Health update

 

This is an "omnibus post" to draw together threads from various earlier report-backs and clarify the situation for those interested.  If you don't want to know, that's OK.  Go read the bloggers in the sidebar.

Regular readers will know that for the past three years or so, I've been battling some very debilitating medical issues.  One was resolved (after five hospital procedures) with the removal of my right kidney last year.  The remaining kidney seems to be working just fine, for which I'm duly grateful!

The other problem is proving much, much more difficult to resolve.  Briefly, more than 22 years ago I suffered an injury to my spine.  A discectomy didn't work, so the vertebrae involved had to be fused.  Unfortunately, the injury (aggravated by almost half a year's delay in getting initial surgery, thanks to bureaucratic fumbling) resulted in permanent damage to my left sciatic nerve.  Since then, I've had limited mobility (sometimes very limited) and been in pain 24/7/365.  I've mostly kept it under control through some pretty strong pain medication, but that doesn't always work.  I've learned to grit my teeth through the bad days, and carry on regardless.

About three years ago I became aware of a steady increase in pain levels in my lower back, and more frequent difficulties with nerve pain in my left leg.  Over the past couple of years I've undergone multiple CT scans, neurological examinations and other tests, but could never get doctors to agree on precisely what the problem was and/or what should be done (particularly whether a given procedure would solve all my problems, or require other procedures to deal with some of them).  Eventually, in sheer frustration, a couple of months ago I asked for my case to be referred to a top neurosurgeon in Dallas, to ask for his opinion.

Well . . . I've received his opinion, and I don't like it (not that complaining helps - it's about as much use as farting against thunder).  Basically, he says that yes, several of my lumbar vertebrae need attention.  However, since the exact issues affecting my pain, mobility, etc. can't be accurately determined, the vertebrae involved should not be fused until that is known, because surgery could not be guaranteed to fix things.  Lacking such certainty, other treatment options should be pursued.

All right, then.  We move on to dealing with the symptoms until such time as we can more precisely define the cause.  I've been consulting a pain management specialist for some months, and will discuss the neurosurgeon's opinion and future options with him on Friday.  I don't want to increase my present dosage of (opioid) pain medication, but I may not have much choice in the matter in the short term.

There are three problems needing to be fixed, or at least alleviated.

1. The damaged nerve in my left leg, and its root in the (compressed) spinal cord, are affecting my balance to an ever greater extent.  I've always been slightly unsteady on my feet since my injury, but over the past couple of years this has gotten worse.  I now have to use a walking stick to cover anything other than short distances, in case the nerve "shorts out" for a second or two and dumps me on the ground.  Thank heavens for shopping carts - without them, I couldn't walk around a supermarket for long.  I've had a couple of bad falls, most recently just last week, where I had to call for help to get up again.  When your left leg and hip has turned into a useless meat deadweight and won't respond to your nerve signals at all, it makes life rather tricky!  Still, I won't complain too much about it.  There are people who've suffered the same injury I did who never walked again.  Compared to them, I'm well off.  If worse comes to worst, I guess I may have to look at a mobility scooter or something like that, although I really don't want to use one.
2. The balance issues appear to be conflicting with pain management.  I've been wearing a back brace for several months while walking, which does alleviate some of the pain and helps me stay on my feet longer (and lift things more easily when that becomes necessary).  However, the more often (and longer) I wear the back brace, the less steady my gait becomes and the easier it is to lose my balance.  When I think about it, it was compression of the nerve in the first place (during my original injury) that caused my ongoing problems, so it's perhaps logical that adding additional compression via a back brace may aggravate things.  A neurological Catch-22, perhaps? That will be a topic for discussion with the pain management specialist on Friday.
3. Some of the newer treatments (for example, caudal epidural steroid injections - of which I've had two so far (ouch!) - and, potentially, radiofrequency ablation for pain management, which is a convoluted medical term meaning they cauterize nerve endings) have side effects that can cause and/or aggravate other problems.  (For example, hope and pray they cauterize the right nerve(s), because there's no coming back from that if they don't!)  If I'm to continue with such methods, I need to understand precisely what's involved, and decide whether the promised benefits are worth the almost inevitable downsides.  On the other hand, what (if any) are the alternatives?

