I'm writing this half awake, but will try to be short and coherent. I went to Baltimore yesterday, ended up driving. It just didn't make sense to spend so much money to fly there and rent a car, and I do usually enjoy driving if the pain is manageable. The appointment was at 2pm, so I didn't have to leave early to get there on time.
The surgeon was late seeing me - almost two hours late, which I'm used to here in Cleveland but not with him. Busy day. We only spent about 10 minutes together, but we went through the newest x-rays and in terms of L5/S1, everything is perfect. Bone has grown in perfectly, the alignment is perfect and the other discs above it are all still aligned (which can be a concern with fusion, I guess). The surgeon agreed with me to stop attending physical therapy and to just do my own routine, which I was happy with. I know what I can and cannot do, and we have a health center about 10 minutes from here that we've belonged to in the past that I'll just start using again. He stated that based on the condition he found all of the old hardware in my back, it had appeared to be pressing on several nerves and said it would take time for those nerves to heal. We discussed my most recent blood results and he agreed that a rhuematologist was a logical path to follow. If I can't find a good one here, then he offered to hook me up with one there. Obviously a Cleveland doctor would be more convenient, and I just happened to receive an email from a friend of mine today about a good guy to see (thank you, Donna!).
In regards to how I am doing compared to others in my position, I guess I am ahead of the pack. The surgeon thought I was doing amazing for a 6-month followup, but when I reminded him it wasn't quite 5-months yet he said "even more amazing." He asked if I had returned to work, and reminded him that I had returned back in January, which once again he was impressed with, along with the fact that I drove there and back. He gave me a rating of a "5 out of 5" and said he'd like to see me in December to see where I'm at a year after the surgery. Was told I should still expect pain from the nerve damage and from the other mysterious symptoms I'm experiencing, so I should continue to take medications as needed.
I stayed at the hospital for about 30 minutes after the appointment to get online and do a few work things that I couldn't do from my phone, then got back in the car and headed home. I was going to try a new route through Pennsylvania since I-76 was just all construction (with little activity, at least driving to Maryland; there was more activity in the evening), but in Harrisburg I missed my chance and ended up going the same way home. With the hills and mountains it's a tough state to drive through, as there are very few roads that head northwest/southeast (most head northeast/southwest), and very few main roads in general. Construction and all of the cops they have on the road make it a tough state to navigate through, and I'm surprised I didn't get a ticket for something along the way. There are so many places where they have the speed limit down to 40 mph for no reason - I think - other than to make it a speed trap. I got to spend about three hours on the phone with a friend of mine I hadn't spoken to in a long time which certainly helped the trip (thank you Moe!), but arrived home at 11:45pm very sore and very awake. I think I finally fell asleep around 3am, then woke up around 10:30 as I had a few things for work to do at home before noon. I don' know why I'm so tired, but I am. I have a feeling I'll be taking an afternoon nap.
So I survived the trip ok. I need to get ready for the day and head over to my primary care office to pick up an order for blood work #2; they are going to test the platelet count again. I'm a bit worried it will be lower (don't ask me why, it's not like my brain can tell), but there's nothing I can do about it this weekend. Brad starts a one-week intensive class tomorrow that lasts a week, so I'll hardly see him this upcoming week. After this class he'll only have one more left before he's done with his MBA, so we're both happy about that. Our summer is pretty free, and hopefully I can get some sort of diagnosis/treatment that will allow me to do some traveling and enjoy life.
Thank you all out there for the well wishes. I hope you all are having a great week, and have a great Mother's Day weekend to all you mom's out there. To my mom and Grandma Grimm, I want to give a special shout-out, as I would not be who I am without these two great ladies. I really lucked out in the family department.
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