Pugwash's peg-leg

A step backwards....

For the second time I've been put into an isolation ward.....a long story in of its self!

If you've followed my journey so far, you'll be aware I've been told how well I've progressed.
Today I'm in agony.....on the 'good' side (spine,hip, groin and a thigh feeling like an over inflated balloon ready to burst.
Full of painkillers, including morphine, yet still in agony.
Too painful even to type on my lap top.
Until later............
 
I hope that doesn’t last. Sounds like an infection so I hope they are treating the cause as well as the symptom. As you must be well aware by now, the pain has too many unfortunate secondary effects on sleep, mood, etc. My heart bleeds for you, Pug.

It doesn’t help that ‘isolation ward’ sounds way too close to ‘solitary confinement’. Can they not do better than that?
 
Namabiiru said:
I hope that doesn’t last. Sounds like an infection so I hope they are treating the cause as well as the symptom. As you must be well aware by now, the pain has too many unfortunate secondary effects on sleep, mood, etc. My heart bleeds for you, Pug.

It doesn’t help that ‘isolation ward’ sounds way too close to ‘solitary confinement’. Can they not do better than that?
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No I don't think it's an infection,more like the disturbance of an old spinal injury.
 
Peter Gutterman said:
Bloody hell, Pug. Sounds like horrible start for the new year! :eek: You're never far from my mind. If I could have any say you'd be well already. Your issues make mine feel insignificant. I am praying for your improvement.

Pete
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Yup, 8 prolapsed discs, an old injury until now, kept in abeyance for many years.
I feel the severe impacts of my accident and my keen physio therapy recently has burst the dam, so to speak.

I was promised a doctors visit this morning, 5pm now, no doctor in sight!
Ha! Just been told the doctor has gone home for the weekend! A 9 to 5er if ever there was one.
Though this is a big hospital, each ward has its own staff.....and you're stuck with that!

The Good Lord has set me a challenge!
 
Kurt Konrath said:
When the doc sends a bill tell him your not paying for days they didn't visit.
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Ah, here in the UK we have the NHS, which means healthcare is (mostly) FREE ON DEMAND!
Everything comes with a price and the NHS is always on a knife edge.
If you can afford private healthcare, then things are a little different, though many a botched 'Private' investigation
ends up being sorted by the NHS!
 
pugwash said:
Ah, here in the UK we have the NHS, which means healthcare is (mostly) FREE ON DEMAND!
Everything comes with a price and the NHS is always on a knife edge.
If you can afford private healthcare, then things are a little different, though many a botched 'Private' investigation
ends up being sorted by the NHS!
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And all these folks here in US want to push us into single government run health care systems. My reply is look what they are (aren't) doing with our Veterans Affairs healthcare system.
 
pugwash said:
Yup, 8 prolapsed discs, an old injury until now, kept in abeyance for many years.
I feel the severe impacts of my accident and my keen physio therapy recently has burst the dam, so to speak.

I was promised a doctors visit this morning, 5pm now, no doctor in sight!
Ha! Just been told the doctor has gone home for the weekend! A 9 to 5er if ever there was one.
Though this is a big hospital, each ward has its own staff.....and you're stuck with that!

The Good Lord has set me a challenge!
Click to expand...
Again, I can only express my dismay and sense of impotence concerning your dilemma. I hope there is some at least moderately effective method to relieve your pain and reduce the swelling. Back/ruptured disc scenario is something I have experience with, I would have been happy to do without, an endless process of interventions and recovery. Can they prescribe a course of prednisone? It is good for at least some mitigation and relief. While it cannot be taken for long periods it did provide some relief and buy some time to allow the swelling to go down, decreasing the pressure on the Sciatic nerve. How well I remember the inability to find a comfortable position, and even literally dreaming of being able to walk again without pain. Don't let the therapists get too enthusiastic. In my experience they sometimes made matters worse.
I continue to wish only the best for you.

Pete
 
Well, I felt I should add my two cents, although my situation pales to what some of our friends are going through.. I had radical robot prostatectomy Oct 2 , but bladder/urethra didn't want to heal..on Cath for six weeks, numbers came back good,,shipbuilding got me thru my little challenge.. In March, I Was having chest/arm pain that mimicked a heart attack..spent two days in cardio unit in FL.. couldn't do a nuclear treadmill test as they had given me a pill in the ER to drop BP. crushing pain attributed to pinched nerve(my diagnosis) as all tests looked good. Yesterday, I had a scheduled nuclear stress treadmill test..failed it with flying colors, was rushed into Cath lab, stented...had 95% blockage in my left descending artery,,the Widowmaker. They said it was a miracle I hadn't dropped dead.. God is keeping me here to make me a better planker! I was very lucky as this had been going on since March.. pt, acupuncture... If I had not had that episode on the treadmill, it could have been a problem.. So six weeks of cardio rehab and hopefully good to go.. Enjoy your friends and family and indulge your passions..
 
