Thanksgiving Weekend 2010

The pain was sudden and severe.  The left foot, little toe and one next to it and the ball on that side, WOW, shebang, holy sh.., OMG, what the hell is this all about.  Pain again, bang, pow, whoa hoss, oh damn, yeoweee Abigail, oh kalamazoo, bam.  Neuropathy has reared its ugly head.  Now that is an equalizer if ever there was one.  Unable to bear any weight on the areas affected causes me to hobble.  A hint Thanksgiving, an attack Friday and a knock down Saturday and I am back to the prescribed 3/300 mg/gabapentin per day every day.  Now the condition lurks, close to the surface, rolling about.  Sometimes it hits like a hammer, raising one up with a start.  The drug taken as prescribed seems to manage the condition but does nothing to cure it.  My problem is I continue to live in this dream world where I can quit taking pain pills and gab and so on and I have to accept that ain’t gonna happen.  Whoa, don’t touch.  Don’t even get near.  You learn to walk in odd ways, on heels, balls, sides of your feet and sometimes you might not get to walk at all.  This is all the more reason to return to the gym as soon as possible as far as I am concerned.  And clearly I need to accept reality every day and stop living in that dream world that has kept me young all those years.  Is that another cost levied by the animal, the end of the Adonis Effect, or AE as it is known?  While everyone else sees an old fat guy I look in the mirror and see Adonis.  A God.  Why not this one indulgence to see me through? 

The animal will not give me peace.  I never know from day to day what is going to be thrown at me.  It makes life more interesting than ever when physical comfort is involved.  I shall not lay down to the beast.  Dr. Noah assures me we have a pill for everything. 

Saturday night we had our birthday for Vanessa.  She got her IPod with its camera and tuner, I’m so jealous but happy for her as she continues to stumble kicking and screaming into the 21^st century.  As with all things she will soon be more advanced than I in the intricacies of the IPod world..  We had a great time, sharing small plates with wine at a wonderful venue along the canal in Indy and then to the brewhouse for desert and lots of laughs.  Jocelyn took pictures so evidence does exist.  It was a ton of fun and the finale to our great weekend holiday with the Family, oh how I miss them when they are gone.  Fortunately for me I will have a couple more opportunities in the coming month to spend time with both my Daughters and Wife. 

We are keeping the grand dog while J and J take a vacation for a few days starting Tuesday.  It appears I will be in pretty good shape for the puppy.  I will once again experience the joy of the dog inside and out and I need to be in shape for it.  Sunday was football day.  I did walk to the end of the cul de sac with no problem during a time when the neuropathy was toned down.  This is turning into a battle.  I take great care bringing weight to bear on my feet as I sometimes cannot tell where the pain is lurking if I have been sitting with my feet up.  So Sunday and Monday I stayed down for the most part.   

I appear to have overdone the walking and stairs etc. over the weekend.  Now Tuesday early and I am back to where I was last week about this time.  Vanessa suggested I have gotten worse over the past couple of weeks.  I can summarize my issues in two words, incision, gas.  These are my two constant pain generators and I am a wussy when it comes to pain.  The return of fire feet has been like hot fudge on vanilla bean, I mean if you are going to have the pain, let’s go all the way.  The bone ache in the left leg is also out there, from not taking walks several times a day.  I know, I know, suck it up. 

This morning since I am importing some CD’s into my I tunes library.  I have the program set up on Vanessa’s machine and loaded my LP collection into my library yesterday in anticipation of her use.  We went down to the gym yesterday and converted my membership from Senior Single to Senior Couple, Vanessa is now officially no longer a Curves member after all these years.  She has a couple of buddies to start with and was thrilled to get her bar code card and official membership.  ‘Now we can come to the gym together’ she gleefully proclaimed.  ‘Oh yeah.’ He replied, ‘to watch TV’.  ‘No’, he knew this was coming, ‘We can work out together!’ she was almost giddy in her tone.

‘Oh boy’ he deadpanned.  A game we play.  Actually I am thrilled that she has joined the gym.  As with all things she will go into this head strong and it will be a great success for her I am sure, not to mention another networking opportunity.  It’s only a matter of time before she takes up golf.  So we are 59, I am loading up my I Tune library, we are in the same gym and I am talking about golf in November, ah the modern couple.   

In keeping with the spirit my mantra today is ‘Quit Bitching and Take Pain Pills’ (as required).

