Feeling a little picked on!!

I just popped in to look at my blog.  I can't believe that the last time I posted was for my son's birthday last May.  I think that Facebook has taken over my blog.  Even though I don't post that much.  I mostly just like to look and make comments.  It is a good way to keep up with my friends and family.

Now you may be wondering why I am feeling picked on?  Well it started out with the breast cancer scare and biopsy.  I was elated that the results were good.  Even though I am still be watched by my doctor.  So then I went to my Dermatologist for my six month exam, and he had to remove a Basil Cell cancer off from the side of my nose.  It left an ugly hole, that is supposed to fill in.  It still looks red and I can't see it filling in yet, but on the upside of things, It matches the scars on the other side of my nose where I had to have surgery several years ago to remove some more skin cancer. Had to make something positive out of it, or I would cry.

Well the story doesn't end there, like I said it has been a tough year. I have had a constant pain in my left side of my stomach and radiated to my back. I had a CT scan a couple of years ago and diverticulitis was blamed for the pain. About five years ago I had a Pelvic Mesh operation, and I couldn't help but wonder if the mesh advertisement, I was seeing on TV, was the cause of my pain. I had asked my doctor about the TV advertisement and he said he didn't used the kind of mesh that was causing the problems.  So I decided the pain I was having was indeed diverticulitis.

I continued to have the pain especially after I had a colonoscopy.  I called the surgeon who did my colonoscopy, and told him I was having some server pain on my left side.  He put me on an antibiotic thinking I had a flare up of diverticulitis.  The pain still continued off and on for several months.  Finally, I went in to my OBGYN for my yearly checkup, and told him of the pain I was having and was wondering if my bladder was the problem.  He checked me out and and after a painful pelvic exam, he told me he found a nodule on my left side, and when he touched it, I about took him and me to the ceiling with the pain it caused. I cried "That is the pain I have been having!" He had me come back the following day to have a ultra sound test, and some other test that caused me a great deal of pain.  The pain lasted several days.  I received a phone call from the receptionist that I needed to come in for a consult for my options.

I went in for the appointment, and my doctor said the mesh had fallen and there was no option other than surgery.  He had already talked to a Urogynecologist and he was told to have me make an appointment with him.  Long story short, it was another month of having tests before a surgery date was set up. In the mean time the pain was getting more severe. I was operated on September 5th, and was in the hospital two days and a night.  Since we live 70 miles away from the hospital, the doctor didn't want me to travel, that soon after surgery.

After surgery the he pain continued on my left side and when I went in to my doctor, I told him.  He said he may have had to tug a little more on that side.  Also the mesh had been laying against my colon and I am sure was causing irritation to my colon.  Finally after four weeks the pain subsided, and I was elated to be without pain.  I sat on our fifth wheel travel trailer steps listening to music and feeling like Fall was finally coming as it was a cooler day. I was thinking to myself finally no pain! now maybe I can enjoy life again.  Then a week or so later, I started feeling like I was having some gum pain issues on the right side of my mouth, both upper and lower.  So I called my dentist and went to see if there was something he could do about it.  I can still see the look on my dentist face after he looked at my teeth and gums.  I touched his arm and said "Go ahead, join the list of all the other doctors I have seen lately, give me the bad news."  I thought he was going to tell me I would have to have my teeth pulled.  Instead he gave me the diagnosis of Trigeminal Neuralgia.  I had never heard of this, but I am experiencing it.  It makes me feel like I have abscessed teeth on my upper and lower back teeth on my right side.  It comes and goes, and lasts several minutes. My dentist told me I needed to go to a Neurologist.

I made an appointment with my regular doctor to have him refer me to a Nurologist.  He put me on an antiseizure medicine, and after a few days of taking it, I got so dizzy that I was afraid of falling down and breaking a leg, hip, arm, etc.  I quit taking the medicine.  I am waiting to get a CT-scan to make sure a tumor isn't causing the problem.  I have been reading on the internet about this malady, and it is scary as it is so painful and not too many treatments available.  So Yes!!!! I am feeling a little picked on.  All I can say at this point is "Old Age Sucks"!!!!!! I know there are things that are far worse than this, but I am the one going through this now, and I was hoping to travel more and enjoy my husband's retirement years with him.  Unfortunately, his back is so bad now, he is in the same boat as me.  I told him we need to put a new name plaque out that reads "The Pain House"  Maybe it should say "Enter at your own risk." Pain makes you cranky. So we are staying home more now, except for our outings to the doctors.  I know I need an attitude adjustment, but I need some more time to learn how to deal with this.

UPDATE

I just added the above post today even thought I wrote it a few weeks ago.  I had the CT Scan and there was no tumor which was good news.  The pain has subsided and I hope it goes away forever, but there is a chance of it coming back.  I am really trying to be more positive about life and keep telling myself to try and fine the good in life, like my G.granddaughter lighting up my life.  When she comes to visit I find myself smiling more often.  After all family is what makes life worth living.