WHEN PAIN IS A FRIEND
By Ron Scott
It’s been a long time between posts,
and I’m not one for excuses, but this once, I have a tale that may serve as an
excuse (other than procrastination). Many of us are familiar with back pain.
Almost everyone I meet of my generation is well acquainted with some form of
this discomfort. In my case, discomfort is not the appropriate word – outright
severe pain is more like it!
The war in progress is not new. At
first, which is many years ago, I dismissed back pain to the rigors of a
strenuous day, something probably common to all of us. Then in the wee hours of
one night, nature called. My feet hit the floor and that’s all she wrote. My entire body became frozen in pain as fear
took control of my brain. What is
happening to my body? With the assistance of a good wife, I survived the
night and was delivered to the first of many doctors to come. Oh, the doctors,
doctors, doctors. Oh, the pain, pain, pain!
Next in line was a stint in physical
therapy – not all bad, not all good. I learned how to cope using various
exercises, with no cure in sight. As time went on, a couple of years, actually,
other body parts required attention – just like my automobile. We did have a
lot in common. My eye-lashes were equated with windshield wipers; an anemic blood
sample indicated an oil leak; and, an irregular heartbeat was compared to a
malfunctioning timing chain. Despite the blood thinners, blood pressure meds,
and prostate monitoring, back pain continued its debilitating course. Finally,
my orthopedist ordered an MRI after exhausting x-rays. True to form, the
results verified two herniated disks, the source of my pain, and one unexpected
surprise – an abdominal aortic aneurysm. And away we go!!!
The choice was simple. I could live with
my back pain, but an aneurysm could make today my last. Thanks to modern
technology, surgery went well and the patient went home on the second day. Ten
years ago, it would have been a different story: major surgery with a guaranteed
ten day hospital stay before home recuperation. Needless to say, I credit my well-being
with my unrelenting back pain. Unlike my auto, I did survive to tell the tale
which is Part One. Part Two will follow to satisfy all my soap opera fans. In
the meantime, I have plenty of What’s Up
tid-bits to gather for your perusal. In the meantime …
Keep on keeping
on!
