A JOYFUL NOISE

Several of you   have asked me how I have been doing and wondered about my health and especially wanted to know the details about my incident at the hospital a couple of weeks ago ( June 19 th ).   I’ve finally gotten a chance to sit down and gather my thoughts together to write up an update.    So here’s the scoop: For a while now, the pain on my right lower quadrant has been extremely high.   Due to scheduling issues between myself, my parents, my doctors, etc., I had to wait a while to receive another pain block injection.     I was finally able to receive the pain block, last Monday ( June 19 th ). I’ve received several pain injections before and have had zero complications.   Because I have been getting these injections about every 4-6 months, my pain management doctor decided to use all the same medication ( PLUS an added steroid ); however, he used   somewhat different method.   Instead of burning the nerve, he would a...

It was the end of my first year at Blue Ridge Community College (I went there first before I transferred over to JMU); I had just finished a grueling 8 weeks of summer school taking College Physics I & II, and I thought to myself that it was a very good time to just relax, take it easy, and enjoy the rest of the summer.  Back then, I was able to do more, plan more, and enjoy life more because my health wasn’t like as it is now.   I remember that summer, after my classes were over, a good friend and I and another friend decided to go enjoy a day of fun at Kings Dominion.  I had already made myself clear to my friend that I was under no circumstances going to ride any rollercoasters because I do not like speed and I do not like steep hills, nor do I like being turned upside down!   This happened sooooo long ago and I really don’t remember much details on how he ended up actually getting me on to the Rebel Yell--one of the roller coasters.  But I...

Today was a rough , I repeat rough .   I had a medial branch facet-joint nerve pain block this morning.   Those who know me knows that I don’t favor any type of treatments involving needles, but I know that if I want to have some measure of relief, it is the way to go.   The medial branch nerve block is the first part of the treatment—then in two weeks, April 10th, I will go back and get a medial branch facet-joint denervation, where the nerves will be “burned” in that area and hopefully that part of my neck will give me less pain…for part at least.   This is all from my whiplash injury from the car wreck over a year ago.     My pain management doctor is just awesome.   He works with me so well and knows and sees how much ALL my pain is (chronic and whiplash) affecting me.   He can only do so much working with all the pain I struggle with what my disease (NF) carries, but he is diligent in open conversation with myself and all my doctors...