Another reconstructive foot surgery ...

HUGS HONEY....... I too have to say "I miss out on keeping everyone on my list" Constant pain or daily pain is not fun at all, but I will post that He tends to have reasons behind our paths. You are a Blessing to me many times even if "you never" know it.


Blessings and Hugs,

"Angel"
 
ursen said:
On going pain and illness is so difficult to deal with, been there done that as I get older, although not to your degree. I like your choice of verse there, I confess as a prayer warrior I have skipped you sometimes, forgive me. I will continue to pray for peace in your struggle, and hopefully some relief.
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No worries Ursen. All prayers are very much appreciated.

LITSAFALDA said:
HUGS HONEY....... I too have to say "I miss out on keeping everyone on my list" Constant pain or daily pain is not fun at all, but I will post that He tends to have reasons behind our paths. You are a Blessing to me many times even if "you never" know it.

Blessings and Hugs,

"Angel"
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Thank you. Iirc, you suffer from fibromyalgia which is painful in itself. At least I know the source that causes my pain is coming from. It is still unknown for those with fibromyalgia. I will keep you in my prayers as well.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers. I call the hospital on August 10 for an update for my orthopedic surgeon's status. In the meantime, I've decided to have carpet installed in my house. Right now I have "plush" carpet only in the bedrooms. The dining room, living room, and hallway have hardwood floors. I know hardwood floors are aesthetically pleasing but they're hard on my feet now more than ever. I wear socks in the house but it's still not the most comfortable.
 
Hi everyone,

I know it's been awhile since I updated my ongoing prayer thread here. I still have a lot of pain and the waiting for my next foot reconstruction never really justified providing an update. The good news is after waiting nearly 7 months, surgery is now set for December 2nd. Since the right foot has already been operated on numerous times previously, I believe my claims manager will raise an issue with another operation. I foresee worker's compensation sending me to one of "their" doctors for an evaluation. I really do not want another delay. If it occurs, it would have to be before December 2nd. As I've provided updates here in the past, my right foot didn't heal right. It has more pain even and will throb even when I'm not standing or walking. Please pray there are no further delays. Thank you, Ed
 
Hi everyone,

Hate to say it but my foot surgery on December 2nd has been postponed for at least 3 months. The reason is due to the prescription medication I took for the sudden hearing loss in my left ear. The steroids had an adverse effect on my blood sugars. It spiked them so high that my orthopedic surgeon said it would be too risky to operate due to the possibility of the bone fusions failing as well as overall non-healing of the foot. I had a CT scan for my left ear earlier today and have a hearing test on Wednesday. I'll have an update on my left ear later this week. Thanks for the support and prayers.
 
Update time,

Foot surgery is now set for February 3rd. However it's dependent upon a new A1C test. This is a test for diabetes to determine how well you're managing blood sugars over a set amount of time. I've been closely monitoring my blood sugars since November and have been strict on everything I eat. I know they're doing better and the blood sugar results have significantly reduced from when I had to take the Prednisone for my ear issues. New preop date is January 21. Before that I need to take the A1C test and fax the results to my orthopedic surgeon. I'm hoping to take the A1c test this week.

It's interesting in thinking about this upcoming foot operation. I consider it a major foot reconstruction. Going back to 2013, that first right foot reconstruction was postponed for 2 months. Then in 2014 with the major left foot reconstruction, that was also postponed for 2 months. Last February in 2015, I had the toe amputation. I don't consider that a major operation and it was operated on time. Then the December 2nd right foot reconstruction was postponed until February 3rd. So there you go, every major foot reconstruction gets postponed for 2 months :)

I'll provide an update on the A1C test as soon as I get the results.

Thanks for the prayers,
Ed
 
Unfortunately more bad news ...

Took the A1C test last Wednesday. I was confident the result would be good because I'd been seeing blood sugars ranging from 80-150 since December. However, my family doctor warned I'd still be on the tailend of when I had to take the steroid (Prednisone) for my hearing problems which skyrocketed my blood sugar numbers in November. The result was shocking at 8% which is high but lower than the 8.9% result in November. I faxed this to my doctor on Thursday knowing full well that this February 3rd surgery is postponed again. On Friday after my hearing test, I spoke with the patient care coordinator who informed me the surgery was indeed canceled due to the high blood test result.

