Friday, January 27, 2012

Introducing Trudy

I woke from a dream last night. I had entered a room in which I knew there were 'bad guys'; their backs were towards me. I had believed that they knew I was coming in innocently. Well, they didn't even let one second pass before they turned around and shot me, bullets penetrating both my shoulders at once.

I woke up startled and scared. Simultaneously I was checking my surroundings to confirm that I was safe, and realizing that my arm was cold and numb, circulation cut off (hence My Maker sending me that dream to wake me up to DO something about it).

Being that I was asleep on my right side, I turned onto my back, urgently shuffling pillows so that my arm would receive blood circulation once again. Thankfully, I soon felt warmth and tingling in the arm, and stayed with my half-asleep senses until I felt the arm completely normal.

This is happening very frequently recently, at all hours. It is a result of my new, hopefully temporary shoulder bone malady, Trudy.

You know how we are always doing strange things, like naming the deformities I have with my body? (Gapey, Scrapey, and Shapey to name the most famous examples.) So, since we have learned what is causing this circulation issue in my arm, and nagging pain on the top of my shoulder bone, we decided it *needed* a name.

Last week when I saw Dr. Z, I took the opportunity to ask him about the strange, hard bump I have on my shoulder. I told him it is quite painful at times, and that my arm circulation gets cut off several times a day. He felt for it, and then said, (and I quote) "what the heck is *that*"?! He ordered an x-ray ASAP.

The x-ray showed a slight protrusion (remember that word when you are trying to figure out why we call the problem by the name "Trudy") in a certain bone in my shoulder... of course, that would be the bone I feel as a lump. It is exactly where my undergarment rests, which creates uncomfortable pressure for Trudy.  Hence, it hurts.

We actually decided to send the pictures by email (they are just jpegs) to Dr, Rath because he is also a renowned shoulder expert. How convENient!
He wrote back saying that this is an entirely different issue than my hip (duh), so we must treat it as such, and that I could call his secretary to make an appointment for a consult.

Trudy is born, and will be dealt with *after* I recover from my surgery.
I really don't want to bug Dr. Rath about it; his answer to me felt very final, and that in no way is he interested in stepping out of the role as 'hip guy' for me until I make an appointment for a consult for another issue.
OK, there you have it.

In other not-so-earth-shattering news, my visit with the kidney doctor the other day was pretty good. My kidney function has pretty much remained the same, Baruch Hashem. My liver function, however, is not as great as it was last time. I have a lot of drugs pumping through my system every day, it is a wonder that up until now my liver has showed no signs of deterioration. The solution? Go off the drugs.
We're working on it. 
That is the goal here with this surgery, B'ezrat Hashem.

So, having pulled of- quite successfully might I add- a PINK and *very* girly birthday party with 12 nine-year-old screechy girls, that makes us five days until surgery. Four days until I leave for hospitalization (As Azriel pointed out tonight while we were cuddling at bed time).
Tomorrow morning I have to go pick up a prescription, get an E.K.G. done, and make sure I get in contact with the secretary at Ichilov hospital with questions I have about some paperwork.

Then I come home and organize the house and the children to have Shabbat spread it's light over us. Oh, beloved Shabbat, what would I *do* without you? I honestly don't know how I survived much of my life without you.

I will, most likely, post something again before I leave. I'll find something to say. ;-)

Shabbat Shalom from Be'er Sheva, Israel.


the star of the day
the cake of the day




and might I add... Mommy of the day, too. :-)

4 comments :

  1. I'm glad the birthday party went off successfully. The photos are lovely. Shifra is a delight.

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  2. Ditto to what Tamar wrote. (This time I read what you wrote first.) I'm silent about everything else. May all the love that surrounds you and comes from and to you give you continued strength.
    Much love,
    Darlene

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  3. so happy your daughter had her special party she so wanted. she looks very sweet. you look very pretty, mommy of the birthday girl! you are in our tefillot for a complete refua shlaima. shavua tov, rochel.

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  4. sorry to hear you have a new "friend" -- and how annoyingly professional of Dr. Rath to make you keep them separate...
    Dena

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