Another sign of the change in my career. When I was in practice, I spent so much time with my hands covered with one organic material or another, they were cracked, dry and open, bleeding and sore around the nails. I constantly kept some soothing junk or another on them; often patching the cracks around my nails with surgical glue. It did help, but not for long term. Now my hands still look large and very unfeminine, but don't bleed! Doesn't that sound like an accomplishment? HA!
My husband's epidural went well on Friday and he is now walking straight up and sleeping better. He was diagnosed several years ago with degenerative disc disease in his spine and we have been fighting it since. Surgery at this point is not an option. One surgeon told us that there was only a 30% chance of helping, and at that percentage, I vote a strong NO! So every three or four years Steve goes through an epidural or two and things are better. Maybe someday there will be prosthetic disc implants and I will vote for surgery. Yes, he is still employed full time--he is better when moving about than when inactive.
I worked in the yard most of the day Saturday and a few hours on Sunday. Mostly cutting out some brush on the hill behind the house and working on the drainage ditch to help keep water out from under the house. When I was growing up, my Mother would begin a big project that Dad really didn't want to get into, then when he saw her working on it, Dad would quit what he was doing and finish up what Mom began. So far that hasn't worked well for me. Maybe I am harder to get along with than she was, or I don't use the correct incentive. I don't know. So I have dug a drainage ditch from the lowest point behind our house around and down over the hill. It is knee deep in some places. I need to extend it another 10 feet or so, then I can get drainage pipe, put some gravel in, and then cover it back up. There is a pretty good sized hill that is behind our house and curves around to the right of the house. It slopes down to the left of the house and in front. All the rain that we had last summer of course ran mostly under the house and I don't like it. I'm trying to stop at least part of that. We'll see.
I actually like manual labor. It clears my mind of all the nonsense.
My boss is calling. See Ya!
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4 comments:
So, what is Steve doing while you're laboring away out in the yard?
Although, to be fair, Andy doesn't much help me, either. I'm too difficult to work with :-)
Greetings - I just stumbled upon your posting tonight and thought I'd respond. I too suffer from degerative disc disease, and do a fair amount of research. There ARE artificial disc replacement devices on the market, and I'm wondering if you've looked into these as a possible treatment option for your husband? (I have disease at more than one level, which rules me out for most of the studies going on, but there are FDA approved devices on the market. (More on the west coast than the east.)
Good luck!
In all fairness, Steve was on the tractor using the pasture renovator while I was digging. He is better when he is moving, but I honestly try to keep him out of the really toilsome stuff. BUT, I imagine that we have some implement or another for a tractor that would dig a pretty good ditch. I think that I too, am a pain in the rear and it is usually just easier for me to do what I want than to try and explain to anyone what I would like to do. I believe that is called being stubborn, hard headed and independent. All of those can be attributes OR can be detriments depending on your point of view....
I know that degenerative disease is painful. Both my sister and best friend suffer from it. My friend swears by the epidurals she gets, although she must have them more often than 3-4 years. She also has one of those nerve stimulators implanted. The doctor told her that her next step was a morphine pump, which she is resisting. There must be a better way.
Sounds like you have been very busy in the yard. I'm sure you will like the results and feel the satisfaction when you're done. Unlike you, though, that's just the kind of work I hate! :)
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