Needles, Needles! Everywhere!

No Work and No Play

Usually when someone takes the day off, they get to play. Not Chad! Nope. Instead he got to  suffer in pain all day. :( My patience for this is growing weary. The VA has to figure out what is going on because it seems obvious that it's more than just a muscle spasm. Tomorrow will be two weeks he's been dealing with this, with very little relief.

I've been trying to get him to consider acupuncture for a little bit now and it seemed everywhere we turned, people were suggesting it as well. Today he agreed to give it a shot. It's a bit on the expensive side but it will be worth it if it gives him some relief from this constant pain and spasms.

He feels better than when he went in but neither of us think it will last long. He is still sore but for the moment - no spasms. We have another appointment for Monday because he likely will be unable to work then either. It's worth a shot right?

I'm exhausted. I'm trying to focus on the positives and remember life could be so much worse and our struggles could be so much more difficult. It's just when I see my husband in constant pain and unable to enjoy the gift of life he's been given.. well it's just hard.

Thank you to everyone for checking in and always offering so much love and support!

Life Can Change On A Dime

I keep typing and deleting. I don't know how to approach this update. First and foremost, Chad is okay. There's not much change. Before I get into that - I just wanted to share some internal thoughts. Life isn't always easy. We're all imperfect human beings and every day we're given on this planet is a blessing.

Chad's life, my life - our family's life - was turned inside out and upside down 13 months ago. Yes, it's been hard. Yes, it feels like it never ends. But we are so blessed to still be here, still together, still fighting, still loving, laughing and living. Far too often lately, I've seen live lost, people gone way too soon. Whether it be cancer, other alarming health issues or a tragic accident. I've shed many silent tears over the past few months for people I knew, barely know or even some I went to high school with. Gone too soon. So even though things get tough and our own private hells are exhausting. Life is a blessing and I'm so thankful for every day.

Chad did not have his endoscopy today as we had hoped. The VA Veteran's Choice Program is a complete joke and the people handling the paperwork are less than competent. Hopefully it will still happen some time this month.

He did go to his Primary Physician today. He was working in Mayfield (the same town the VA clinic is in) - so I didn't actually go. (I hurt inside a little when I say that lol) This was the first doctor visit I hadn't attended and it's difficult for me because I only have second-hand information and I, of course, couldn't ask my million questions I always ask.

Chad has yet another new doctor at the VA and I hear he seems nice. He is actually familiar with appendix cancer and has dealt with it before. (Not sure what that means or to what extent) Apparently he was an Army doctor in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chad addressed;

Neck and Shoulder Spasms - The doctor has put in for an MRI. He has also prescribed Chad stronger muscle relaxers. He suggested Chad get a cervical traction device to assist in stretching his neck muscles.

Belly Pain and Bloating - Chad's oncologist put Chad on amitriptyline to address some scar tissue pains he was having in the beginning. It has a side effect of weight gain and is also an anti-depressant. Chad decided to stop taking these a few weeks ago (with doctor's approval/encouragement) It has been my opinion, that this drug was the cause of some of his prior issues, as well as his new neck spasms. I believe a lot of Chad's trouble with the spasms is tension/stress and since the amitriptyline is weaning out of his system - it's attributing to his current difficulties. His new doctor seems to believe the same. He has put Chad on some different kind of anti-depressant that doesn't have sever side effects.

Leg Pain - This isn't something I've discussed before because it was never really related. Well I may have mentioned it in passing when I bought him some compression socks. Anyways, Chad has bad varicose veins in his legs which have began giving him a lot of pain and discomfort so the doctor has also put in for Chad to see the Vein Clinic people.

Medications - I don't know what this doctor has done but he's combined three medications/treatments into one so Chad isn't pouring so many chemicals into his body. This I have very little information on, so I don't know.

He did not address;

Moles - I mentioned a mole previously that caused him concern. I wasn't too concerned about it because it didn't look bad. It was a raised mole (always has been) and he said it was sore but I think he just irritated it by rubbing it against something. it stopped hurting the next day and looks normal. With that said, he does still need to have another check of his moles due to his family history of melanoma but due to his dislike of the VA Doctor who seen him previously, he is reluctant. Since I wasn't there, I couldn't push for it. Sigh.

In Conclusion:  *Sigh* I dunno. He's hurting right now. Bit of a cramp in his neck which is the first one since we left the ER on Sunday. Probably due to all the stress of the doctors but who knows. Hopefully his endoscopy will still be this month and God willing him being off the amitriptyline will eventually lead to fewer problems, rather than more.

As always - your love, friendship, support and prayers are priceless!

xoxo

Laughing Gas

Do you ever get so overwhelmed and frustrated that you just end up laughing because really - there's nothing else you can do? The absurdity of life just leaves you at a loss for words.

Brief Update on Spasms: Chad went to work today. *Insert unimpressed face* Despite my many protests he went to work but promised not to, even remotely, try to push it. He didn't have any further spasms last night so the medication may be working. It did however, leave him very very nauseous with an intense burning sensation in his belly. I took him breakfast today and he is 'making it' (his words) He has another appointment after work with the chiropractor.

He did begin to tense up such because he got a call from Dr. Williams office (The one who was supposed to do his endoscopy). They are having trouble getting the approval they require from Tri-West (the VA Veteran's Choice providers). Apparently, the last time they dealt with this they ran into the same issues. After three (very, very aggravating) phone calls to Tri-West, I finally got a woman who was respectful and kind and did her best to assist me. She couldn't tell me anything other than Dr. Williams office needed to submit a form. When I explained the urgency of the situation (the appointment is in two days) she offered a suggestion. To which I phoned Dr. Williams office - spoke to the nurse and passed it along. The nurse (Alex) will re-submit the form again (Supposedly for the third time) with an attached note and mark it URGENT! in an effort to get approval in time.

Currently though - Chad's scheduled endoscopy that we've been waiting for since December - looks to be in jeopardy. Chad does have an appointment tentatively scheduled for Wednesday with his primary care physician in the event that we can't get the approval required for the endoscopy.