Financially, we're coping.  In case you missed earlier posts on this subject, I've had to argue ad nauseam with bureaucrats in both workers comp (for my original injury) and a medical insurer (for current problems).  Neither wants to pay, seeking instead to pin the responsibility for the situation on the other.  Meanwhile, since we can't wait for them to sort out their turf wars, we've had to pay our own way up front.  We hope to recover at least some of that money from one or the other agency in due course.  Thanks to reader generosity during my fundraiser last year (and a few who've continued that support since then - shout out to C. in particular!), plus our savings, plus a second mortgage on our home, we've been able to cope with the bills racked up so far (several tens of thousands of dollars).  We remain deeply grateful for your help and support, without which our lives would be a whole lot more complicated right now.

Anyway, that's the state of my health so far.  Thank you again to everyone who's supported us, and inquired after my health, and sent up prayers for us.  All are greatly appreciated.

Peter

Adventures with medicine, part XVIII and counting...

 

Regular readers will recall my misadventures with medical bureaucracy in May, and the follow-up (mis)adventures last month.  Yesterday, Tuesday, most of the results came together, with moderately satisfactory results and a certain amount of pain.

My new CT scan images and analysis were ready, and my pain management specialist (who made the necessary arrangements for them) discussed them with me.  There appears to be more going on "over my head" than I'd been made aware . . . it appears possible that the original surgery, twenty-two years ago, might have been - how shall I put this? - sub-standard.  Nobody used the word "malpractice" - perish the thought!  After all, given the passage of time, that probably couldn't be proved.  Nevertheless, it may be one of the reasons why two neurosurgeons, a neurologist and an orthopedic surgeon had all been noticeably reluctant to commit themselves to a potential solution to my problems.  Armed with this (strictly unofficial and off-the-record) information, I'm now in a position to ask very blunt, pointed, direct questions when I see the new neurosurgeon, and apparently he's one of the few doctors who's willing to answer such questions appropriately.  The next couple of months should be interesting . . .

That said, I had my second caudal epidural injection yesterday morning.  The first one (in March) gave me 2+ months of moderate pain relief, so I'm hoping the second one will be at least as useful.  That, plus wearing a back brace for all walking and driving, will hopefully keep me mobile enough to see the new neurosurgeon in Dallas before the end of August, and (with his help) develop a plan for short- to medium-term treatment in preparation for surgery.  It's a slow, painstaking process, but as I've been told repeatedly, spinal surgery is one of those "measure ten times, cut once" solutions that one daren't rush or mess up.

Right now I can't feel anything in my lower back, the result of the anesthetic used to perform the injection into the spinal cavity.  By Wednesday morning I'll be feeling it again, I'm sure.

Peter

Back from LibertyCon

 

We're safely home from LibertyCon - well, most of us.  Alma Boykin will tackle the last leg, from our home to hers, later this morning.  We had a pleasant journey, with no major problems.  We're all pretty tired, though.  Four days on the road to attend three days of LibertyCon is a poor trade-off.  We may consider flying next year, even though that's more expensive and carries with it the travel hazard of too many people crammed into a tiny metal tube, plus the joys (NOT!) of the TSA and modern airports.

Normal blogging will resume tomorrow, Wednesday.

Peter

On the ground at LibertyCon

 

We arrived safely on Thursday afternoon after a relatively pleasant journey.  The Interstate between Nashville and Chattanooga is often so busy that it can take two hours or more to cover the distance, but for some reason we were blessed with light traffic and good weather.

The convention kicked off today (Friday) with all the usual pleasures of meeting and greeting friends whom we hadn't seen for a year or two.  It looks like I'm not alone in my medical woes, as several people I'd hoped to see here have begged off while they recover from their own troubles.  Funny how that seems to happen more and more often as we get older...

I'm taking it easy, being gentle with myself, and wearing a back brace while walking around, to make sure I don't overstress the damaged areas of my spine.  It's not comfortable, particularly if one goes outside into midsummer humidity and heat, but it's better than the alternative!

