Update:
Last Friday,
I had a five hour surgery to repair my kidney-ureter junction. The doctor said that my surgery went
well. I was told that normally people
have one blood vessel that runs past that junction. That one blood vessel can cause problems like
mine if it kinks or blocks the ureter.
Normal people have one blood vessel.
The doctor told me that I had a total of three! Obviously that makes me special and
unique! The doctor was able to untangle
my kidney from the mess without cutting the ureter. It sounded like trying to untangle fishing
line that has gotten all balled up. In
the end everything turned out well although I spent five hours under anesthesia
and an additional three hours in recovery.
I was discharged from the hospital on Sunday afternoon. I have five ½ to ¾ inch holes in my abdomen along
with one additional smaller hole from the drain tube. I told my doctor that the incisions reminded
me of bullet holes. So I guess I got in
a gun fight somehow while I was sleeping!
I deeply appreciate the nursing care that I received at the hospital:
Abbie, Emily, Kelley and Brystal were awesome!
Since my
surgery, every time I urinate, I get an extremely intense stabbing pain in my back
(right kidney). As the days go by it is
slowly reducing in intensity. It still
takes my breath away and I cannot help but cry out in pain. My doctor said that if I urinate every hour
that would help reduce the pain until I heal.
So as you can imagine, I am frequently in the bathroom. It helps some, but at night I only go every
two hours, so that really hurts! I’m
praying that the pain will quickly disappear.
I’ve also
developed another urinary tract infection (or maybe I never got rid of the
first one completely). The medication
seems to be making a difference. For the
first few days, I had uncontrollable shakes and hot/cold flashes. Glad that has subsided.
I’ve got my
first check up with the Urologist on June 29th and on July 20th
he is supposed to remove the temporary stent assuming that I have healed enough
from the surgery.
I’ve been
trying to get a wheelchair from my insurance company since January. The chair I’ve been using has been borrowed
and I need to return it. I think that
the insurance company may have finally explained why they have been blocking my
chair. I have ANOTHER wheelchair evaluation
scheduled from a company they approve next Wednesday. Typically it is still a two month wait for
the chair after it’s ordered, so it will have been at least an eight month wait
going back and forth, and back and forth with the insurance company. I feel kind of sorry for the insurance
company because they have paid out WAY MORE than I have paid in over the last
couple of years. But, c’mon, do you have to make it so difficult over what is comparably
some “nickel and dime” item?
Next Monday
(6/22), I’ve got an eye treatment scheduled.
That will be my first time out of the house since the surgery. I hope that I am up for it. Right now I am restricted from driving and
lifting anything over ten pounds. What a
joke! I couldn’t do those things even if
I had the energy and desire to try.
On July 6th
I had an appointment with my surgeon to discuss options for the surgery that I
need on my residual limb to remove the hypersensitive neuroma that has caused
me to stop wearing my prosthesis. Even
the slightest touch sends waves of pain through my leg. I am considering having an alternative form
of surgery done that seems like it would improve the odds of me not having
another neuroma develop and enjoy a greater use of my leg. I need wisdom on this. On one hand, the standard surgery would be
relatively simple and the recovery time would be shorter, but the likelihood of
reoccurrence is higher. On the other
hand, the alternative surgery is more complex, has a longer recovery time, but appears
to have a greater likelihood of giving me a more permanent solution. There are no guarantees either way. Whatever surgery route that I pick won’t
happen until July or August at the earliest depending upon the surgeon’s schedule
and when I have recovered well enough to endure another potentially long
surgery.
I appreciate
your continued prayers for my well-being and recovery.
My daughter,
Ruth, is coming home for the weekend, so all the kids should be here for lunch
on Father’s Day. I think that Ruth is
cooking a special meal which works out well since I am not feeling well enough to
go out to lunch. I’m looking forward to
that; nothing that I want more for Father’s Day than having all my children gathered
here together with me.
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