hi all!
it's been a rough few months, so i haven't been around much. two wks ago today, i fell down a flight of 14 stairs and messed my back up some more. there is an acute fracture at t-11 that goes straight thru the middle of the vertebra, more damage to c4 & 5 and now c6 & 7 have joined the party and the biggest problem is the bilateral pars defect at l-5 s-1 is wayyy worse. i cannot sit at all without extreme pain. two days after i fell, i was hospitalized because i had lost the ability to void. completely. i was in there for 5 nights...i think...lose track of time easily. they were giving me 1 or 2 enemas daily, up to 8 ducolax and made me drink 2 magnesium citrate daily. on the morning of day 6 i finally gave them about 1/4 cup of brown liquid and they sent me home. three days later, after drinking 4 of the ms daily and 8 ducolax daily, i was finally able to rid myself of.....well, about 1 child. my stomach was so grossly distended that it looked like i was carrying quads! i am now down to ...idk....twins, i guess at this point! i haven't been at my own home in over two months, so decided to drive myself here last night. i think that was a mistake. from my butt cheeks down, my legs are so swollen and painful. i don't know if it was because i drove for almost 2 hrs to come home, or if something else is going on. i can stand for brief periods without pain a lay without pain, but that's about it.
they sent me home with fentynol patches 50mcg, dilaudid, and valium. i went to my pain dr on wed and begged him to give me lower doses, but the only thing he could lower was the fentynol and he lowered that to 25mg. it works a lot better and doesn't make me sick. i don't like the dilaudid at all. it worked great in the hospital thru the iv but i don't like how the pills make me feel, so hardly ever take them. i take the valium when the pain keeps me from sleeping only.
have had major problems with my only child and have had to ask him to leave the house and not return. any parents out there can imagine how that effects me emotionally, so no need to go further with that subject.
my surgery to have the plate put in by dr h removed is still scheduled for april 25th. hopefully whatever is going on with my legs will not be something that prohibits this from happening.
so there you have it, my friends. the last few months with an exciting climactic ending. at least you know i've not been bored! lol~
love to you all and will be in touch as i can. miss you guys......i really do.
elizabeth