August 4, 2010 Neuropathy raises it’s ugly head

In July I decided it was time to quit taking all pills but one, and started cutting down on the drug for neuropathy, which makes me tired, kills my taste buds and gives me a voracious appetite. The concept of permanent damage is especially distressing. I guess I always though I would go through life basically just aging without anything on my body that gets permanently in a situation where I have to take pills for it all the time, or worse. Yet I know diabetic patients and others who have had chronic conditions all their lives and now apparently I have two left over from the cancer, lymphedema and neuropathy. Today for me this is a most depressing and distressing outlook.
Hi Marietta,
This is DOB 05/05/5555. The pain in the abdomen gets a little better every day. It is now some minor soreness in the area. I am being careful. The lymphedema is also reduced and slowing. Walked a mile Monday morning and did ok. Wonderful.
I no longer have indications of the foot problem. Can I quit taking those pills (gabs for neuropathy in feet)?
Otherwise, the honey do list is on a legal pad, not a letter size pad and we have a lot of Summer left. Hopefully I won't be crying out for help in the interim, see you in September.
From:, Marietta
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2010 3:31 PM
To: 'Mike Courtney'
Subject: RE: Patient Michael Courtney condition update
You can start to taper off of the gabapentin and see how it affects you. How many pills are you taking a day?
If you are taking 3 pills 3 times a day, you can decrease down to 2 pills 3 times a day over 4 days and then 1 pill 3 times a day for 4 days and see if your foot pain is still ok.
Let me know if it continues to improve and maybe we can get you off of the gabapentin all together.
Take care and have a great weekend (knocking down the honey do list).
Marietta
August 4, 2010
DOB 0005555
Hi Marietta,
I dialed down to 1 pill a day and noted this AM purplish discoloration in a couple of toes. I am returning to the prescribed dosage of 900 whatevers a day in three doses. Other than that I am getting along well right now. The pain in lower left subsided with some tenderness remaining. Also it let's me know if I have over exerted myself on the honey do trail.
Hope you folks are having a good Summer.
The disease and subsequent treatments have done considerable permanent damage apparently, not only to my drain system, but also blood vessels, nerves and who knows what else. Bummer. I noted this morning what looked like bruises on my toes. Inger said yesterday my toes were cold. Although I disdain the entire pill taking regimen I will abide to avoid the horrors of neuropathy. As Dr. Noah once said, ‘We’ve got a pill for everything.’
Rich men make a bucket list when their mortality is nose to nose with their reality. Wealthy men may take a different path.

May 8, 2010 Mother's Day

Sunday Mother’s Day and shooting pain in my toes on both feet bring me out of a shallow sleep. An ice pack quickly brought it under control. A promising outcome for sure that it helped. First pause in constant foot pain, able to walk about briefly without crutches but made them dogs hurt yet does the pause in the pain mean the new med is working? A wonderful brunch of exotic omelets, taters and waffles made by my Girls. Very continental indeed.

Neuropathy - Another Unintended Consequence

What is neuropathy and how to prevent it, I found this on the web.
Symptoms of neuropathy
• Neuropathy is the medical term for nerve damage, usually to the peripheral nerves in the hands, feet, arms, and legs. Chemotherapy drugs are toxic to healthy nerve cells, as well as to cancer cells. When those nerves begin to stop working, the result is tingling, numbness, weakness, and pain, even an impaired sense of touch.
• Loss of feeling in the hands and feet can make it hard to pick up small objects and cause clumsiness and difficulty walking. Some people with nerve damage first notice a "pins and needles" feeling, not unlike when an arm or leg falls asleep. This same nerve damage can also cause constipation and bladder problems.
• Common chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatinum (Platinol), carboplatin (Paraplatin), vincristine (Oncovin), and paclitaxel (Taxol) can strip the coatings from the nerves, particularly those in the hands, feet, arms, and legs. The higher or more frequent the dose of the chemotherapy drug, the greater chance it will cause neuropathy.
• Radiation treatment can also lead to neuropathy, and conditions such as diabetes, kidney problems, and malnutrition can cause nerve damage, too. In some people, the cancer itself may be the cause of neuropathy.
Preventing nerve damage from neuropathy
• Doctors can't do much to prevent neuropathy from developing, but one medication, amifostine (Ethyol), has been shown to protect nerves and tissues from damage when given to patients before chemotherapy begins.
• If possible, before beginning chemotherapy, talk to the doctor about which chemotherapy agent she plans to use and, if it's one that's likely to cause neuropathy, request amifostine as well.
• A few small recent studies have shown that the minerals calcium and magnesium, given intravenously as part of hydration during chemotherapy, can help prevent neuropathy. This is also worth discussing with the doctor ahead of time.
Hi Marietta,
I am using ice to relieve some of the pain in my feet, but now twenty seven hours in and persistent extremely painful. Couple of toes appear to be terribly bruised. Can't begin to tell you how much it hurts.
Help me obi one kenobi, only you can help.