So far, plans are to leave Sunday afternoon and get home late on Monday.  That may change depending on Alma's commitments, but we'll see.  Meanwhile, please keep the prayers for safety (traveling and otherwise) coming.

Peter

On hiatus for LibertyCon

 

My wife and I, along with friend of long standing Alma Boykin, are headed out this morning to attend LibertyCon in Chattanooga, TN.  We'll get there Thursday evening, and be back home on Monday evening next week, God and the traffic permitting.

Blogging will be sparse during our absence.  I'll try to put up an article or two during free moments, but conventions typically don't include many of those!  Therefore, please amuse yourselves with the bloggers in my sidebar.

I'll see y'all on the other side.  Prayers for traveling mercy will, as always, be greatly appreciated.

Peter

More adventures in the medical world, and some light relief

 

You'll recall my adventures with medical bureaucracy last month.  My pain management specialist very kindly agreed to prescribe another myelogram for me.  The first appointment was canceled on the morning of the procedure by the hospital, because they "had the wrong paperwork" and couldn't proceed without correction.  Turns out the problem was one single word that had not been inserted into the relevant form:  and without that one single word, everything ground to a halt.  At any rate, the missing word was duly provided, and a new appointment was made.  This morning it's off I go to the hospital again for another lumbar puncture, a CT scan, and sundry X-rays.  Hopefully this will be enough to persuade the medical bureaucracy to let me proceed to the next step.

(Why is it that medical bureaucrats and departments can't talk to each other?  I've already electronically checked in to the hospital, and provided my co-payment, and confirmed date and time.  Despite that, I received no less than five e-mails, text messages and phone calls, all reminding me to be at the hospital on time, and do all the pre-procedure processing I've already done.  Do these people have nothing better to do but to waste their patients' time with all this duplication of effort?  And what does it add to our costs as patients to have to pay for it all?)

I'm thoroughly frustrated with the hospital before I even show up there.  To cheer me up, and spare you from listening to my complaints, here's some light relief from Stephan Pastis.  Click the image to be taken to a larger version at the "Pearls Before Swine" Web page.

And, to compare and contrast two of our largest states:

There.  A midweek humor break to relax me before getting poked, prodded and photographed, inside and out.

Peter

Late blogging today

 

I have to make an early start with some bits and pieces today, so I won't be able to put up an early blog post as I usually do.  I'll try to get to one later in the morning, but if I can't, please excuse the absence and amuse yourself with the bloggers in my sidebar.

Thanks!

Peter

On the road again

 

My wife and I are headed to Amarillo, where Alma Boykin has invited me to scare terrify enlighten her class about what Africa is really like, versus what their "woke" textbook portrays.  Needless to say, the latter bears little or no relationship to reality!

I'll be offline until Monday morning.  Amuse yourselves with the bloggers in my sidebar.

Peter

Busy, busy, busy...

 

Early appointments, deliveries to make, trips to take . . . I haven't had time to write my usual morning blog post.  Sorry about that, but sometimes life gets in the way!

If I can find time later today, I'll post something;  otherwise, I'll post on Sunday morning as usual.

Peter

Back from the hospital

 

The caudal injection seems to have gone OK, apart from a fair amount of pain during the procedure.  The doctor informed me that the mass of scar tissue in the area - the cumulative result of a bullet wound many years ago, followed by two spine surgeries after my disabling injury in 2004 - made it difficult to pass between the lumps to get at the caudal cavity, and resisted the needle, hence causing added pain.  However, once he got in there, it went well.

I'm back home now with a numb butt and vague feelings of posterior resentment.  This, too, shall pass.  Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes!

Peter

Another day at the hospital...

 

By the time this post auto-publishes, I'll be on the road to a local hospital for a procedure known as a caudal epidural injection.  It's designed to inject medication to control nerve pain into the caudal space, a hollow channel running up through the base of the spine.  It's an interim treatment for severe back pain and associated limitations on mobility.  If it works, it'll buy me time to prepare for the major back surgery that I'm going to need relatively shortly.  If it doesn't work, well, I won't be any worse off (apart from a punctured coccyx and a sore butt!  The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune have nothing on the scalpels and needles of sadistic surgeons . . . )

I'm not looking forward to the procedure, but I don't have any alternative to it right now, so here's hoping.  Prayers for medical success would be appreciated.  I'm not sure who's the patron saint of injections through the butt into the spine, but if there is one, I'll gladly invoke their intercession!  (Saint Sebastian was shot through by arrows:  do you think he might qualify?)

