A Flyover Blog

I Need a Hobby

 

After hearing many many people suggest that I need something to do besides work, I have come to the conclusion that I do, in fact, need a hobby. If you're just tuning in and don't know me, I am a bonafide workaholic. I've had hobbies in the past but one by one, they've fallen by the wayside and I fill the gap with more work. Since the nerve injury to my hand two years ago, I can no longer ride a bicycle or a horse; I used to love both activities. Now, I walk instead. I also used to sew and quilt. But, I can't really do fine needlework anymore, either. My left hand refuses to do anything that intricate.

So, I'm exploring other options. Like fishing. Scratch that, I hate fish. I'm not a bowler, either. Won't wear the shoes. My friend, Patty, is into fibre arts big time; she sheers llamas and everything... but that's too much like grooming my Yorkie, Buddy. Alas, I've run out of ideas.  So, I could use some hobby suggestions. I'm serious. I prefer to do something outside, as I sit at a computer most of the time. I love the outdoors. Oh, but I hate the water, so don't suggest water skiing or syncronized swimming. I won't do it. I'm afraid of heights, too, so skydiving is out.

Can't wait to read your suggestions :)

Photo from Cute Overload.

It's the 6th Already?

 

Sorry for the big empty that has been this blog for the past week. If not for the pre-scheduled posts I put up, there would have been nothing to read at all. I mentioned the end of December that I was having a great deal of trouble with my hand during the holidays. Well it finally tipped over the edge into a full blown "pain storm." That's what I call these episodes now, because I can think of no other way to describe it. I have been down since New Year's Day.

I am climbing out the other end today and am back at the keyboard. I'm wearing a glove on that hand to keep it warm and there are little grips on the fingertips to help me with the keys.

I found this picture a few weeks ago and kept it. These dogs were rescued after the big China earthquake a few months back. They all have injuries that affect their hind quarters. But instead of putting these dogs down, their caretakers built little carts for them so that they can remain mobile and live. Looks like they're doin' pretty good.

I am reminded of a quote from the Yuppie western, Silverado, uttered by Linda Hunt's character, Stella: "The world is what you make of it, friend. If it doesn't fit, you make alterations."

Time to get this new year started.

My Holiday Grinch

  There is one thing I hated about the holidays this year. It happened last year, too, and to tell you the truth, I deal with it every day. I am talking about my injured hand and the compromises I make just to function. I try to keep this blog upbeat, but since this is intruded on my life almost 2 years ago, I post about it every now and then. Who knows, it may help someone else. Today, I thought I'd talk a bit about chronic pain.

Chronic Pain is defined as pain that lasts more than 3 months and does not go away despite medical intervention. The IV injuries I suffered in March 2007 caused pain has been going on non-stop for 21 months now with no sign of letting up. It is a full-time job just to stay psychologically on top of the situation, and to constantly adjust my routine so that I can be productive. Some days I do better than others. The American Pain Foundation is a great resource for anyone living with chronic pain, no matter what the cause.

In addition to the pain, the other major symptom I deal with is loss of strength; I've lost 70% of the strength in that hand, due to muscle damage. That weakness affects every little thing I do - from driving to taking the cap off the toothpaste. It infuriates me to have to ask for help with the simplest things.

The biggest challenge for me this Christmas was allowing my family to help with all the holiday prep. Mitch wrapped most of the gifts and helped with the little bit of cooking I did do. I bought party trays instead of baking. We had a decorating party after Thanksgiving, so I had lots of help with the house. Even with all those changes, I overtaxed my hand and lost at least one day each week in December. On those days, the hand did not function. At. All. The pain was excruciating - think a migraine in your hand and arm. I spent those days in tears, with heat on the inflamed nerves.

I am a big believer in turning lemons into lemonade, and the coming year holds much promise on the Patient Safety Crusade front. If you haven't yet visited my new HealthCare PSI Blog, I encourage you to. And please spread the word. Chances are you know someone who has been the victim of a preventable medical error. The next step is a new HealthCare PSI website coming in January. Is that the end of it? No way; it's just the beginning.  More about that soon.

