On Saturday, 19 December 2020 I was taken by ambulance to the Hospital with extreme pain in my right side just below the ribs. There was also the same pain in my right rotatory cuff. I was in such agony I very nearly couldn’t breathe at all, and my blood pressure was through the roof. Initially, the E.R. doctors suspected something was wrong with my gall bladder, which is located in the same area as the pain. Attempts to do an ultrasound to evaluate were unable to be completed because I simply could not lie down without the agony increasing. So a C.T. Scan was ordered for my torso. The following are some of the results: Pulmonary Embolism (blood clot) in my right lung, Partially collapsed lung, Issues detected with my gall bladder, What may be a pair of splenules on my spleen, Some calcification on the right side of my heart, Inflammation of the esophagus possibly due to acid reflux. I was admitted to the hospital. After several unwanted doses of opioids the following morning that made me twice throw up Saturday’s dinner in all its partly digested entirety, I was taken up to my room. Later on the diagnosis about what caused the pain was given me by the doctor: a form of viral pneumonia that can apparently affect the nerves near the infected lung. I never knew that was possible. I had actually begun experiencing pain Friday night/Saturday Morning after midnight, but chalked it up to my herniated discs pinching down on my nerve clusters again. During the day Saturday as I sat up, the pain had largely subsided, but around seven-thirty that evening is when the full force of the nerve pain hit. Well, having experienced nerve pain before and not wanting to throw up again on drugs that weren’t effective anyway, my doctor put me on gabapentin, which I am still taking. As well, I had an echogram performed on my heart. There’s a minor calcification there on the right side, which I intend to have looked at further to prevent further issues down the line. I was feeling well enough Tuesday to be sent home, but I am to be on blood-thinning medication for six months while my body dissolves the clot in my lung. This being the case, I am now even more limited in the jobs I can take because of the risk of bleeding should I cut myself. Let me tell you, this whole experience triggered memories of watching similar health problems plague my dad. He had to have his gall bladder removed, as did my Aunt Mary. He developed a clotting disease that was supposed to keep him on blood thinners the remainder of his life, but I suspect the last couple of years he was taken off them because blockage developed in his legs cutting off circulation and leading to the gangrene that necessitated removing his leg. Dad died six years ago a broken, incomplete man. I am terrified of the prospect that I am suffering some of those same issues myself. Fortunately, this was caught before anything serious happened and Medicaid is covering everything. But it could have gone a lot worse. This experience has caused me to treasure even more on what little I have, and redouble my efforts to follow my goals to completion.
I’ll pray for you. I do think gabapentin works to help pain. But it’s not a drug you’ll feel, and it must be taken regularly to be affective. I find it will make you gabby, excessive talking. Maybe not a bad side effect. Just know it’s there. many issues can be remedied or avoided with a change in diet. Google the benefits of a vegan diet. The Kelloggs and Posts seemed to think so. This and some exercise, even a little. Change is slow, and even harder when your older, but the benefits are enormous. Even bad news given in a timely fashion can be beneficial. good luck my friend, I hope straight talk makes you feel better and if I’ve been abrupt please forgive me. I will be praying for you.
Thanks. I've used Gabapentin before. If anything, I've found it and Baclofen tend to make me drowsy. I stopped taking it today as the nerve pain has gone, but have enough of both to last a while should I need them again. Right now I'm more worried about running out of my blood thinner. Apparently I've only about thirty days' worth with two more refills, but that would only bring me to ninety days, not six months. CareSource, which is my Medicaid provider, only pays for one bottle at a time.
Look into contacting the manufacturer. Either directly or if possible through a navigator. I think they do six months at a whack on a three year term. Good luck
Wow, you should write a book. It seems like every two steps forward, in life you get, something clubs you back a step. I pains me to hear you having to go through this, because my son has had many issues with health, and jobs, as you have. I pray 2021 is kinder to you.
More like every time I manage to get one step forward, life knocks me back three steps, but I get your meaning. Such a book as you suggest would irrevocably alienate me from my relatives, but I have absolutely no problem with that whatsoever. They treat me like garbage and then demand that I be grateful for all the things they do for me, which I freely admit is a lot, but that doesn't give them any right to treat me the way they do. I am presently on seasonal layoff from my present job and am looking forward to returning if USPS doesn't hire me away before then. I also have a lead on a call center position. Right now I just need funds enough to move back out on my own and remain stable for the next few months.
Try to keep a positive outlook on things. . It will go a long way in your health, and future job searches. On the positive side, the doctors did find everything that was causing your medical problems, before it was too late. .
I’m sorry to learn of your health and job issues, and for the way your family treats you. As difficult as it is, try to stay positive and focus on the things you can control. Please know I will pray for your health, insurance issues, and your employment situation.
Thanks, everybody! I am trying to have a more optimistic outlook on things; I now have some idea of what issues need to be looked at in the short term, and I intend to have the doctors test for any other issues that my parents had just to make sure I'm not developing any of those. I couldn't do any of that without Medicaid, so at the risk of bringing politics into the discussion, I can say with certainty that if not for Medicaid, I probably wouldn't be here posting. I might be seriously ill or worse, dead. Just something to chew on as politicians question the wisdom of forcing a floor vote on Medicare-for-All in the midst of a global pandemic. At any rate, I have been doing some reading on the Gillette Fatboy in my collection, which is one of those uncommon F4 razors that has dual service notches in the cap at bottom of the handle. Apparently, as production began winding down, leftover parts from older 195 models were used to finish some F3 and F4 razors in order to meet quotas on time. Fascinating bit of history on one of Gillette's most popular adjustable tools.
