Hi people,
Thank you for all the continues well wishes and thoughts, we both are having a thought run at the moment with our health but things will get better or at least a little more bearable...!
We saw our doctor last Wednesday 9/7 and we both had some news/results from tests done recently and as far as Merissa goes, the doctor is convinced that she is suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, something that Sharon was correct about and I had my suspicions from day one, and always claimed that, the right left calf muscle, the right knee and more recently her hands condition, had nothing to do with her damaged spine, it had to be something else and so , its proven to be...!
The doctor is trying to make contact with a rheumatologist and attempt to get Merissa in before the 9 months of waiting time on the public service system, I may have to come up with some extra money to get this appointment through the private system, that will cost a bunch, but I don't care, I want Merissa to get this condition well under control before more damage is done...!
Our doctor has already gave her some strong anti-inflammatory, a lot stronger than the Brufen we both have been on for a long time but, any more specialised medication/treatment can only be expected to be subscribed by the rheumatologist.
While I'm happy to see Merissa's situation to take a different and better direction than until now, I'm going on the knife on the last day of this month, this is a test will once and for all, determine which of my Adrenal glands got the tumor that has been causing my blood pressure to become uncontrollable since the beginning of last years 2013.
Lots of all kinds of tests before they worked out that was an Adrenal gland dysfunction, blood pressures of average 210-120 for far too long, the "ticker" is just going too damn fast, with the common side effects of Hypertension condition, have not been easy.
Recent CT scans and more blood tests failed to identify which Adrenal gland is paying up (left or right) and because these glands seat/are attached above each kidney, they have no option that make an incision in my groin into the main blood artery, insert an instrument that will follow the vein right to the Adrenal gland large vein connection and removed some blood directly from each gland, for testing. This is going to be a 1 day thing, I can drive home sometime after 4:00pm.
If the problem is only on one Adrenal gland, I will have to have it completely removed, if it happens that both are affected, they can not remove both, like the kidneys, we can live with only one but not without the 2 so, I may have to be submitted to a extreme treatment with drugs to minimise the affect they are having on my blood pressure and other things.
The 2013 was not a very kind year for us, and 2014 is turning up to be even less kind but, things will get better, particularly in pain levels, so we hope...!
When we don't feel that well, is always that assumption that we are the only ones, huh...??? nothing could be further from the truth, I don't have to look very far to see that, there is a big bunch of people out there, a lot worse than us, it may not be of any consolation but certainly puts things in perspective, if you want to take notice, and I do...!
So, this is all we can say for the moment, tomorrow is another day and we will be here to live it the best way we can, isn't that what everyone else tries to do...???
Cheers
George