Different cast of characters,
completely different scenery,
(quieter, but no less beautiful)
and same intention:
to see and spend time with folks I love,
get hugs from vaccinated family
and, in this case, say Goodbye to a beloved great nephew
leaving for Boston this week to start law school.
I left immediately after a doctors visit and lab work,
expecting to be in Grand Rapids in the early evening.
Outside Chicago, however, I got a call from the doctor -
not his office, him -
telling me I needed to go to an ER, get additional labwork
and I'd probably need to be given 2 bags of IV fluids;
my lab results showed a huge spike in numbers indicating some degree of renal failure.
I pulled over to remind him I was out of town and, after much discussion,
it was decided I'd continue to GR and seek care there, with family to help as needed.
A quick call to my niece and her husband
and arrangements were made for me to head for Three Oaks,
a small farming community between Chicago and Grand Rapids where extended family has a farm.
I was to wait there and my niece and nephew would come get me
to relieve me from the rest of the drive.
Long story short,
I spent from 10PM - 2:30AM in the ER of a hospital in Grand Rapids,
having confirmatory labwork and receiving bags of IV fluids.
It was a great ER experience; the staff couldn't have been nicer and
THANK GOD FOR ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS.
I was able to pull up on my phone all of my lab work,
tests and notes from previous MDs visits
and the doc in MI called the exhcnage and spoke direclty to my primary.
It was excellent coordination of care.
(Spoiler alert:
The upshot of this event is that I have now had a renal ultrasound,
more lab work and am scheduled to see a Nephrologist next week.
My labs have, for the most part, returned to near normal - 'normal' being a relative term.
Sometimes, you can't avoid drama; it finds you.)
We spent the rest of the weekend, sitting on the front porch and back deck
exchanging stories and truths;
laughing and crying -
because that's what family is for.
It was just what I needed.
The window on the landing.
The medical saga continued once I was home:
Apparently my left knee decided that 71 years of service is enough.
(Which is surprising since that was my GOOD knee;
my right knee was the one with the most changes related to RA.)
I had a consultation with a new Orthopedic Surgeon and he took additional xrays.
Yes, I did have a meniscal tear,
but I also had a small depressed tibia fracture, right where the tibia joins the patella.
It wasn't caught on the first set of xrays due to the tremendous amount of swelling.
There would have been nothing they could do about it -
couldn't cast it and wouldn't have done surgery to lift the small bone back into position,
based on risk vs benefit ratio-
however, the small jagged surface of the bone was enough
to continue to shred the meniscus
and completely obliterate the cushioning between my knee/leg,
resulting in bone on bone contact and unrelenting pain for nearly 4 months.
In the words of the Surgeon, "there's no coming back from this".
I'm scheduled for a total knee replacement at the end of August -
IF I can get clearance from my Rheumatologist, Oncologist, Primary and now Nephrologist.
There's concern that my kidney/liver may not be able to metabolize the drugs needed for surgery
and the Anesthesiologist might refuse to put me under.
Trying not to dwell on either the pain of getting a new knee
OR the pain of NOT getting a new knee.
Trying to stay in the moment -
and take it as it comes.
Prayers and overall good vibes would be greatly appreciated though.
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