Pain clinic again

My daughter wrote and asked me how it went today. It went okay. But after the bad omen of the caring being dead when I went out this a.m. and thinking I was going to have to cancel the TENS meeting, my dear husband was able to get the car started in a few minutes, so I was on my way. Yippee!

I saw the nurse practitioner and received the TENS unit along with instruction and was told to take it slow at the beginning so I didn’t get too sore from it. So, I’m obeying that command. There’s one thing I don’t need is more pain.

But pain I’ve got. I had to get an MRI shortly after that meeting. The MRI was in a “open” MRI – not as confined as the usual one -- but not the stand-up one. It was a lay down one and I was able to move my arms minimally and my head as much as I wanted. My right arm fell asleep which was uncomfortable, but I made it through the rest of the time without incident. I checked before entering the room, though, and there were two assistants, so I wasn't worried about being stuck in the machine. Also, I figured it looked pretty big, even for me, and I would be able to worm myself out of it if I needed to.

So, the time in the MRI was 1-1/2 hours and it went okay until about the last 20 minutes, then the pain in my whole body was not good, and I knew it. I should have called for them to stop and pick up again -- Alan does that all the time -- but I didn't and the nurse nearly had to get a crane to get me off the table -- just kidding, but she did have to hoist me up, and then I stumbled out of the facility to the car, praying that it would start again. All I wanted to do was get home -- well, almost, all I wanted to do was get home.

You see, I was near a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop over in Anderson Township, OH, called Izzy's, and I couldn't resist stopping and getting a corned-beef on rye with sour kraut and extra pickles to take home. It comes with the most delicious potato pancake ever. More than my allotted amount of calories for the day, but I didn't care. It was ten steps into the shop and ten steps back to the car. I made it, with my sandwich in tow. Of course, not being to agile yet, I dropped the bag twice in those ten steps. Did I feel like a dork or what? But I got it home safe and sound and enjoyed it so much. I didn't forget Alan, I got him one also.

After lunch I read all the stuff on the TENS unit, attached it to my knee, and let it work for the minimum amount of time, as instructed by the CPN. I haven’t used it on my back yet, and I will do that tonight before I go to bed. Alan has to hook it up for me, because while I can still bend over and place my palms flat on the floor, I can't bed over backwards and attached electrodes to my middle back.

I felt pretty sleepy after lunch and the TENS unit treatment, so I laid down. My body locked up, and Alan had to pry me off the bed. I know as soon as I get running around the house -- joke there -- I'll feel better.

Alan and I talked and decided that I am not going to have any epidurals until we find out if the TENS unit works. I am also using a lydocane patch, which has worked really well on the back pain, I think. So, if that works, I'm not going to go through the trouble of getting a shot in my spine, thank you very much. I may have to persuade the doctor around to my thinking, but I will just walk out if he doesn't agree with me. I mean he can wait a month, right? I'll give all the other methods of pain reduction a month. If they don't work, I'll go for the big bang.


Hopefully tomorrow I’ll see some improvement in the knee. The nurse practitioner told me to get a full knee brace and told me a company that I can order from on-line to do that. Medicare pays for it. So, I’m going to do that. She said that the pressure on my knee not moving from side to side will help with the pain. Well, duh. I keep my knee stiff most of the time anyway because bending it hurts to bad.

That’s how things went today. It’s 7:45 pm and Alan is hungry. Time to MOVE on with the day.

I apologize if this is convoluted, unintelligible, or not making any sense. I'll do better tomorrow.

ttfn