Peter

Health update

 

Since my last health update, there's been a lot of "hurry up and wait" and several frustrating disagreements among medical professionals who can't agree on what they want to do to me.  I'm beginning to feel like a laboratory guinea-pig.

All the doctors agree that "Something Must Be Done!" - but they can't seem to agree what that Something should be.  The main point of contention appears to be whether I need three more vertebrae to be fused, adding on to my present fusion site, or whether the existing fusion should be removed and a sort of reinforcing tube or grid built around all the vertebrae in my lumbar spine.  The latter is agreed to be the strongest option, and the least likely to give further problems in future, but it's also the most invasive and potentially harmful if something goes wrong.  (Doctors:  "Nothing Will Go Wrong!"  Their nurses, talking to me when the doctor has gone out for a moment:  "Don't You Believe It!"  I think some of the doctors want to do it purely so they can say they've had experience with the procedure, but I'd rather have a doctor who's done it before, as many times as possible, so he's not graded low on the learning curve.)

I've just about finished with the tests that were required to get this far.  (Believe it or not, it's taken over six months to go through them all!)  The file of test results is pretty thick by now, but it still hasn't provided enough evidence for the doctors to decide on the best approach.  I'm going to give them until the end of February, then, if there's still no decision, I'm going to take the entire file and CD's of all the imaging and go to a completely different hospital network in the DFW area for a second opinion.  That will delay proceedings, but I hope will provide greater clarity.  Besides that, the doctors in the other network appear to be considerably more experienced than those in the local one, so I hope I'll be dealing with specialists who've faced this combination of issues before and treated it/them successfully.

Meanwhile, thanks to your generosity, dear readers, the bills are paid up to date, and so far (cross fingers, touch wood, etc.) things look manageable in terms of future planning.  I remain very grateful to you all.  I'd hate to have financial worries hanging over the physical ones!  Thanks to you, I haven't got that added complication.  Pain remains a daily problem, but I've added another medication targeting peripheral neuropathy issues, which has helped reduce the dosage of painkillers I've been popping.  That makes me feel less zombie-fied, if you know what I mean, and is yet another reason for gratitude towards God, the doctors and all of you.

So far, so good.  I'll provide another update in a couple of months.

Peter

Still up to my ears in administrivia

 

Yesterday's rough and tumble will continue today, with all sorts of loose ends to be tied up and put out of the way.  Nothing earth-shattering (at least, I hope not!) but enough to keep me from blogging as per usual.

Regular blogging will recommence with next Sunday's musical miscellany.  Please amuse yourself with the bloggers in the sidebar until then.  They write good, too!

Peter

Life is getting in the way of blogging

 

I'm being bombarded with various bits and pieces of life, the universe and everything.  I'm arguing with doctors, trying to sort out a tax question, cleaning up and throwing out a bunch of "stuff" in the garage, doing normal domestic chores, and trying to research a particular issue for inclusion in the book I'm currently working on (the second volume of a US Civil War naval trilogy).

Basically, I have to take a day off blogging to catch up with myself and some of these issues.  I'll try to make time to put up a proper blog post tomorrow.

Have fun, y'all!

Peter

I feel like a laboratory specimen

 

Most of my readers are doubtless aware of my ongoing medical issues, including the removal of a kidney back in September, and your generous response to my appeal for funds to help pay for previous expenses plus what lies ahead.  I'm very grateful to you all for your ongoing support.

