist and get the CT scan results back. So… the good news is that it most likely isn’t a kidney stone causing the pain. The bad news is… it’s likely not a kidney stone causing the pain. Will update more later...

reasons to love Monday - a quickie...

I'm squeezing into my glam time as I have to gas up this morning AND have staff meeting at 8 AND have to do the full glam routine... but... here are a few reasons to love Monday this week:

1. there's no ice on the roads here
2. I'm feeling better than I have in a month
3. lunch is already made and packed and ready to go
4. there's a car in my driveway - it may need gas to get to work but at least I have wheels!
5. i slept great last night - missed the end of the super bowl but that's ok
6. austin set his alarm and woke up on his own, already
7. the coffee was awesome this morning... i had too much of it, will be a little jittery but I can deal with it, it was worth it
8. feeling thinner... haven't weighed yet but i think i'll be happy with the scale this morning. i hope.
9. i avoided the usual superbowl diet downfalls of guacamole, chips, soda, pizza, etc and instead had some healthy yummy stuff... pomegranate, tilapia, broccoli...
10. it's going to be a good day... it just is.
11. appt with the urologist today. get the results from the tests on Friday.

Hope you all have a Marvelous Monday!

Superbowl... halftime and beyond observations...

I kinda like the Blackeyed Peas. Sorta. I mean... "I got a feelin" is a catchy tune.
Glow in the dark body suits... hmmm... do you think that if they didn't have these kind of major productions they could charge less for tickets?
Slash. Hmmm. That's different. But I do like this Fergie version of Sweet Child of Mine.
"Let's get it started"... great choice for the occasion. I can see why they were chosen. I've enjoyed the show... so far... now here's Usher. Not a fan but that leap with a split was cool.
Overall... I would say that the halftime show wasn't horrible... but it wasn't memorable either.
Fergie seemed off key. Or something. Something wasn't right.
On facebook the reviews are completely bi-polar.
Starting the 3rd quarter... with a facemask penalty against Green Bay.
I think I want Green Bay to win.
The "let others go first"... carmax commercial was cute.
I always, always love the Etrade baby.
Ozzy and the Biebs in the Best Buy commercial... that's what you expect from a Superbowl commercial.
I have an odd craving for guacamole. Sort of like craving turkey at Thanksgiving. Superbowl begs for guac. Alas, I have none. AND... I'm out of WW points for the day.
Another injury... collision with cameraman.
Like a hot knife thru butter... Steelers touchdown! I told ya.
Cram cam... looks like my car... I mean, the stuff inside.
More violence... seems to be the theme of the night... poor "test baby"...
First living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. I do appreciate the underlying current of patriotism in the Super Bowl.
Score is now 21-17, Green Bay.... but the momentum is all Steelers right now.
And once again, let me say, I told ya!
I predict that the Steelers take the lead on this possession.
Kaleidoscope commercial is making me dizzy.
Have any of you done the Groupon thing? How does that work?
I must have missed Kim Kardashian's commercial. It was supposed to be in the second half.
Coke "open happiness" with two soldiers... um... Coke usually does better. I mean... these are the people who brought us, "I'd like to buy the world a coke..."
I forgot that i needed to fill my gas tank today. I'll have to do it BEFORE work tomorrow. Ugh.
LOVED the "customer service is not a thing of the past" Carmax commercial!
Ok, I was wrong... Steelers didn't score... missed a long field goal.
Eminem commercial was... yeah... not impressed... "this is the Motor City"... imported from Detroit. I guess that's touting the american made thing?
Another funny from twitter: Forget #Disney, if #Roethlisberger wins the #SuperBowl he's going to Delta Delta Delta!
I wonder if the cast members of the Office are for the Steelers since their show is set in Scranton, PA?
A little pushing and shoving on the last play... hmmm...
The official injury report lists four players who are out for the game... I told you it was rough.
I'm really bored with this half. And ready to go to bed.
Wouldn't it be cool if we could have a challenge flag for real life? If you disagreed with a decision that didn't go in your favor.... toss your little beanbag out there and make the powers that be look more carefully.
Tomorrow I go back to the urologist... and i feel almost certain they're going to tell me that my pain is not from kidney stones. Just a gut feeling (no pun intended). I just realized today that as long as I'm still and on heat, the pain is mostly controlled. A kidney stone wouldn't stop hurting, I don't think.
I loved the commercial with all the old tv shows... BEST commercial of the night, so far.
And....I'm sleepy... made it through three quarters... now I'm tucking myself in bed and gonna find my zzzzz.
G'night y'all.

