TRANSCRIPT
I started having pain in my back. And I thought it was in like my sciatica, towards my buttocks really. Back in 2013 and ‘14. But the leg would hurt because the pain would resonate all the way down my leg real bad. My right one worse than my left. So, it went on for a while and I tried everything.
Used to, from the military they gave you a book for patients over 50. And I even, I took that book and read all the things to try with the exercises, over the counter. And all the guidance that they give you and you think, and it help for like a moment type thing.
So the pain just was persistent and I could barely bend over. And my back hurt so bad. I went to the PCM. He did some test, for a EDG. And, to see if there was anything wrong with my stomach. And it wasn’t. And referred me to orthopedics.
And he pressed on my back and gave me some medication the first time I went in there to try anti-inflammatory medication to see. And he also ordered at that time for me to get an MRI and a CAT scan. So, I did that and came back. And that was the beginning of what I call, really the beginning of the treatment. And they can do, and they can do all kinds of things nowadays. They really can.
He took, he first, when I came back, he said I had bilateral arthritis. Which is what my hip, why my hip hurt so bad and down my leg. And it’s only my right leg that hurts real bad. The left one was not bad. And it was in the groin area. And because of that he said “hm.”
He ordered another MRI in the pelvic area. And that’s when he discovered there was a cyst that gave pressure on your vein there, on your femoral artery. And that was also contributing to making the arthritis hurt worse. This cyst was the size of a softball. It is much bigger than what he’d ever seen. Especially on someone he said at my stature. He was surprised. I was a little surprised too.
He went in and laparoscopically got off as much as the cyst as he possibly could because then he found out it was up against the femoral artery. So, we didn’t want to go any further at that time.
The support of my families and friends was phenomenal. You can’t make it alone in anything. I don’t care what it is. You’re going to need somebody. If nothing more than the moral support to talk to you on the telephone.
I know what makes me hurt, then that what takes such a long time to get over. And if something’s going to take you three or four days to really work your way through that pain, it’s not worth it. You got to be smart. You have to be smart. And if you can rake leaves like you used to do and plant flowers and trim trees, okay. But you used to could do it in one day but maybe now it may take you three. Just balance it out and be smart. You know, because all it’s going to do, you’re going to take the other three days if you overdo it to feel better again.
I think I have a great number of years left ahead of me. You know, I really do. I don’t think, I got a lot of things to say and a lot of things to do. I think a positive attitude is 50 percent of the success rate of anything that you try to accomplish.