I'm in the middle of a series of follow-up consultations on what the various tests have discovered.  Briefly, my lower spine has deteriorated rather more than anticipated, partly due to the injury I suffered in 2004 and its treatment at that time, and partly due to my advancing age.  There's no doubt that further surgery will be needed.  One "side" of the medical fraternity thinks that it will be best to extend my existing spinal fusion to take in two adjacent vertebrae.  The other "side" says that won't be enough, and instead wants to remove the existing fusion altogether and encase my lower (lumbar) spine in a sort of cage or mesh, supporting the whole thing in all directions.  Both sides agree that surgery is necessary, but not what surgery, or how to go about it.  Me, I'm the "piggy-in-the-middle", a playing-ground for neurosurgeons who are having a fine old time arguing with each other about what they (rather than I!) want to do next.  It's . . . frustrating - and while all the arguing is going on, I'm paying for their discussions.  That's even more frustrating!

There are trade-offs to be considered as well.  It seems that whatever surgical solution is adopted, my lumbar vertebrae are likely to end up pretty solidly fixed together.  That's going to make bending and twisting a lot harder than it already is (even though pain levels should improve).  The mesh solution will be more restrictive than extending the fusion, but will offer greater long-term support.  Which to choose, and why?  I'm a layman.  I can't answer that - but the doctors won't give me a single, straightforward answer.  They simply tell me the alternatives, then say "It's up to you which one you want to choose."  Since I'm not an expert, and I can't predict the future or its challenges, how am I supposed to know which to choose?  I may as well glue some gears on my spine and call it steampunk!

So, here's what's going to happen over the next six months to a year.

• I'm going to work with a pain management specialist, a neurosurgeon (possibly more than one) and a neurologist, to try to pin down the best approach to solving my spinal problems and getting into the best shape I can for whatever lies ahead.  In the short term, I may get a Spinal Cord Stimulation unit implanted in my back;  that's currently (you should pardon the expression) under consideration.
• I'm going to try to get a lot fitter and lose a lot of weight.  I'm going to find that very difficult, because my pain levels increase drastically when I exercise (even walking a short distance);  hence the SCS unit and/or increased doses of analgesics (to be determined).  It's a high priority.  I'll probably follow Dr. Jason Fung's fasting protocol (adjusted to suit my needs) for several days each week, in an effort to speed up the weight loss, but that will have to be carefully monitored to see whether or not my medication doses need to be amended to compensate.  If it's not one thing, it's another . . .
• I'll continue physical therapy and other exercises, so as to be in the best possible condition (which isn't saying much!) for whatever the surgeons may determine is the way forward.

This means the surgery I expected to have during the first quarter of 2026 will be postponed, certainly until the second half of the year and perhaps longer.  I don't like that - I'd much rather get it over right now! - but the specialists are unanimous that I need to "make haste slowly" and not rush it.  I'll be guided by their expertise, if only because they won't operate until they're more sure themselves!  I'm in their hands and at their mercy.

Ongoing care at this level will continue to be a drain on the funds I've saved up (and you've donated) for hospital treatment, but it's unavoidable right now.  As I recover from the loss of a kidney, I find I'm able to write more easily, so I'll try to get a new book (perhaps a new series?) out during 2026.  God willing, that will help to fund more medical misadventures.

Thank you all for your prayers, support and understanding.  I'll continue to "fight the good fight" as long and as hard as I can.

Peter

I'm taking Black Friday off

 

My wife has the crud, and I'm fighting it off.  I'm going to have a quiet Friday, and leave this blog and everything else to the vagaries of chance.  See y'all on Sunday morning.

Peter

Health update

 

I figured it was time to give you all an update on how my health situation is progressing (particularly those generous souls who donated to my fund-raising appeal).

My right kidney was removed on September 26.  It's been a long, slow recovery since then, with stringent restrictions on how much I can lift and what I can do.  The incisions (multiple) have been healing a lot more slowly than I'd like, and are still not fully covered with skin, but then they were very deep.  Also, as my surgeon has repeatedly pointed out, in one's late 60's one's body doesn't recover as fast as it did in one's late 20's!  Fortunately, the progress is all in the right direction, albeit a lot too slow for my impatient self.  With luck, I hope everything will be "skinned over" (if I can put it that way) by the beginning of December, when my other restrictions are scheduled to be eased.  That means I can get on with rehab and rebuilding my strength.

