'negatives' ARE GOOD!

As for spinal surgery, I've not a clue. It could be that doc doesn't do surgery or his condition isn't bad enough to deal with the risks it entails. It is invasive surgery without doubt.

I just hope for your sake [you have to live with the dear, after all] that they don't just toss up the hands and say 'Live with it'. Not acceptable!

Just a word of warning tho: Quest diagnostics in CA will probably file the claim w/your insurance in that state, so you will probably get a 'Not in our File' claim rejection. Call your local Plan's office and be prepared to spend a few hours on HOLD until you get someone who can actually work it out. When My work went there for testing....it took about 5 months to get it all clicking in the right places. A stressor we don't need, shouldn't have to deal with, but IT HAPPENS. Keep all those papers and EOB's in one place handy to cite off claim#'s etc to sort it out.

Good holiday thoughts and hugs for the interim - j

Oh Brother,it never ends around here!!!

He comes home today from his podiatrist and he says "I have two infections in both my feet". I said "what???? He says "yeah,and I need to have an operation on the ulcer underneath the foot, it's still not healed after 8 months and the doctor wants to talk about me having the operation". I took his sox off, took one look at the redness on the tops of his feet, called up Dr. Baird and when he got on the phone and said "Hi Mel", I said "you think it's cellulitis, right?" and he laughed and said "boy, you are good", but he said "just to make sure, I have him on an antibiotic and he can't get his feet wet". I said "no problem, now let's talk about the operation".

He said "well, this has been going on for 8 months, enough is enough, I have to shave the bone from the side of his foot and his ulcer will finally heal." I said "when do you want to do this?, and he said "well, sooner rather than later". So next week when he goes to see Dr. Baird again, I'll go with him.
I then called Peninsula Hospital and they no longer have the courtesy van that picks you up from the house and brings you home from the hospital. I asked the ambulette service how much they charge and it's $286.

I then called up Access a Ride and asked "do you go to Far Rockaway, to Peninsula Hospital and they said "sure". So the whole thing will cost us $4.00 when he has to go to Peninsula Hospital for the surgery!!!!

What is he going to come down with next??????

This will take 3 weeks to heal (that's what Dr Baird said).

Seems like all we do is see podiatrists, primary care guys, and neurologists.

Oh he has a nasty bruise on his ankle (I think he must have bumped it at the gym and because he's on plavix and aspirin, well,..........!!!

But.... the other night he woke up in the moning with a big scratches on his calf. I said "what on earth is this, you are bleeding".

He said "the demons got me during the night". I said "I think you scratched yourself with the back scratcher in your sleep".

Now we're doing demons....................jeeeeez

melody

Liza Jane:

Every time we see a surgeon, they look at his MRI, then they shake their heads and go , Oh, significant spinal stenosis, but I can't operate" This was Dr. Elowitz. He does the miniminally invasive endoscopic dischectomy thing.
So why can't Alan have this done. If they really think this is why he has PN, why can't they just go in and take out the stenois?

We'll find out more when he sees Dr. Goldfarb on January 22.

Take care,
Melody

Hi Melody, If my memory serves me right Alan found relief from that chiro/neuro bloke, was it just relief from the pain coming from the spine or did the PN symptoms lesson after an adjustment from the chiro and the excercises he give him to do ?
I am wondering if magnets may help him.

Just to clarify something. ALAN NEVER HAD ANY PAIN IN HIS SPINE. THIS IS NOT WHY HE WENT TO THEIRL. He saw him because of the neuropathy and when he first went there, Dr. Theirl took one look at my stiff husband who was not flexible, never exercised a day in his life, and could not even bend his knees (but never had any significant pain to speak of, ONLY THE PN PAIN), well, he told Alan. "We have to help this guy".

Once he began adjustments with Dr. Theirl he became a new man. He lost weight, he was much more flexible and miracle of miracles, he went off the fentanyl pain patch.

Yes, he did try magnets, they did nothing for him.

To me, if you go to a chiropractic neurologist and you get relief and you can stop taking the fentanyl pain patch, well DOESN'T THAT SCREAM "IT'S THE BACK, IT'S THE BACK"!!!!!!!!


Well, now that we know it's not auto-immune, and we know he has significant spinal stenosis, doesn't this still scream, IT'S THE BACK, IT'S THE BACK!!!!!!

To me, this means, IT'S THE BACK, and we have to find somebody who will do the back.

But that has to wait until he has THE FEET DONE FIRST.

Guess who has to take care of him all during this???

And this morning my sciatica is killing me. I just put on a lidoderm pain patch.

Thank god for those things.

will update.

Melody

Mel, even with the spinal cyst causing spinal stenosis and significant disability, I NEVER had back pain. I had pain in my leg. So that's not an indicator. There are some top spine guys in NY, guys who do not need to operate to support themselves anymore, and who have long waiting lists. If Alan has significant spinal stenosis, it might be worth his being followed by one of these guys. The bottom line is that he has continued pressure on nerves to his legs. It probably has nothing to do with peripheral neuropathy, which is about 15 years old, if I remember correctly, but it's still worth following. Everyone who ages gets spinal stenosis to some degree. We just outlive our spines.

As for the infection in his foot. This is the domain of a vascular surgeon. Perhaps the neurologist can recommend someone? I'd think a consultation there would be worthwhile, too.

Well, the rash on the top of his foot is getting better. It never bothered himn one bit. We never even knew it was there until he went to the podiatrist yesterday. He started the antibiotics yesterday too.

The main thing is the surgery to shave the bone on the side of the foot so the ulcer underneath the foot will finally heal. That is what the foot guy is concerned about now.

We shall see, we shall see.


HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!!
Love, Melody

HMM, well, that means I am seropositive for Lyme Disease in New York....but we don't have it in OUR state! Since my IgM from out of state is positive....

(OUR stupid state does not check IgM)...don't want to scare away tourists from the great northwoods, nor do we want to overburden the insurance companies.