 

Lights Please

Friday, July 25, is Patient Safety Awareness Day. Okay, if you think this has absolutely NO bearing on you, you're wrong. Every time you enter a hospital you are playing Russian roulette. You could acquire a deadly infection; at least 5 million patients a year contract one of these Super Bugs while in the hospital. 5 Million. 

Or your could be the victim of a surgical error. While that's less likely to occur, it still happens. You could be the victim of a medication error. The most notable incidence of late was with Dennis Quaid's newborn twins.

If you pay attention, you will see medical error stories popping up at an alarming rate all over the web. Medical errors kill 100,000 Americans every single year. That is absolutely horrifying. And it's unacceptable. This is the US of A people, not a third world country. That figure does not include all those patients who survive medical mistakes, many of whom suffer permanent injuries.

I am one of those patients.

I never paid much attention to all those medical mistake stories. I thought they happened in large impersonal inner city hospitals and over-crowded ERs. I never dreamed that I could enter a well-respected local hospital for a relatively simple same day proceedure and leave later that evening with permanent nerve damage. But that's exactly what happened to me.

My injury was completely avoidable, but I suffer the consequences of it every single day. This situation will not change until patients - that's consumers in hospital-speak - demand better care.

So, tomorrow, Americans are asked to turn on their headlights, light a candle or pause for a moment of silence to mark Patient Safety Awareness Day. 

For more information, please visit my new friend Trisha Torrey at Every Patient's Advocate.

 

Unremarkable

No, that's a good thing to hear... when your neurologist says it. My MRI turned up nothing in my back that was out of whack, which is a huge relief. Turns out the problem is a little farther south - in my piriformis muscles. I've never heard of a piriformis muscle; didn't even know I had them. They are small but important muscles that attach the top of the femur to the lower spine and serve to stabilize the hip. The sciatic nerve runs under or through this muscle, so if it gets injured (usually from over use) it puts pressure on the nerve and that causes pain and tingling down the back of the leg into the foot.

"That's weird, DK. How did you get it?" I'm glad you asked that. I found out that Piriformis Syndrome (it actually has a name) is found mostly in women, women who walk or run. The other risk factor for this injury is the piriformis working overtime to compensate for weak abs, which occurs after abdominal surgery - like the hysterectomy I had last Spring. Bottom line: I'm okay. My feet still tingle and the backs of my legs hurt, but I have an exercise regimen now to help correct it. My neurologist also gave me some very low dose muscle relaxers to take at night because my overall state is Extremely Tense, due to my injured hand. I never relax. Ever. So she's going to give me a little shove. This will go away when the piriformis muscles heal. So, has anyone else out there ever had Piriformis Syndrome? I'd love to know how long it took you to mend.

January 17

My sassy little Carolina Wren is back this morning; I'm taking that as a sign that this is going to be a good day. I have two bird feeders right outside my office window, and they've been very busy this morning. We had freezing drizzle overnight and the windchill is about 15. I am happy to report that I am feeling normal again - which is terrific after the 24 hour odyssy through the Land of Weird I had thanks to that one little Cymbalta I took Tuesday evening. The creepy crawlies, headache and distorted vision were bad, but I think the worst part was the song - Pistelero an obscure tune by Roy Orbison played in my head for 6 hours straight. Don't ask how it got there; I have NO idea. I finally chased it way with Thunderstruck by ACDC.

