No Pain, No Cane

Yo!

I hope all my Jewish readers had a super fun last night of Hanukkah on Saturday. My last night of Hanukkah was rather enjoyable. I got rest, eat lots of food, hang out with the family, and I actually finished reading the first Walking Dead compendium (8 books right there). First book I've read and finished in a good few years... and I finished it in less than a week. YAY ME!

I figured since tomorrow marks the 3 month anniversary of Fanny's removal I'd give y'all an update of how my health is goin'.

Since having Fanny removed my leg feels sooooooo much better. Not only that, I now find it easier to move that leg in general. I still have a limp and my gait is kinda off but my leg doesn't drag anywhere near as bad as it used to. It's been such a vast improvement that I no longer walk with a cane! Granted, I keep it in my trunk in the event of an emergency, but I've been doing really well without it. I've even gone on some long-ish schleps without it, I get a little more tired but I think it's worth it.

My new scar is kinda a bitch sometimes. There are moments when it just stings like a mofo. I'm trying to put lotion on the area to help the skin stretch. It seems to be helping a little. The scar itself is healing pretty well. It's raised off the skin a millimeters, but it's thin so it doesn't look that bad. The scar is currently a fabulous shade of purple, it'll probably lighten over the next few month... but for now it really is a nifty shade of purple.

*Knocks on wood* While I still have my usual frequent aches and pains no new problems have brought to my attention, which is nice. It's nice to have a "normal-ish" existence for little while.

A few days ago I started taking a new medication for an unrelated hormonal imbalance. Luckily I haven't had too many side effects from that yet. Apparently it makes you sick to your stomach at first. There was one night where I wasn't feeling too hot, but otherwise I've been good. Also, I have not been a hormonal wreck, which is nice for everyone else around me ;)

And even though this isn't exactly news, I've got a funny health story from today. So, I was at work and the heat was out due to some electrical issues. One of my co-workers brought in a little space heater to keep us warm. While I was working a co-worker with whom I share a desk with asked if she could turn the space heater off, as it was getting reaaaaalllllyyyyy hot. My reaction? I didn't even know that the space heater was under my desk, right by my legs. Thanks to nerve damage from several surgeries I have issues sensing temperature below my knees. I literally did not feel anything. Not even a breeze! Yup, I'm special. I usually forget about the whole temperature thing, unless I'm stepping into a pool or hot tub or something. It seems like a pleasant temperature then as soon as my knees touch the water I'm like "HOLY CRAP".

So yeah, that's about it. Do any of your disabilities cause any irregularities that amuse your co-workers? Cause mine are pretty impressed with me legs right now :D

Crippie's Tippie - If you're like me and have problems feeling temperatures, be careful. Just because something doesn't feel hot or cold to you that doesn't mean you get a burn and or frostbite. 

Damnit Fanny

Ohai,

Thanks for your support guys, the ninja vibes totally help!

Crippie had her pain management appointment today, and I honestly didn't know what my doctor would say or do. Crippie specifically told the doctor that my current course of treatment helps most of my pain except for my hip. I showed her my x-rays and she examined my hips, legs, and Fanny. The doctor's verdict iiiiiissssssssssssssssssss...
1) Fanny is pressing on my sciatic nerve.
2) Tumors in my hips are making the muscles in my legs contract, Crippie cannot straighten her leg
The Remedy - Neurontin for the nerve problems and stretches for the muscle problems

Crippie was totally not expecting those diagnoses, but they make a lot of sense. At first Crippie didn't believe the first diagnoses of sciatic nerve issues because my prior experience with nerve pain was a little different to say the least. I'm used to RSD to nerve pain... which is probably the worst pain I'll ever experience. The pain in my hips is more of a dull ache. It turns out the sciatic nerve pain can be a dull ache... who knew! Crippie was also very surprised about the whole muscle thing. I guess I never noticed that my leg doesn't straighten or that my muscles are tight. If anyone is wondering how I couldn't notice that... it's my normal. I'm used to it. I don't know what normal functioning legs feel like.

Crippie is so thankful that my doctor actually gives a crap about my quality of life. She is verrrrrryyyyy cautious about my meds because she knows I'm gonna be on them for the rest of my life. She cares about the quality of my future life, this muscle thing could turn into a huge problem in 10-20 years. Yet she realizes that I am in pain now and that I have to be treated now. It's unfortunate that I don't hear about doctors like her often.

BTW, if anyone was wondering how Crippie deals with news like this... Crippie is usually happy to get explanations and answers, even if it is potentially bad news. Today's appointment pretty much confirmed that my disease is progressing and that I am getting worse. I accepted the fact that my condition would progress long ago, so now I try to focus on what Crippie can do about it. Crippie is going to schedule an appointment with her orthopedist within the next few weeks and we'll take it from there.

Crippie's Tippie for Doctors - CARE ABOUT YOUR PATIENTS!!!

Pain Wars!

Sup Everybody!



I hope all of my readers had a terrific Tuesday. Crippie's day went rather well, I had work and I took care of the pets... nothin' special. Let's move on to Crippie's Jew song of the day shall we. Today's song has absolutely nothing to do with Passover, but it's one of Crippie's favorite Jew songs. I love "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" because a) the chorus is super easy to memorize b) Pete Seeger... nuff said.

Continuing on to actual cripple related stuff, Crippie had a very interesting conversation with her co-workers a few days ago. I'm not sure how it happened but somehow or another we got into a "Pain War" where everyone described the most pain that they've ever been in and we then decided who's was worst. Crippie's coworkers where telling tales of scratching their corneas and sinus surgery. Generally speaking I love winning competitions like this. It might seem weird, but if I'm gonna suffer I better win a damn contest for it. Crippie could've easily won this competition by saying "NERVE DAMAGE IN MY LEG. A YEAR'S WORTH OF PAIN. I WIN" but I didn't. Crippie lied and said that getting a tattoo on my ribcage was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. Why? Well, no one at work knows why I'm a cripple, and if I said that I'd kinda have to tell them why. Also my coworker's pains were very much temporary, and thus there is no real pity there. If Crippie said "oh yeah, I had nerve damage when I was ten. It was the worst pain I'll ever experience in my life and it lasted for about a year, although it still hurts from time to time" I'd probably depress the living hell out of my coworkers. Regardless of how I sugarcoat that story, my coworkers would feel sorry for me, and that simply will no do. The main reason Crippie lied was because my manager was competing in this competition... and you ALWAYS let your superiors win!

So what do you guys think? Was Crippie over-analyzing the situation? Was I right in thinking it's probably not a good idea to bring up traumatic childhood situations at work? If you were having a Pain Off at your office what would you say?

Crippie's Tippie - LET YOUR BOSS WIN EVERYTHING