manning16 said:
Well, I felt I should add my two cents, although my situation pales to what some of our friends are going through.. I had radical robot prostatectomy Oct 2 , but bladder/urethra didn't want to heal..on Cath for six weeks, numbers came back good,,shipbuilding got me thru my little challenge.. In March, I Was having chest/arm pain that mimicked a heart attack..spent two days in cardio unit in FL.. couldn't do a nuclear treadmill test as they had given me a pill in the ER to drop BP. crushing pain attributed to pinched nerve(my diagnosis) as all tests looked good. Yesterday, I had a scheduled nuclear stress treadmill test..failed it with flying colors, was rushed into Cath lab, stented...had 95% blockage in my left descending artery,,the Widowmaker. They said it was a miracle I hadn't dropped dead.. God is keeping me here to make me a better planker! I was very lucky as this had been going on since March.. pt, acupuncture... If I had not had that episode on the treadmill, it could have been a problem.. So six weeks of cardio rehab and hopefully good to go.. Enjoy your friends and family and indulge your passions..
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Dear Manning,
Been through that S**t as well including falsely passing a nuclear cardio stress test, Only to find out later that I did have some seriously occluded arteries. A couple of years and six stents later I'm still looking at the grass from the green side. Here's hoping I don't drop dead digging out of the snow tomorrow and Tuesday!
Thank God I've been spared the other S**t show! :eek: You have my unqualified sympathy and well wishes. I admire your courage and determination! Can't even Imagine the particular hell you've been through or Pugs for that matter.
Getting old ain't fer sissies!

Pete
 
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Here's an email I've just sent to a fellow SOS member, based in South Africa, which sums up my latest update.
''You find me in a desperate state.

Coinciding with the move to isolation I am struck down with an old monster.

I think it's better than a good guess...having a high impact accident, effectively ripping off my leg, and being dumped on my bum from an unknown height at least 40mph. Followed by my 'miraculous' recovery and keenly taking on the physio regime.

Then BLAM.
I have a long history of back pain....caused by, I was told 'degeneative spinal disease' which includes 8 prolapsed discs in my lower back.
Result:- massive pain below the waist.

My recent experiences haven't done that a lot of good.
Result:- I'm in extreme agony, primarily being chased down by 2.5ml of Morphine on desperate demand every 3-4 hours, night and day.

I asked to see a doctor Friday morning, which hasn't happened yet!

I woke to pee into a bottle at 6.30, encountering severe difficulty and barely made the transfer to my wheelchair. I needed assistance from a nurse to pull up my pants.

Every movement is an ordeal, so much so, I haven't washed since Thursday.

The morphine helps but the period between doses is agony, almost as bad as I experienced at the side of the road, before being administered Ketamine.

And that's how you find me......how's that for an update?

I just want to die, several times a day.

Writing this has helped me re-focus my mind.''

Sorry guy's, that's how it is.

Love to the few who are following my journey, your company helps in so many ways. Thank you.
 
I sincerely hope that this process in the hospital ends soon. May you be at home, may you overcome those strong pains that you describe to us. I also hope that you have someone who can be close to you. Every morning when I get up the first thing I do is look at your thread on the forum, hoping that things will get better.
 
pugwash said:
Here's an email I've just sent to a fellow SOS member, based in South Africa, which sums up my latest update.
''You find me in a desperate state.

Coinciding with the move to isolation I am struck down with an old monster.

I think it's better than a good guess...having a high impact accident, effectively ripping off my leg, and being dumped on my bum from an unknown height at least 40mph. Followed by my 'miraculous' recovery and keenly taking on the physio regime.

Then BLAM.
I have a long history of back pain....caused by, I was told 'degeneative spinal disease' which includes 8 prolapsed discs in my lower back.
Result:- massive pain below the waist.

My recent experiences haven't done that a lot of good.
Result:- I'm in extreme agony, primarily being chased down by 2.5ml of Morphine on desperate demand every 3-4 hours, night and day.

I asked to see a doctor Friday morning, which hasn't happened yet!

I woke to pee into a bottle at 6.30, encountering severe difficulty and barely made the transfer to my wheelchair. I needed assistance from a nurse to pull up my pants.

Every movement is an ordeal, so much so, I haven't washed since Thursday.

The morphine helps but the period between doses is agony, almost as bad as I experienced at the side of the road, before being administered Ketamine.

And that's how you find me......how's that for an update?

I just want to die, several times a day.

Writing this has helped me re-focus my mind.''

Sorry guy's, that's how it is.

Love to the few who are following my journey, your company helps in so many ways. Thank you.
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From the other side of the water between us I can only ‘live with you’ and hoping that the moment quickly arrives that everything changes in the better direction.
Regards, Peter
 
Lorenzo said:
I sincerely hope that this process in the hospital ends soon. May you be at home, may you overcome those strong pains that you describe to us. I also hope that you have someone who can be close to you. Every morning when I get up the first thing I do is look at your thread on the forum, hoping that things will get better.
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One detail everyone (including me) seems not to be realised.......I'm 70 years old!

Experiences such as mine, when encountered earlier in life have the dubious faith that time is a great healer.

Thank you Lorenzo, for your kind words and 'prayers'.

I have no family for support and the 2 good friends I have live 12 and 25 miles away. There's only so much they can do (and for that I'm truly grateful)
 
Hello Pug, I too am 70 years old and also a cardiac patient with a dual lead pacemaker currently at its EOL. I thought learning how to be 70 was tough until I read about your situation. All I can say is stay strong with your faith in the Lord, in the meantime many prayers are streaming up to the Lord on your behalf and that we are so fortunate to have an awesome God we can talk to personally.
 
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