Doctors and Memory of My Mom
Today was a follow up day with the eye doctor and my GP. Follow up for what you may ask. You have no reason to know as I have been silent for years. Let me catch you up on the happenings of the last few months.
Following about 4 years of inner thigh pain and what appeared to be muscle atrophy. My right leg would just collapse while I was trying to walk. The symptoms seemed to be similar to issues from 1985 when I had a ruptured disc, l4/l5. I set up an appointment with the spine specialist at my ortho clinic. He sent me to a pain specialist. After more x-rays, CT scans, shots, 12 weeks of physical therapy a decision was made. The pain was not improving and the issue was the hip joint. So back to the ortho group to the hip and knee specialist.
The hip doctor had replaced my left knee in 2016. Had worked with me on muscle and adductor issues. He even had done surgery on Hubby after his bicycle fall. We knew each other. The first words out of his mouth when he came into the exam room, "Your hip is a disaster! Oh, hi, its been a while since I saw you." The leg collapsing under me was the bone spurs catching on each other then giving away. Well, good to know. June 9, my hip was replaced.
That same day the elevator in our building died. We live on the fourth floor. I walked down to go to the hospital for the surgery. After surgery I was to return home the same day. I had to explain to the doctor and staff that to send me home meant my climbing 3 flights of steps. I was not prepared to do that no matter who was going to lift/help me up those steps. Nope, please, let me stay over night. They did and Medicare paid the bill. The elevator was out for over 2 weeks.
Cousin came to help with my care for the first 10 days. What a blessing. Hubby was in no shape to care for me at the level I needed. I will say that hip recovery is soooo much easier than knee recovery. I did all PT from home than released back to the same PT tech that had helped me before. All went great and now I can climb the steps to the 4th floor apartment!
Last spring I was 78 and the eye doctor had noted cataracts in both eyes about 4 -5 years before. We had been letting me wait till driving was a bit iffy to schedule the surgery to correct the issue. It was time in early 2025 but hip issues and surgery caused eye surgery to be postponed. Finally, August 19th the right eye was done. The was d left eye was done one week later. I chose not to pay extra for dual vision lens so reading glasses are used. Distance vision checked at 20/20. My vision was the best in decades.
Except for floaters. You know those irritating blobs of protein that float on the inside of your eyeballs. So hope you do not have to deal with those things. I even had developed a dark one in the left eye. It would float in from the side and look like something was stepping out in front of me while driving. With a hybrid that already is a problem as folks do not hear my car moving when in electric mode.
On the final day of my cataract surgeries I mentioned that I had heard there was a surgery to remove floaters. Yes, there is a surgery and the eye clinic has a surgeon on staff. In mid October I was given the all clear from cataract recovery. An appointment was set up with the floater surgeon for evaluation. It was December 3 before he was available.
Once Dr. Fisher, the floater surgeon, gave the go ahead January 8 surgery was scheduled. Arriving before 5 AM made for a short night's sleep. I was home with an eye patch by noon. In hand was a schedule for eye drops and the do's and don'ts for the next 3 weeks. Today was the follow up. All is good to go to schedule the right eye floatie removal. The left eye was and is so crystal clear. I can hardly wait.
So why a follow up visit with a second doctor today. Severe abdominal pain that radiated into my back sent me via ambulance to the ER. I was alone when the pain had me in its grips so I called 911. Basically an early diagnosis of a kidney infection changed to maybe bladder. I was admitted for 2 days for IV antibiotics and morphine shots to manage the pain. By the next day the diagnosis was no infection anywhere. The follow up today leaves us all puzzled. None of the commonly tested bacteria were detected in the cultures. All I know is I no longer have pain. Only one antibiotic pill left and I am done. "Just watch yourself!" sweet Dr. Daniel said.
One last thought on this January 28. This is the anniversary of the morning in 2015 following a night I spent at my Mom's bedside. She begged me to make the nurses quit hurting her by putting clean bandages on her sizeable bedsore. "Jannie, make them stop!" That was about 3 AM Those were the last words I remember her saying to me. Around 6 AM I stepped out of the room for a bit of a break. When I returned, her soul had left her body. The night before she had angrily said, "In the morning I'm gonna standup and walk out of this place." As with everything Momma did through out her life, she stood by her word. She was 96 years 4 months and 17 days old. Her life is covered more here.
So there you have it. Some of the not so fun things over the last year and a memory of my Mother, Mary Helen Rogers.
Y'all stay safe and warm,
Janice
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for stopping by this bit of nothing. Would enjoy any comments you might have. Blessings