It's been over a year since I have posted in my diary so I guess I'm overdue. I'm fluctuating between 221 and 228.5 so let's call it 225 I guess.
I have been getting physical therapy almost every week for the past year. I have arthritis in my left shoulder which causes me pain and decreases my range of motion, especially when lifting over my head. One of my new doctors finally figured out what has been causing my leg pain over the past 4 years. It's from my sacroiliac joint, which is tilted because of my scoliosis. That causes my muscles to spasm and irritate the sciatic nerve. In addition to that I still have spinal stenosis at L2/L3 and L4/L5. I take anywhere from 8 to 12 Advil a day for the inflammation and I also have a Zynex e-stem machine which I put on my right butt cheek basically. It helps me fall asleep because after 15 or 20 minutes the pain goes away.
I got a cortisone shot in my left shoulder and I had an allergic reaction to either the numbing medicine or the cortisone. I started to have symptoms similar to those when I had meningitis and encephalitis. The right side of my face and my finger tips were going numb and I was having trouble with speech. I sat in the ER parking lot for an hour debating wether to go in. After the symptoms subsided I chose not to. I really didn't want to be admitted to a hospital again and undergo MRI's and such. The next two days I was in agony from the shot in my shoulder. I couldn't move my arm four inches upward. I was even making make shift slings. Ten days later total pain relief finally came. However, just two months later the pain is coming back. I can't keep getting cortisone shots all over my body and physical therapy hasn't helped as much as I hoped.
I am getting surgery in May to clean out a deviated septum and remove my uvula. I've been choking at night and in the mornings because my uvula is blocking my airway.
My basement was recently finished and I have a nice exercise room. One of the reasons I came here was to check my diary posts to see what I was eating when I was successfully losing weight. My wife and I are doing well and my kids are 7 and almost 3.
My wife has a lot of joint pain (wrist, forearm, leg, foot) and is often low on energy and tired. She had her primary doctor run some tests and one of them came back positive. It can indicate Lupus but we are not jumping to conclusions because she also said there are many other reasons it could be positive, including a false positive. So she now has to go to a Rheumatologist for further testing.
My daughter is a challenge because she has ADHD and possibly a mild version of Asperger's. It's taken a toll on the whole family, especially my wife who works endlessly with our daughter's doctors, her school, researching, etc. etc. It's emotionally frustrating.
My son still has a very strict and limited diet due to food allergies and he often gets sinus infections because of low immunity.
Financially we are fine so at least that is good. We aren't dying and we are enjoying life despite all the challenges that continue to come our way. So I can still say I am doing well, all things considered. Hopefully I can come back here at least once a month with some positive news to log. Weight wise I'm going to shoot for 219, then 209, then 199. From there I'd still like to get to the mid 180's but man has that proven to be nearly unattainable. I just need to stay healthy. I know I have the brain power and the will.
Derrick
