Update:
Wheelchair: I finally received my new wheelchair
today! My old one was loaned to me by a
family member and it was old and I wore it out.
It has taken a long time to get approval from my insurance company for
the chair. I started this process in December 2014. I will say that other than for this item, my
insurance company has been fairly easy to work with and has treated me well. I think that part of the problem in getting
their approval for this is that they had already purchased a prosthetic limb
for me, so why did I need a wheelchair too?
Because of other medical issues, I am not supposed to hop, use crutches
or a walker, so if my leg is off, I need a wheelchair. I’ve had trouble wearing my prosthesis
because of a hypersensitive nerve, so I’ve been in the wheelchair a lot since
the first of the year and in it full-time since March/April. Even before the nerve issue, I used my chair
every morning and evening around the house.
My amputated leg is taking a lot longer to grow back than I thought it
would J
(smiley face), so I think I will be using a chair for the rest of my life.
I basically got an identical version of my old chair except that my new
chair has improved back support. I think
that part of my on-going back problem has been because of spending too much
time in the old chair which had a standard back which offers no real support to
the lower back. My new chair has
adjustable tension in the back which helps my posture while sitting in the
chair and feels so good! One of the
reasons I got an identical chair is because I’m used to my current model and I
knew that I could maintain my independence with it. I’m able to wheel myself up and down the ramp
to my house and load the wheelchair in the truck by myself even without a
prosthetic limb. Anyway, I couldn’t be
happier with my new wheels.
My daughter, Ruth, and her husband were out at Yellowstone National
Park with his family recently. She got
me a patch to sew on the back of my wheelchair.
It’s a highway warning sign that says “Grizzly Bear Crossing.” My family’s nickname for me is ‘The Great
Bear’ (TGB for short), so this is a very appropriate way to customize my new
wheels! I love it!
Back Pain/Sciatic Pain: This past Monday (8/10), I received another
steroid injection in four facet joints in my lower back. The last time I had this done, I was
basically pain free in my back for over six weeks. I’m hoping to get the same kind of results
from this treatment. It takes up to a
week for the steroids to fully kick in; but I’ve already noticed a decrease in
back pain. YES!!! I’m hoping that I can severely reduce the
amount of pain medication that I am currently taking to be able to sleep at
night. Unfortunately, the injections are
not very effective for my sciatic nerve pain.
The last time it dulled the pain at least, which helped. I’ll take
whatever relief I can get. When I sit
for too long, I get a strong, intense pain in my left posterior. It feels like I am sitting on a walnut (or
something similar) that is putting pressure on the leg bone. Obviously that isn’t very comfortable and I
can only endure it for so long.
Fortunately moving to the recliner or lying in bed reduces the
pain. So if I can wiggle and re-arrange
it’s not so bad. The amount of time that
I can sit without pain varies, but usually I start feeling it after only about
30 minutes and the longer I sit, the stronger the pain becomes. I’ve also
been going to physical therapy for several weeks. That along with the stretching exercises she
prescribed seems to be helping as well.
Hopefully the sciatic pain can be minimized as well as the back
pain. Unfortunately, according to the pain
clinic doctor, steroid injections work well on back pain but are minimally
effective on sciatic pain. I’m not
certain what can help the sciatic nerve pain.
Referral to Rochester: And then there is the hypersensitive nerve in
the end of my residual limb. With me, if it is not one thing, it’s another!!! I am not able wear my prosthesis because of
the intense pain that it produces. My
medical team here in Eau Claire is referring me to the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, MN for evaluation. Hopefully
they can come up with some solution that will get me walking again. Rochester is about 2 ½ hour drive from my
home. My first evaluation is scheduled
for early morning next Tuesday (8/18).
My medical team here has run out of ideas, nothing we’ve tried has
helped, the pain just continued to intensify over time. The last time I tried to put on my
prosthesis, I couldn’t even force myself to stand up and put any weight on the
leg because the pain was so bad. I am
supposed to bring my prosthesis with me to the appointment in Rochester—I am
NOT looking forward to donning my leg so they can see what is happening. My team here suggested that I might be stuck
in the wheelchair for up to a year while the bruised nerve heals. I really am hoping for some simple solution that
can get me walking again soon. The odds
probably aren’t in my favor that a quick and easy solution is available,
otherwise my medical team here would have suggested it; but I’m praying that
these guys know something that my hometown guys don’t! I am also apprehensive about the long drive
over to Rochester because on most days the 10-15 minute drive to Eau Claire
sets off the sciatic nerve pain. This 2½
hour drive may be more than I can take.