I've had a first consultation with a highly-rated local rehab facility, planning for post-operative reconditioning and extended work on strengthening my core and (hopefully) getting the muscles around my lower spine in better condition to support the surgery that's planned for that area.  It's going to take time to build up to three sessions a week, but I'm going to work at it.  Hopefully I'll combine stretching and conditioning (under supervision) with swimming and exercise bicycle/elliptical workouts.  I hope to start that in December, and plan to work on it for up to (and if necessary more than) a year, depending on what happens next.

I'm still undergoing tests to help the neurosurgeon decide what surgery would be most effective to address my spinal issues.  Unfortunately, the tests are uncovering complications that we hadn't expected.  On Monday this week I went to a neurologist for an electromyograph, both surface (using electrodes) and subcutaneous (using needles).  If I understood the technicians correctly, this is supposed to reveal current drop through the nerves and muscles, showing precisely which muscles are most affected by problems.  From that information, the neurosurgeon can deduce which part(s) of the spine are most affected, because it'll be the nerves flowing from it to the muscle(s) concerned that are the ones needing attention.  It's a bit complicated for a simple man like me (ahem), but I think that's the gist of it.  The test revealed definite deterioration since the last one I had, twenty years ago, but in different areas of the legs - which is not very helpful!

The test also revealed an additional nerve problem, peripheral neuropathy, which must now be tracked down to its source and taken into account when planning surgery.  I wasn't aware of that problem, but the neurologist explained it was because the level of pain from my already-damaged nerves was high enough to "mask" the lower-level pain and discomfort caused by the neuropathy.  What next?  Your guess is as good as mine.

(Oh - and further thanks to those of you who donated to my fund-raiser.  Monday's test billed at a cool $6,300 for a couple of hours being poked and prodded by two technicians and a neurosurgeon.  Thanks to you, that's no longer the financial headache it might otherwise have been.)

My next step, probably in early December, will be another consultation with my neurosurgeon, bringing together the results of all the tests I've been through over the last four months or so.  He'll tell me what he's diagnosed as a result, and the surgery he recommends to fix the problem(s).  At that point I'm going to put matters on hold locally, get full copies of all the tests and their results, and go see another neurosurgeon in DFW to get a second opinion.  Given the cost of this exercise and the potential for things to go wrong, I want to be very sure of my options before I move forward.  That will probably happen during the first quarter of 2026, after which we'll see what happens.

Thanks again for your help and support, and particularly for your prayers.  They're greatly appreciated.

Peter

OK, another car question

 

Thank you to everyone who responded to my car question yesterday.  It looks like, thanks to tariffs and other issues, repairs may cost north of $3K, and given that the value of the car is probably not much greater than that, the calculus is leaning in the direction of replacement.

Online research shows that there's virtually nothing worth having under $10K in the used car market.  Either the mileage is as great or greater than our present vehicle, or there are persistent reliability issues, or availability is haphazard.  Moving up to $15K doesn't improve things very much, although there is a greater selection.  At $20K upward, there's plenty of availability, but low-mileage vehicles remain hard to find in good condition:  most are in the 80-140K mile range, with some notable exceptions.  That means, if we want a reliable replacement to use for the medium to long term, we have to look at new vehicles as well.

The cheapest new vehicle I can find is the Kia Soul (which I've driven before, and is OK as an urban runabout), or the Ford Maverick mini-pickup.  The Maverick's ride quality isn't great, but it's a truck, not a car, and can't be expected to be as soft-riding and comfortable as the Soul.  It does have the advantage of reasonably good utility, with a small loadbed and a back seat that can accommodate a fair amount of baggage or household debris.  Both the Soul and the Maverick (in base model configuration) are in the mid-$20K base price range, plus tax, title, license, etc.  If we move up to the $30-$35K range, there are a lot more options, but then, that's a lot more money.

There's also the big disadvantage that some manufacturers are now demanding monthly subscription payments to use even the most basic in-car services (Toyota, I'm looking at you!).  I'm simply not prepared to do this.  There are also dealers who advertise "no-haggle" prices (that always seem higher than those who will negotiate), and others who low-ball trade-in offers.  There are also too many dealers who add gimmicks pre-sale (e.g. windows engraved with an "anti-theft" serial number, nitrogen tire fills, etc.), and want to charge hundreds of dollars for them, and won't sell you a vehicle without them.  There are an awful lot of shysters out there, it seems to me . . .  Any advice on tell-tale signs that a particular dealer may be more trouble than he's worth?  Obvious red flags?

