Days 37 thru 41

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but I've had a miserable week. I'm working FT hours, part of those in the office, and it's been really rough. The musculoskeletal pain I had before my surgery is back and worse than ever, and I'm really suffering. I hate taking things like pain medication, but believe at this point I need something a lot stronger than what I have to get me through the next few weeks until I can get the IVC filter removed.

Based on my research, the filter is placed in an area where the blood goes from the heart to the legs, which I'm hoping explains why my leg pain is worse than it's ever been. I'm really just beside myself, as the pain is nothing short of torture and nothing provides any relief at this point. If I could just sleep away the days between now and Feb. 13 I would, but unfortunately I have to find the strength somewhere to get through this obstacle and not completely lose my mind. :-)

On a positive note, I did see a new primary care physician yesterday. I have to have pre-admission testing done before the filter removal, which means I could go through the same roadblock I did before my surgery - a low platelet count. I'm going to have the blood work done on Monday, so that will hopefully give me time to raise the count if needed without having to push the procedure back. I liked the PCP, though I'm sure I overwhelmed her with my history and situation. The nursing staff was unbelievably friendly, which made up for the fact that the office was older and smelled a bit like a nursing home. Of course the true test will be how I'm treated if there are problems with my pre-admission testing and how its handled. I'm hoping for the best.

Besides the horrible leg pain, my back is doing better. At first I was finding it really hard to spend more than a couple of hours in my chair at work without the back pain increasing, but yesterday I didn't have any problems. The biggest issue is my right hip. While I thought that issue had been cleared up, the driving and sitting at work has aggravated it again. At least with that I can put ice on it or sit in the recliner and after awhile it goes away. If only there was something I could do with the leg pain that would be that easy of a cure!

Before I go, on a side note Brad's mom was transferred from a Des Moines hospital to a nursing home in Anita this past Monday, which is only seven miles from Adair - her home town. She is continuing the dialysis treatments and responding well. Brad's sister and family were there for a visit this past week, and now his brother and family are there for two weeks. Brad's mom indicated that she wants to continue the dialysis next week; at this point things are just being determined week by week.