Once again, I am using the word, HOPEFULLY. Hopefully, I can enjoy the drive over with my
wife and I can enjoy the scenery and the time together without major sciatic
pain. The timing of the facet injection
I just had is perfect if it is going to give me any relief.
Getting Active Again: Overall I have enjoyed the last couple of
weeks because I was able to resume going to the gym to workout. I’ve been lifting weights three times per
week and swimming laps once per week.
Surprisingly, the swimming has caused me the most back pain. Since it isn’t load bearing I would have
assumed that swimming would be a pain-free form of exercise. However that hasn’t been the case. Maybe with this facet injection, swimming
won’t hurt the back as much now. Being
in the wheelchair at the gym does have its challenges. Many of the machines are set close together. Some rows are narrower than others and I
cannot get my wheelchair down it. I have
to plan my route to squeeze my chair up next to the machine I want. Sometimes the next machine I want is only 2
or 3 places down the row, but I have to circle all the way around the room to
find a path wide enough for my chair to fit through to get to it. I get a workout just getting to the machines
to work out! At the end of my session,
I’m tired and sweaty, my muscles are worn out, and it feels good to be active! There is real satisfaction in getting a good
workout in! I know it is good for my
physically; but it is GREAT for me mentally!
I get out of the house and I am challenged to work hard! I am very grateful for my gym membership and
the freedom I have to go do that on my own.
It would be much harder on me mentally to be stuck at home doing
nothing. I do wish I was able to get out
and walk and ride my bicycle during this beautiful summer we are having; but I
am content being able to do what I am doing.
I’ve been able to resume limited grocery shopping and other errands as
well. Being able to drive myself to some
of my medical appointments is helpful as well.
Thought for the Day:
At church last Sunday, the pastor preached
from the Old Testament book of Exodus about Israel wandering in the wilderness
for forty years. It was a time of
testing and character development for the nation. They had some hard lessons to learn about
patience, trust, and obedience.
Unfortunately, they often failed the test. They lost faith in God and in His
provision. They grumbled and they
complained because things weren’t perfect and as easy as they wished they
were. They lost sight of the future hope
and goal; instead they kept looking back to “the good old days” of slavery which
weren’t really all that good! It was
amazing how short their memory was.
Sometimes within a day or two of seeing God miraculously supply their
needs, they would be back to grumbling and complaining about some need they
had. They often took their anger and
frustration out on their leader, Moses, blaming him for every little thing that
went wrong. I understand that not
having water to drink or food to eat in the desert is a very serious issue; but
all they needed to do was turn to God in prayer. It should have been pretty obvious by now
that God was more than able to provide for them in the midst of the current
crisis; but inevitably they developed a bad attitude. They grumbled. They complained. They were mean to Moses who was doing
everything he could to serve them. But
they didn’t see it that way. Things
weren’t going as smoothly as they wanted.
Their every need wasn’t met BEFORE they realized that they had a need. They accused Moses of being a terrible leader
and insisted that they were better off before Moses rescued them from
slavery! They became ‘drama queens’
where everything was worse than it truly was.
“Their lives were over. They were
going to die. There was no hope of
rescue. Everything was worse than it had
ever been before.” Boy, talk about being
extremely near-sighted!
Yes, their problems were real.
But the problem they fixated upon really wasn’t the problem. Their problem was their attitude about what
was going on. Their problem was lack of
faith and trust in God. Their problem
was always looking for someone to blame.
Their attitude made a difficult or uncomfortable position impossible.
At the end of the service, I leaned over to my wife and said, “I hope I
am not going to be lost in the wilderness of Mayo (the health system where I
get care) for the next 40 years!” I was
thinking about the struggle it’s been trying to find answers to my on-going
health issues. She was thinking about a
different facet and said, “Your attitude through all of this has been excellent. You very rarely complain and whine.” That made me feel good to know that is how
she saw my response to my life for the last couple of years, although I know that
sometimes, internally my attitude wasn’t as good and I’ve had to work at it.
I don’t know what trials and testing you are undergoing; but I do know
that you cannot lose hope. You have to
continue to trust in God. Respond in
faith rather than in grumbling, complaining, and blaming others. We need to act like we are faithful believers
rather than those who have no hope in God.
Yeah, the path you’re on might be dark and scary. It may seem like the world is falling apart
all around you. But if you’ve got God by
your side, you’re never really alone and without the resources that you truly
need. Instead of railing against and
complaining about your boss and your work situation, calmly turn it all over to
God. Continue to trust in Him while you
do your job to the best of your ability, giving honor to those in authority
over you because God’s word commands us to be those kinds of people. If you think about it, all too often we live
as if we are functional atheists instead of believers in God Almighty. No matter what trial and testing you are
facing: trust, obey, and faithfully look to God.
