A quick update

Just a quick update today.....
I got to meet my new neurologist yesterday. My last one (the one that I had since the onset of my TM left to head to southern Ohio to be near his grandkids) and he turned over most of his patients to this new neuro.
I had my reservations going in to this appointment, one reason was that he has a reputation of being against prescribing meds, especially pain meds. Now, don't get me wrong...I'm the worst pill taker there is but I will tell you....out of all the types of pain that I have ever had...nerve pain is by far the worst and when it flares up it certainly helps to have something to take the edge off...so I was prepared to state my case on that.
Second, even though he came highly recommended by my last neuro...(who I liked very much and was very highly respected in the medical community) I was kind of put off because I thought this new guy might be kind of *high and mighty* seeing as he was a Harvard Medical School grad.

Well, fortunately for he and I, I liked him. He was friendly, he was genuinely interested in my specific situation and when we addressed the pain concern he was more than happy to help out with the pain meds....even the nurses there at the office were surprised...
I take that as he totally understands the type of pain that I am experiencing and that it needs to be addressed.
So, that did take a load off as far as that goes.

It's interesting...my wife and I were talking yesterday....just in the last year...
as far as our doctors....I have had to change neurologists, we have had to change our family doctor twice...once because the doc we've had for years changed insurance carriers...then our second doc left the practice to go somewhere else.
I've also had to change my primary doc at the VA because the one I had, retired and we also had to change the pharmacist that we had been using for quite some time.
Kind of makes you feel like an orphan.....

Well, I think that's about it for now.....that brings us up to date with the most recent happenings....

Let's close with this selection from Leon Russell...I happened across this video the other day..a very stripped down version of "A Song For You" ...just Leon and his piano from 1971...this is about as soulful as it gets...


Till Next Time......

Well, Hello World.......

My last post was July 5th...and today is August 17th....what a long strange trip it's been since my last post....no, not really.
I've just decided to scale back my postings....for a couple of reasons...first, I got tired of my bitch sessions...complain, complain, complain...Seems that TM can make you complain alot about many things... That creates a very negative feeling and I didn't like it so much.
Second, I've been puttering around with my wood carvings and cane making...not that it has been taking up a ton of my time, it's just that it is a bit more constructive, helps relieve some stress and allows me a chance to escape from the day to day drama of this house.

Here is my latest cane.....



I'm going to make a few more canes and then start posting them on a couple of craft websites and see if I get any hits on them so that maybe I can sell a few....keep your fingers crossed..!

Otherwise, as far as me and my TM....pretty much at an even keel now...I've grown accustomed to the pain and the achy legs. Although there are days that the pain is considerably higher than others and I do have to resort to my pain meds.
What I mean by the pain...just to give you an idea....is that it radiates from my tailbone...and it is a burning/fiery pain that goes down through my butt and down the tops of the backs of my legs where it feels like my skin is being ripped open. That is nerve pain. It's a really weird feeling/sensation to have all the time.
I also have one muscle in my left glute that runs down to about halfway to my knee that is almost always in a constant state of spasm. Usually, more so first thing in the morning and late at night.
The humidity of the summer is playing hell with me...I can tell the slightest change in humidity in my legs...the more humidity, the more achy my legs are...weird, huh..?
Also, with the heat/humidity...fatigue is really bad. I sweat like a fool and I wear out in a matter of minutes.

Lately I've had pretty good luck (knock on wood) with the migraines....I've not had any of the real bad ones at all. Just a very low grade headache that ran from August 10 - 13 but it didn't affect anything that I did. Hopefully, this new medication the doc has me on is doing the trick....

Well....I guess that's about it for now....I'll close with this and maybe write a bit more soon....
With us being in the middle of August....and the weather being hot...it makes me thing of an old album by a great artist...the album...Hot August Nights...Neil Diamond
Off of that album there was a song that I love to this day.....so....with that..here we are.


Till Next Time......