Getting older sucks.

When I went in for an MRI on my glands, not only did they find stones in the glands but also some degeneration of the C7- T1 vertebra in my neck. I guess I got a two for one that day.

For sometime now I knew there was something not right with my neck and shoulders. Then as time went on my muscles in my upper arms started causing pain too. In fact some days the pain radiated all the way down to my little finger on my left arm. The right arm is not as bad, but still at times somewhat troublesome. 

So after reading the MRI results I headed to Google for some answers. What I found was rather worrisome.What I found was, that there is no cure for the degeneration of the vertebra, but there is a possibility that a steroid shot or surgery can help. The surgery is not an option, since it consists of fusing the troubled vertebra, making my neck immobile. That is also the last option doctors take. 

As time goes on the muscles in my arms will become weaker and my neck more painful. Gee whiz, I hardly get any sleep now. At night the pain is worse. Since  overuse of Nsaid’s is bad for the kidneys,  it’s a good idea NOT to take them too often. So even now I limit my usage. The dose I take is anywhere from 550 mg to 600mg, depending on the discomfort. Most days I just put up with the pain and discomfort. That is an amount that my MN doctor gave me for my arthritis in my back. That now is the least of my concerns, although still an issue and on both sides now.

Yesterday I saw my GP doctor and he told me just what I had found when I  researched. So I was a step ahead of him. He sent in a referral to a spine specialist. As soon as I can get in I’ll see what he has to say. I hope this specialist is better than the ENT doctor I saw for my glands. All the ENT wanted to do was surgery because he didn’t like the other options. Anyway, for now I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and thank God that I have Mark to help me with the things that I now have trouble doing. This is not a job I ever wanted Mark to have to do. When I go to the specialist Mark will be going in with me. It affects him too  so we need to be on the same page that the doctor puts on me. We both need to know what to expect and not expect. Sometimes we don’t always hear all of what is being said. And sometimes we don’t want to hear it so we ignore what is being said. Mark is good at that. But we both need to know irregardless.

 It’s all in God’s hands.