August 22: General updates, nothing philosophical

Today is the six month anniversary of the fall down the stairs. While the ankle and foot are better, it's unbelievable it's still inhibiting me so much. The visit to the ortho guy was totally useless, his only statement was to keep saying "Get another bone scan". That's the nuclear test that shows increased activity in the area, can diagnose a stress fracture, but not a guarantee. So exactly what is this going to show? If it's positive, then it supports my diagnosis; but if it shows increased uptake that might or might not be a fracture, then it still doesn't rule it out. My point to the ortho doc was this: It's been six months, and what we are doing isn't working, so it's time to change what we're doing. This to me is logic. He just keep repeating to get a nuclear scan.

So yes, I'm exploring what other doctor to go to. But, there is a happy note....

Friend at Fellowship introduced me to someone who does frequency specific microcurrent, or FSM for short. Basically, it's along the same thought as TENS, sending electric current through the area which can increase bone growth. Technically this is only approved for pain relief, no controlled studies. So this is definitely alternative, and when looking up on-line there are a lot of sceptics. But one big surprise was under Penna practitioner it came up with a full-time person with the Eagles who does this, with a blurb on how rapidly it healed Terrell Owens' ankle fracture--whoever thought he would actually come in handy! And hey, no one has come up with anything else, so it's worth a try.

So, I ended up at a chiropractor's office where they do the treatment. I have a basic distrust of chiropractors, because in my experience most of them do more harm than good. But every once in a while a good one sneaks through. But this guy is a healer--really. And his tech, Cris, also has a gift. I definitely felt something during the hour long treatment, they were also going for the parathyroid area since that has a lot to do with calcium processing. There was quite a bit of muscle pain the next day, and two days afterwards there is still some present. But the pain in the foot is dramatically LESS, even after one treatment. I felt so much better just feeling like there was something being done.

(Note to Deneen: you might want to check this out: use google, put in the full words, then on the site go to practitioners, Don is in Doylestown.)

Martha had her thoracotomy last Friday, and is doing very well. They took out the right lower lobe and several lymph nodes. While the pathology is known on the lung tissue from the biopsy, the nodes are crucial to seeing if there was any spread. She came home the third day after and is already walking more than a mile! She admits that the narcotics round the clock are a must, which she knows is normal.

Joanne and her family have some nasty bug, she and husband John are pretty bad, son Joey has it even worse. She didn't say anything about son Jeremy, so hopefully he stays better. But send some healing thoughts into the universe for her. And this was supposed to be a long weekend at the shore as well, although the hurricane probably would have nixed that in any case.

So, those are the basics. Thanks for checking in, Laurie