Hi all,
Been awhile so this could get a bit wordy. Many of you are new and probably
don't know me. Have moderately severe DDD in lumbar, had cervical surgery to
relieve severe stenosis back in 2000. Had Ulnar relocation surgery last Dec.
to prevent further damage from my elbow.
New stuff. Have appt at the pain clinic on Monday to try to figure out
recurring severe abdominal pain. A bit of history. Have some diverticular
pockets, had bilateral hernia surgery done laproscopically in 2000 (entrance
point by bellybutton.) Had minor problem with surgery as some sort of device
didn't inflate properly and doc had to work somewhat blind. The abdominal
pain has been occurring a few times a year for the past 3-4 years and is
centered at belt buckle area. Docs thought diverticular problems initially.
Then thought kidney stones, but x-rays came back negative. Had a bout start
and I stopped wearing a belt which seemed to improve things tremendously. So
I started to believe I had scar tissue getting irritated from the hernia
surgery. Went and saw surgeon last week who did the hernias and he said he
thought the problem was being caused by a pinched nerve in my back. Now
there is some possibility to this being the case. The last severe bout with
this I found relief laying on my side on a loveseat couch which curved my
spine. Hydrocodone would not touch this pain. The couch helped greatly. What
I don't get yet is that the painful area is extremely sensitive to touch. I
don't recall any pinched nerves acting that way.
The pain does move around some, sometimes it affects my lower abdomen and
genital area. From what I can see on the internet the nerves to the
abdominal area are thoracic in origin. That is supposedly the only healthy
part of my spine! So hopefully I can get some answers at the clinic. Surgeon
would like them to either prove or disprove pinched nerve before ordering
extensive testing. Don't know if they can do that. The pain has been
manageable the last few days for which I am thankful. I would really like to
know what is truly causing this though.
Had to stop working the football games doing scoreboard engineering. My body
just can't take it anymore. The last game might have brought on the last
occurrence of the abdominal pain. Since the team has been enjoying great
success the past few years the stands are full. This causes me to have to
use many more stairs and ramps to get around the stadium troubleshooting
problems. Very, very hard on my back. I am exhausted after working them and
usually wind up with back spasms for a couple of days afterward. I will miss
the extra money before the holidays, but it just isn't worth it anymore.
My son Michael will turn 15 in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the b'day card
Jo! It is much appreciated. Have had to battle the "I want a cell phone"
arguments. After checking on packages and prices it is a very expensive
gift. Maybe next year. He is doing extremely well in school so far. Freshman
in high school. I'm not sure this is the same boy I had in grade school! He
seems to have caught on to the idea that school actually is fairly
important. Sure makes home-life easier on me (and him!)  :-) Now if I could
just get him to do some chores and clean his room! lol
Am still playing golf as that doesn't seem to hurt my back much (when it's
not already hurting.)  The season is rapidly coming to a close though. Have
had to scrape frost off my windshield the past two mornings-grrrrrr.
Booked a cruise out of Galveston just before Christmas so we could use up
airline vouchers from last springs trip to Fla. before they expired. Since
then, hurricanes have been top of the news. Worried about Galveston first,
now Cozumel is destroyed. Was planning on fishing and diving. The reefs have
been wiped out and the fish have left the area I read this morning. Hope
they plan on returning, but without reef who knows. It will be our first
cruise and I am looking forward to it though. Finishing the trip in Vegas as
I couldn't get flights to Fla. during that time.
I hope you are all better than can be expected and have a pain-free day!
GaryZ