Super Bowl Observations - first half

Jennifer Aniston threw a great long pass in the pregame.
The Obama/O'Reilly interview was a snooze-fest.
Christina Aguilera messed up the national anthem. Sad.
Why are both teams wearing the same color pants? They clash.
I had the munchies earlier so I ate a pomegranate. Takes a long time to eat.
I'm still undecided on who I want to win but ... I strongly dislike Ben Rothlisberger.
Why is it that the full face lumberjack beards are back in style? Yuck.
I've been mostly pain free today, up until time to cook dinner and then it wasn't too bad.
Breakfast was raisin bran, skim milk and a banana.
Lunch was cheese and crackers.
Dinner was broiled tilapia and blackened baby broccoli. The blackened broccoli was an accident.
Dog knocks down door for doritos. Mmm. Stupid.
Am I the only one who goes to bathroom during the game so that I don't miss the commercials?
The last time I can remember being at a Super Bowl Party was in 1998 when Atlanta was playing. We went to Hayden and Sheree Marlowe's house. I made fried chicken tenders.
Another notable Super Bowl party... at my friends Scott and Joy's in 1996... got a call from my "godsister" Tay that her daddy had passed away. I'll never forget how she told me... she said, "we're too young to be having this conversation" and I said, "what do you mean?" and she said, "Big Daddy just died". Tragic. He was much too young to go. My husband (the kids' father) was too drunk to be sympathetic... Scott was the one who consoled me. We've been good friends ever since.
Can't believe that was 15 years ago.
I've been eating red hots this weekend. Low points value but it breaks my "no sugar" rule.
3 stupid doritos commercials in a row. I may never buy them again, in protest.
Pepsi Max commercial... way too violent. And not funny.
I thought the reading of the Declaration of Independence in the pre-game show was awesome.
I'm getting better about taking phone calls... I had three calls this weekend and I answered once. I mean... if answering the phone was baseball, I'd be a productive batter.
When they do the aerial shots it reminds me of the electronic magnetic football game that my brother had when he was a kid... you flip the switch and the little players go gliding across the field.
I bet it stinks in the huddle.
Product placement budlight commercial = stupid.
The chevy silverado truck that made a joke of the "What's that Lassie? Timmy's in a well?" line... that was funny!
Did you know that at no time during the entire Lassie series was that line ever used?
Unlike that famous line from Scooby Doo, "And I would have succeeded had it not been for you meddling kids"...
Was that Ashton Kucher behind President and Mrs. Bush? Interesting.
Gag for Cameron Diaz feeding popcorn to Alex Rodriguez. *eyeroll*
The overhead light in my kitchen has burned out and I forgot to buy light bulbs.
Touchdown, Green Bay! They lead 7-0.
More Pepsi Max violence. Epic fail.
Doritoes bring grampa back to life?
So far our Super Bowl commercials have featured beer, tortilla chips and cars. Good times.
Interception... touch down Green Bay! GB leads 14-0
Why is it that manly men like football players don't mind getting patted on the rear end by their teammates and coaches? Can you imagine that in the normal workplace?
Bridgestone Tire commercial where the guy thinks he replied to all... sorta funny.
Go Daddy.com using Joan Rivers... ummm... no.
Orange kudzu... not a new commercial. I'm expecting all new...
I'm getting sleepy and we're only in the beginning of the second quarter. I've got to get out of this toddler bedtime I've had lately.
And the Steelers make a field goal to bring the score to 14-3 - still Packers lead.
"Hold me closer, tiny dancer" beer commercial is kinda funny.
"Dear Kim, your rack is unreal" ... Teleflora commerical... not really funny. Good try using Faith Hill, though.
John Travolta ... Ronnie Howard... lots of celebs at the Super Bowl.
From twitter: Cameron Diaz should know better than to feed ARod right now, everyone knows he chokes in big games.
I didn't understand the coke dragon commercial.
HA! That little Darth Vadar commercial was really cute... scored the first giggle of the night from me.
Snickers commercial... more violence... knocked Rosanne down with a log. Wasn't there a major uproar about Tim Tebow knocking his mother down last year?
Lots of movie previews... none of them that interest me, yet.
Ready to see Kim Kardashian's commercial.
Another interception for Green Bay... wassup, Ben? And... PS... that beard is creepy.
there's a sign that says, DC ... under the Green Bay defensive coordinator... and his initials are also DC. I'm not clear if the DC is meant to signal his job title or his initials.
Another Green Bay touchdown... 21-3.
I predict that the Steelers come back in the second half.
They just completed a pass for 37 yards. Told ya. I mean, it's still the first half, but I was right that the Steelers aren't going to just lay down and give it up.
Carmax "kid in a candy store" commercial... really cute.
Lots of injuries so far tonight... 3 people have left the game by my count.
A fourth player leaves.
Big pass to Hines Ward... Steelers have regained some momentum.
And again... first and goal. less than a minute in the first half.
Touchdown Steelers! Score is now 21-10.
I really like the Katy Perry song, "firework"... something about it is very catchy.
I also, shamefully, remembered how much I enjoy Britney Spears' music while watching her Glee episode yesterday.
AND another guy heads to the locker room with an injury. I think. May just be a team meeting. Maybe "Kim" from the Teleflora ad is in there. Who can say?
Austin's been a bit of a grouch today. He's roaming around trying to decide what to fix himself for dinner.
Kauffman tire with the talking nail... nope.
HALFTIME SHOW!!!!