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May 28, 2011
The Past Nine Months
Well, let’s see now, I have mentioned that I injured my back in August of 2010. Injured, is an understatement I guess. I woke up one Saturday morning in tremendous pain, and thought that I had damaged my artificial hip while at work the previous week.
This was not the case though. I had actually ruptured two disks in my lower back at the L4, L5 and L5, S1 junctions.
The disk at the L4, L5 junction was ruptured in such a way that it was protruding against my spinal cord, compressing it considerably. It was also pressing on the Sciatic Nerve, causing excruciating pain down my entire right leg and foot.
However, I would not find out the cause of my pain yet for another 4 – 6 weeks, because the insurance company that was handling the workman’s compensation claim would not approve of an MRI to validate the doctor’s prognosis. Meanwhile, my right leg and foot felt like they had been pressed through a meat grinder.
The pain was so intense that I had to go to the emergency room, where I received multiple injections of morphine to stabilize the pain. This was only just the start. They gave me a prescription for Oxycodone, a fairly strong pain reliever, but two days later I found myself in the back in the E.R. receiving morphine injections again, and another prescription for more pain reliever. This was only just the start though.
I was out of my head with pain, and barely coherent, for an entire month. I was taking upwards of 25 or more pain pills each day. I also took muscle relaxers to aid in the pain relief. I took anything that I could find around the house; just to be able to tolerate the pain. Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, whatever the hospital and doctors would give me. The pain was absolutely like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. Years ago, I once had to walk, and work, for 12 years on a dead hip joint, and I can tell you… I know a lot about pain, real intense pain.
What is a DVT?
During that month I could not walk. I was confined to my recliner, or my bed, and had to use crutches to get to the bathroom. After several weeks I was given a Methadone Dose Pac to try. This appeared to help a lot with the pain in my leg, and I started to try and walk again. I soon realized that I had lost the feeling in my right foot, as well as partial control of my right leg. I still could not walk and now was starting to feel the pain in my back, which had been absent until now.
Then one Sunday evening, I realized that my right foot was turning blue. My wife took me back to the E.R. where they x-rayed my foot and ankle. I could not feel my foot anymore, so I was afraid that I had broken my ankle while trying to walk. The x-rays came back negative, but my foot was blue. That’s when they used ultra-sound to analyze my leg and found a DVT. A blood clot had formed in my leg, and was blocking the blood from returning to my heart. I did say that this is only the beginning, right?
Blood Thinners and Lovenox injections
My entire future was now and forever changed. I stayed in the hospital for four days, during which time my new doctor demanded an MRI to determine the cause of the DVT. Now the prognosis regarding the damage in my spine was confirmed. Before release, I was instructed on how to self-administer Lovenox injections. Don’t ask me how to explain what Lovenox is or what it does, I only know that it is used to bridge the blood’s adaptation to, and from, blood thinners. I will now have to take Warfarin, a blood thinner, for the rest of my life. Before I can undergo any kind of surgery or dental work, anything that might cause me to bleed, I must come off of the Warfarin, so that I do not bleed to death during the procedure.
During these times, coming off of the Warfarin, I must take the Lovenox injections, both while coming off of the medication as well as when starting back on it. Lovenox injections must be administered in the tummy area, below and around the belly button, and they leave really nasty bruises. Two injections per day, for several days to a week, before and after whatever procedure I’m going to have, leads up to a lot of bruising around a person’s belly.
48 years old and starting College
Let’s speed this up a bit. Several doctors suggested that I re-train for another career. I sought out Financial Assistance and Vocational Rehabilitation services and was able to enroll in college full time. I was still extremely limited in my ability to get around, so I started my first semester with online courses. Just before Mid-Terms, I underwent surgery on my back where the two damaged disks were removed, and the three remaining vertebra were fused together.
I received 5 Pedicle Screws and two Titanium Rods to support my spine during the fusion process.
During this whole time I was still taking massive amounts of medication for pain, especially during the first two weeks after the surgery.
This made studying somewhat difficult, and I flunked my Algebra final. I was however, holding a high enough grade to survive the class with a C for a final grade. I am so excited about having returned to school, and it feels absolutely great to have completed the first semester too.
I took pain meds for 7 months before, and 5 weeks after my first surgery, but as of April 22 of 2011 I have been free of any and all medications for pain, and that alone feels great. I am not without pain, but what pain I do have, I can manage on my own without drugs. Walking is still somewhat difficult though.
It has been 9 months since the start of this ordeal. I have finished my first semester of classes and am enrolled for another class in the summer, as well as 5 classes in the fall semester. I have started experiencing trouble with the hardware in my back, causing cracking, clicking and/or squeaking sounds that are audible, even to my wife when she’s standing near me, so I’m scheduled for another surgery on June 3rd 2011 to repair whatever is going on back there. I hope that I will have recovered enough to take my summer class, which is 2 hours a day, four days a week, on campus. Most of my fall studies will also be on campus too. Oh yea, I’ve been back on the Lovenox injections now for 8 days, and my belly is just nasty looking.
The work is piling up in the shop
My wife’s kitchen cabinet doors are lying on one workbench, and her motorcycle has been broke-down since last fall. I need to service all of our vehicles and the gardening is way behind. I haven’t worked in the shop since August last year, and I have much work to do. I can’t wait to get out there. My surgeon did say that my back was healing very well and that I could do almost anything I wanted until my surgery date… maybe I’ll just venture out there and take a look at the wife’s bike. She’s been really itching to ride. I don't blame her either, I am too!
To be continued: