One YearLater...

    It has been one year sine I last entered my thoughts in this blog.  It has been a year that brought increasing pain every day.  A  year of numerous medical visits, procedures, and medications.  After, the diagnosis from a Neurosurgeon last April, I had almost decided to give up and become an invalid.  George was already shouldering all the household chores, except the bill paying, while I either sat in one of the two chairs I was able to, or laid in bed.  After a frustrating experience with my Orthopedic doctor saying it was my left hip causing the pain, scheduling hip replacement surgery, and then, after further x-rays and MRI's, deciding it wasn't my hip after all, on my own I contacted another Neurosurgeon.  No referral--I just phoned his office and told his receptionist my tale of woe.  She returned my call in a short while, saying the Doctor agreed to see me.  After my first visit with him, he took the time to thoroughly research my x-rays, MRI's, reports from Pain Management Doctors who had done injections into my spine, and consulted with my Orthopedic Doctor.  On my second visit, he explained where he felt my pain was originating and we agreed on another spinal injection into a specific place.  I  had the injection and it was SPOT ON!  Three weeks now, and I am experiencing only minor discomfort in my leg.  I can have another injection in three months if I need one--OR---I can elect for surgery.  The surgery would entail exactly what the first Neurosurgeon described last April, only THIS Neurosurgeon is willing to do it.  No nonsense about my age and the other objections brought up.   I have done alot of praying this  past  year.  Not only for myself, but also on behalf of my beloved daughters.  I think I was supposed to learn patience from all this.  I am often so obtuse in that I frequently have difficulty figuring out what lesson God is teaching  me.  I litterly have to get a good SMACK for my brain to be penetrated.