Therefore, I turn to knowledgeable readers again, to ask for your input.  The need is for local transport of one or two older people, with occasional longer-distance excursions (e.g. 300-400 mile round trip in a day).  Economy is important, as is reliability, and the vehicle should not cost an arm and a leg to insure.

1. If you were looking for a lower-cost vehicle for that mission, what would you recommend?  New or used?
2. Has anyone had experience with the Ford Maverick mini-pickup models?  I'd be very interested to hear what they're like to own, particularly reliability, ride quality, etc.  Their overall utility is appealing.
3. Is there any vehicle that you absolutely would not recommend, due to issues, problems, or whatever?

Thanks in advance for your input.  I'm grateful for your help.

Peter

Post-surgery update and car info request

 

As regular readers will know, one of my kidneys was removed in late September.  Close to a month later, things are on the mend, but painfully slowly (emphasis on the "painfully" sometimes!).

Some of the surgery scars are healing nicely, to the point that they're almost closed with minimal scab left.  Others - including the largest one - are unfortunately taking rather longer to close up.  I'm told that's inevitable, due to natural movement of my body as I walk around or turn over in my sleep, but it's nevertheless irritating me with the slowness of the process.  To add to the fun (?), those bigger scars are itching intensely as the skin grows over the areas where it had been cut open.  I'm constantly having to fight the urge to scratch them.  Keeping them covered helps, and keeps out the dirt, but then they don't dry out, either, which appears to prolong the healing process.  Catch-22, anyone?

The internal injuries caused by taking out the kidney appear to be well on the mend.  The initial pain and "hollowness" I felt have largely ended, and the hollow left in my abdomen by the sudden absence of a kidney is "balancing out" with the rest of my belly.  I'm on a lifting restriction of not more than ten pounds for another six weeks at least, and I have to be careful to observe that;  I've slipped up a couple of times, and the sliced muscles let me know very sharply that I shouldn't do that again.  Apparently I'll be allowed to lift up to 20-25 pounds by mid- to late November, which will help me get back to normal in helping around the house.  All being well, the recovery process should be complete early next year.

Thank you, yet again, to all of you who've helped with the costs of this operation, and with your good wishes and prayers.  It's become a cliche to say "I couldn't do this without you", but that's the plain and simple truth of the matter.  I don't have family in the USA, but I have a support network of readers and online friends and acquaintances, and you've all helped me to get over this particular hump.  I remain very grateful to you all.

Now, if I may, a quick question to the car aficionados among us.  Our 2014 Nissan Pathfinder SUV has just begun to show front suspension problems, which I'll have checked out today.  The irritating thing is that this will be the third time that we've had problems in that area (most recently just over a year ago), and fixing them is not cheap (including labor, over $2K in the past, and with tariffs and other increases, perhaps over $3K today).  The vehicle is about to turn over 180K miles, and is running well apart from the suspension issues.  My dilemma is this:  is it worth sinking another $3K+ into a known issue that may well recur in 1-2 years time, and keep the vehicle running, or is it better to trade it in whilst the rest of it is in very good condition, and find a newer and more reliable ride?  I can see pro's and con's either way.  Based on your knowledge and experience of the car market, what would you recommend?  Please let us know in Comments.  (And, just to reassure anyone who's worrying, no, we won't use any funds donated for surgical costs to pay for the vehicle!)

Thanks again, everyone.

Peter

Southbound again

 

As you read these words, my wife and I will be heading for the DFW metroplex to have my 33 surgical staples withdrawn.  I'm not looking forward to it one little bit, but the skin around the incisions is already looking increasingly irritated as they prevent further healing, so it's time it was done.  If you hear several high-pitched yelps from that direction, it's only me . . .

Prayers for traveling safety and a safe return will be gratefully received, as always.  I'll try not to bleed too much on the journey homeward.

Peter