RCB-TN-57-B, West of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
Warning to first-time visitors: If you haven't visited my blog before, I suggest you read some of my older posts first to get a true sense of what the blog is about. Because today's post is a downer. Here's a good place to start.
If you're still with me, and you don't have delicate sensibilities, let me bring you up to date. My last post was on August 10. On August 12, I lost my balance in our bedroom, my foot got caught in the carpet, and I fell heavily. A trip to the emergency room confirmed the bad news — I had a compression fracture of a vertebrae. T-11, to be specific.
The pain was not much fun, so I began wearing a back brace and taking pain medication (tramidol), and in seven or eight days found myself with an impacted intestine. As in blocked. As in I had to drink a gallon of that vile bowel prep solution to get myself unplugged.
So, I switched to oxycodone. and in about a week found myself plugged again. I hadn't realized that all narcotics have that effect. So, back to the vile bowel prep. Nowadays I'm making do with Tylenol and Ibuprofen and gradually getting better. I should also mention that in the midst of the fun and games with bowel obstruction, I developed a hernia.
Healing is a slow process. I haven't been writing because I can't sit at my computer for more than a few minutes at a time, and also because I've been having some general brain fog. But I'm slowly trying to work myself back into the groove.
Still ahead are an aortic valve replacement sometime this fall, and an angioplasty to open up the arteries in my left leg. Also, possible surgery to repair the hernia. And many, many hours of physical therapy.
So that's the story. Unless something else happens.
About the photo: The building behind the old truck is Rock City barn TN-57. The old farmer who owned the place told me that he pulled out of his driveway onto the highway one day and was promptly smacked by a passing car. He reversed back into his driveway, parked the truck, threw away the keys, and never drove again. Canon EOS A2 camera, Fujichrome 100D film.
If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/
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Photographs and text copyright David B. Jenkins. I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.
I am truly sorry that this is what's been going on and that you've been in pain and discomfort.
ReplyDeleteI want to offer a though in case you need pain meds again, as someone who's been through gut motility issues in his past. Magnesium oxide pills are cheap -- and effective at keeping the system moving. You'll have to calibrate how much to take -- at my worst, I was taking 2,000 mg morning and another 2,000 mg at night -- but it kept things moving when nothing else would. Consult with your doctor of course, but mine was all on board with this plan.
A lot to deal with at once. I'm wishing you strength and comfort and I'm going to keep checking for your return to blogging.
ReplyDeleteA great photo with an interesting story, by the way.