Monday, October 13, 2008

Dr. Visit.....yippee

Well after sitting in my Dr.s office for over 2 hours, I finally got my few minute visit.
He went over my MRI and told me I have a torn rotator cuff and asked if I wanted to see a surgeon. I reminded him of my cardiologists 1 year of NO Surgery's law and he rechecked my last stent placement and said yes, at least one year, 2 would be better. It seems that with the type of stent used that I MUST remain on "PLAVIX" daily or risk an immediate heart attack!
GREAT NEWS for a guy who typically forgets to take his meds at least once a week !

So I guess I just have to learn to live with it. Another victory for MR. P.

And just like Professor Ludwig von Drake said,"MAN IS HIS OWN WORST ENEMY BECAUSE HE DON'T THINK"!!!
I could have avoided this injury! HASTE makes HURT, so slow down everyone, and don't forget to "think" before you act.

6 comments:

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Darn.
See. I told you I had a feeling it might be a torn rotator cuff, by the way you explained it.
My Dad went through alot of pain to get it, and then even more before he had the surgery. Followed up with more pain during rehab.

For you, it seems the tune is "You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't"

I really am sorry...not *for* you, but for the crap you're having to go through.

Hang in there :)

~Lisa

GreyWolf said...

Lisa: So did your Dad think the surgery was worth it?
My chiropractor says that many who go through the surgery wish they never had it done. And I personally don't know anyone who has had it done.

Danni said...

Sorry for the less than stellar news you received, but you kind of knew it was headed in that direction. My mom was on plavix for a number of years and would bleed if anybody even looked at her funny - it was weird. So it's good you're being careful with that.
I'm off to drive a "discer" for my dairy farmer friend today - don't even know what a discer is, but I'll be sure to slow down and think before I act. Wait a minute. That might just mean not to even drive this dern thing he's trying to get me to drive. Hmmm.... :-)
Does your chiropractor have anything to offer you in the way of pain management?

frugalmom said...

Sorry to hear the news from the dr. Sounds like the fact that you are on the Plavix, tho, may give you some time to research all the surgical options that you have.

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Hey Grey Wolf,

Yes, my Dad is glad *now* that he had it done. The healing took a over a year, but he's basically good as new now and can do just about anything without any pain or limitations in his arms or shoulders.

BTW, is Plavix similar to Coumadin?
About 15 yrs ago, my hubby almost died from a gentic defect that caused blood clots to fill up his lungs.
He's been taking the generic form of coumadin (warfarin) ever since.
The medication has been a lot of difficulty for him, similar to what your'e going through because of the chance of bleedouts.

About 4 years ago he suffered a serious brain injury in an auto accident and had to have a permanent shunt installed to remove fluids. He had to be off the meds for at least a week in preparation for surgery and we were worried about the blood clots coming back.

By the way did you know that warfarin is made from many of the same ingredients as rat poison?

~Lisa

GreyWolf said...

Danni: Yup, it sure did. And that is the joy of plavix, turns you into quite a bleeder.
Ok, I will need to know what a "discer"is too. Hope you took your camera so you could write a blog about it.

Marcee: Yup, I got at least 9 months to get it all figured out.

Lisa: Glad to hear it worked out good on your Dad. That gives me a little more encouragement. Plavix does have the same blood thinning effects because it keeps the platelets from sticking together & forming clots.
Sorry to hear about your hubby's problems.
And yes I knew that about the rat poison. I worked at a grain elevator for 30 years and had a lot of contact with rat poisons and other pesticides. As a matter of fact I took classes and became a liscensed pesticide applicator for buildings and structures,Home and commercial, field and air applicator, right of way and waterways, and even forestry.
My company paid for building and structures program and testing. After I finished the test I was waiting for a co-worker to finish and the instructor just kept giving me other tests to keep me occupied, I surprised him by passing them all even though I never studied for them. He then gave me the books so I could read up on the subjects I passed, and he issued me a liscense for each one. However the company I worked for refused to follow the safety rules so I refused to apply for them or sign the documentation so someone else could. Lucky for them my co-worker was not as safety conscious as I was. After my liscences expired the company had someone else go and get trained.