PAINFUL DETOUR

 

I seem to be climbing a mountain every day. If I ever reached the summit, I'd undoubtedly fall off. Bad luck seems to follow me like a shadow.

An aside:

My birthday falls on Friday the 13th this year. December.

My annoying blogging habit (one of many) is that I take too much time getting to the point.

On Friday morning (the 15th) I got up very early, before dawn. I felt fairly decent - which is just about the best I can get. Made coffee and breakfast.

Afterwards I decided to go back to bed for an hour or two. I really wanted to repaint the kitchen floor. I ordered a new cabinet that will be delivered on Monday.

Deciding between the two exciting options, I went to bed.

About an hour later I woke up with an extreme backache. And leg ache. When I pried myself out of bed, the pain was unbelievably bad. I hardly made it to the kitchen. I took a couple of Tylenols. That was unusual. I don't like taking any pills/meds.

In the summer of 2023 I had two major surgeries in Cookeville and refused any medications for pain.

Went back to bed. I awoke soon with pain that was alarming. Stumbled back to the kitchen. Got into my wheelchair. Sat there for half an agonizing hour. Carefully got up again.

I felt incredibly weird, besides agonizing pain. Suddenly my right hip was frozen. And my right leg was completely paralyzed. No exaggeration. I couldn't move an inch. I grabbed my pants leg and tried to pull myself forward. It was impossible.

I really panicked. I'm all alone, in the middle of wilderness. It was late Friday afternoon. The home care nurses office is closed for the weekend. I never experienced paralysis before.

I'm in the kitchen. My two cell phones were in the bedroom. I stumbled and knocked a table over with the landline phone. Tried for twenty agonizing minutes before I could retrieve the landline phone.

Loooong story short. I decided to stay in the wheelchair by the kitchen table all night. I couldn't walk one step. Couldn't do anything. I wanted to call 911 but kept procrastinating. Ambulances, doctors, hospitals. Again.

Hell no!!!!

I'd be damned to go through it again. I'd rather perish at home.

The night hours were agonizingly long. I took more Tylenol (there was a water bottle on the table).

About an hour before dawn, I did the impossible. I stood up, grabbed the walker with my right hand and the wheelchair with my left. I only walked with my left leg  - - dragging my right leg along.

This was an insane feat but I went inch by inch. I'll be damned that I was going to do it. Pure anger gave me strength.

I hung onto the walker to get the cell phones in the bedroom. Then I dragged the walker, the wheelchair, the cell phones, and my right leg to the living room.

FINALLY I called 911.

I had no choice. Took the ambulance about 45 minutes to get here. The attendant and driver had to carry me down the front steps. Humiliation.

Onward to Livingston Hospital 20 miles away on narrow winding mountain roads. I could see the sunrise in the back window. My pain was beyond intense. I finally shuddered and thought I would pass out.

Once in the hospital my memory is blurred from the intense pain. I had to get xrays and a cat scan.

This caused more excruciating agony than I could endure. The attendants were rough trying to get me in the right positions for the xrays and scan. I kept yelling out from the PAIN.

Finally I was brought into another room and plied with intravenous injections. MethylPrednisol, Orphenadrine, Ketorolac. Made me feel very weird and disoriented. But some days I feel that way without medications.

I was in that room for five or six hours. I was freezing. Coldest damn hospital I was ever in. They could hold a polar bear convention in there.

One of the doctors frightened me with the test results. Degenerative disk disease. Severe scaiatica. Scoliosis from severe spinal injuries.

I guess I already knew that. I had several spinal injuries due to accidents and nasty falls during my life. I ignored most of them, due to no medical insurance. I was very used to ignoring serious situations. And now it's catching up with me.

I knew my spinal problems were increasing due to being in hospital beds for six months last year because of cancer and heart problems.

I know now that my major health problems are solely due to my spinal issues. That's what's causing my mysterious fevers (had one last week) and...other problems.

Well, I was released (thank God) just around noon. Taken home in another ambulance. I was very apprehensive about what might happen next. But I was able to walk again with very little pain. And I was able to make dinner and enjoy the rest of the day.

I now have a prescription for prednisone. Some kind of steroid thingie (my medical term).

I just realized that this was the day I was released from physical rehab last November. Thanksgiving is next week. I am truly - very truly - greatful for still being around.

I'm sorry for this long rambling post, but I wanted to get things out of my system.

BTW

I made the "Climb Every Mountain" video late last night. I literally threw it together in fifteen minutes. It's my piano arrangement, recorded when I was eighteen. (Video volume is weird on my computer. Turn volume up, or watch it on YouTube).

We all have mountains to climb. Thanks for reading this.

Luv, Jon.