|
Medical update
My existence is more bearable now—or, to put it more cautiously, it is more bearable for the time being. The ciliac plexus nerve bloc that was performed last Saturday seems to be working just as the doctor ordered. Since Sunday there has been no recurrence of the terrible pain in the belly. In general, the rest of the pain management regime also seems to be working, in that the various other discomforts and pains in the abdominal area are lessened, though not vanished, and I am often though not always comfortable. (The doctor said that the nerve block would stop the worst pain, not all the pains, which is exactly what has happened.) Another positive development is that some normal functioning has been restored to the intestines, though never without assistance. Let it never be said that a man or a woman who has drunk a half bottle, let alone a full bottle, of magnesium citrate is a sissy. Also, I seem to be eating better. For example, last night I ate an entire hamburger at one sitting, the equivalent of which has been unprecedented during the past seven weeks. I hope the reduction in my weight has ceased. However, all week I have been light-headed and unsteady on my feet and walk only with difficulty.
In sum, I am suffering much less since the weekend and greatly relieved by this fact but am still not strong enough to blog regularly. I spend most of my time resting, napping, and re-reading the magnificent first volume of William Manchester’s biography of Winston Churchill, The Last Lion. Which by the way indicates another very positive change, as I have been unable to do even mildly extensive reading since my intestinal troubles began in December. Email entry |