My good friend Patty (who lives on the East Coast) is helping me choose some books and tapes on meditation and pain management, since traditional medicine is not going to be of any further help. She sent me some info on Jon Kabat-Zinn. So last night Mitch and I went to Barnes & Noble in Springfield; I bought a book and a beginners tape by Zinn. Confession: This whole area of alternative medicine is uncharted water for me and seems to be filled with lunatics. And Christian non-fiction isn't? Yeah right. Okay, I guess every area of study has its nuts. But the fact that they keep these books with Tarot cards and the paranormal stuff gives me pause. Honestly, I'm thinking I should probably wear a garlic clove necklace and carry a cross on my quest to find "complementary therapy" that works for me. Am I over-reacting? I think my Midwest is showing. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Photo by 10,000 Birds.com

Scratch the Cymbalta

I just spent the entire night waiting for this stupid pill to wear off. I finally decided to try the sample of Cymbalta my neurologist gave me because my hand was driving me nuts. You know, I don't do drugs very well. So about an hour after I took this little 30 mg pill everthing in the room looked a little too bright and too close. Then the headache started. Right after that I got the creepy crawlies - you know, like ants are crawling over your entire body.

I thought this drug was supposed to stop the pain in my hand, not simply divert my attention. Heck, I could have accomplished that myself - just hit my foot with a hammer. I'm drinking Dasani like it's going out of style trying to flush this thing out of my system. My hand is no better, by the way. I won't be taking any more of those.

Now What?

I try to fill this blog with happy, uplifting posts - or humor; I do that too. I haven't been very happy or upbeat for the past few days. Frankly, I've been in tears since last Thursday. That's the day I went to see my sweet Chinese neurologist again. If you're new to this blog, I have been struggling to regain the feeling and full use of my left hand and arm for 10 months now. What happened? A young nurse botched the removal of 2 IV's after I had same day surgery, resulting in IV infiltration. That, too, was handled incorrectly and now after months and months of neurologists, tests, therapy and waiting I got my prognosis - the damage is permanent and will not get better.

We discussed alternative therapies such as accupuncture, accupressure, and nerve blocks. Those won't work. These therapies work on an isolated nerve, usually close to the spine. This damage involves tissue damage and nerve damage and there is no single site to pinpoint. My neurologist gave me some Cymbalta to combat the constant pain and fatigue. I finally took the first pill a couple of hours ago (I really don't do drugs very well) but I'm feeling weird so I won't be taking any more of those.

I'll be talking about this a lot in the coming days. I promise I'll try not to bore you to tears. Right now, I'm just trying to regroup.

You're Kidding Me, Right?

Frustrating day at therapy yesterday. Testing didn't go so well; I lost ground - again. This is not a complete surprise. I've been telling Perky Therapist that I feel like we're chasing the same 6 symptoms around in circles - numbness, pain, loss of strength, loss of feeling, stiffness, muscle spasms - all of these have symptom subcatagories. Seems like I make progress on one front only to lose ground in another.

For the first time she wasn't so perky about a prognosis and she suggested that nerve block idea again to get the radial nerve to calm down. We covered nerve blocks in my last post, so you know how I feel about that. Perky Therapist is making her report to my insurance company and doctor, then we'll go from there. I went to the park and walked three and a half miles after therapy to regain my perspective. I left the trail with this truth: I didn't do anything to cause this injury and I can't do anything to fix it. All I can do is focus on something else. So, look for more posts about writing - which is the best therapy in the world for me.

Thanks for your continued prayers,

DK

Therapy Update

Tomorrow, I'm going back for another therapy appointment - this makes 10 in case you're counting - during which Perky Therapist is going to test to see if we've made any progress.

Last time, she determined that my entire median oops - make that radial nerve is "on fire" from the chemical damage - all the way up to my spine. That would explain the chronic pain in my shoulder and neck; I thought it was simple tension caused by the pain in my hand. Perky Therapist suggested a nerve block. I said, "NO" very emphatically. Nerve blocks involve injecting drugs into the nerve to deaden it for several weeks so it can rest.

Is she nuts?

I mean, I'm IN therapy because of nerve damage caused by a botched IV. So why on earth would I let the same nursing staff that caused the damage, take another whack at me? Does this make sense to you? I didn't think so. Believe me, my flat rejection of this notion was more colorful than I am portraying here. But this is a G-rated blog, so you'll just have to use your imagination. I'll let you know how the tests come out. Stay tuned...