The orthopedics clinic's policy is for diabetics to have an A1C below 7%, which I've always had in the past. I then pleaded my case stating that I am very keen on controlling my diabetes. I even offered to show my blood sugar numbers over the past 6 weeks. Still no. My surgeon knows the pending surgery is an urgent matter but it's not an emergency nor is it traumatic. And in my mind I'm thinking, "Try walking with my feet. Each and every step is an effort always accompanied by some type of pain, whether from the bones or chronic."

Admittedly I was very angry and frustrated on Friday. Not at my doctor because I do understand the risk diabetes can have for healing. I was more angry at the situation and the ear problems that suddenly appeared 6 weeks before that December 2nd operation. I've spent the last couple days deep in prayer while listening to Christian music. I'm better now and no longer angry or frustrated. I just stay the course and do everything I can to keep the blood sugar numbers within normal range. I'll take the A1C test again in 6 weeks. But I suggested to the patient care coordinator to schedule the next operation in 3 months. I should be far clear of the steroid effects on my diabetes by then.

During my morning Bible reading today, Psalm 13 really stood out:

How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in Your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in Your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for He has been good to me.
 
We may think we'd like things to remain the same but cannot expect things to remain unchanged in a sinful world and would we really want it unchanged? To remain ever dying but never dead, never passing on to something better, would be Hell. As we age we all go towards death bit by bit yet these truths only convict me that the only hope for this life and the next is Christ. There is but one way, truth and life. If temporal pain makes me certain of my eternal need pain is a blessing compared to the prosperous who, without pain, trust only in themselves. They will never escape the terrible eternal pain that awaits them.

Still praying for you.
 
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Hi everyone, I have a small update.

But first. I forgot to say something. Gerbil, your above comment is very profound and quotable. Thank you.

There has been no new surgery date yet. And now's there's been a minor setback.

But first this: about a week prior the postponed February 3rd surgery date, I began having a bad case of insomnia. I accepted the diabetes issue, postponement, and continued to work controlling my blood sugars as well as daily physical therapy. Internally, there's been a lot of stress with my diet, physical therapy, foot pain and family needs. This is the only thing I can think of that's causing the insomnia. At first, I'd get about 3 hours of sleep and sleep for 8 hours the next day. I never sleep during the day. For the past week, I'm getting 2-3 hours of sleep daily. During the day, I'm wide awake. I also take a "cocktail" at night usually consisting of sleeping pills, pain meds & sometimes Benadryl (to help counter periodic itching from the pain meds). I have a limit on the amount which I won't go over for fear of an overdose. It still takes awhile to get to sleep and I wake up after 2-3 hours. There's a lot on my mind :(

Now for the setback: About 7 weeks ago, I was doing rotator cuff exercises during physical therapy. The next day, I noticed I aggravated the tendinitis in my right elbow. I originally injured this back in 2003. It has continued to flare up over the years. This time around though, no matter what I did, the tendinitis was getting worse. I saw a doctor yesterday who recommended 2 options: a cortisone shot or surgery to remove the inflamed tissues (since it's chronic). Naturally I opted for the cortisone shot because recovering from this type of surgery takes 3-6 months. And if I happen to get my foot operation in that time, I couldn't use crutches forcing the use of a wheelchair, which I will never use again. When the doctor was inserting the needle into my elbow, a small part of me was thinking, "Hmm, cortisone is a steroid. That Prednisone takenfor my hearing issue is a steroid too and that's what caused the postponement of the next 2 rescheduled operations. Well we'll wait and see if it affects my blood sugars." This morning after getting 2 hours of sleep, my blood sugar was 239, which is very high. Prior to this, my blood sugars ranged from 120 to 140, which for the A1C averages to 5.8% to 6.5%. That's well below the 7% I need to get the foot operation.

I spoke to a nurse this morning about how long the cortisone will stay in my body. She said anywhere from a couple days to a week. In that time, my blood sugars will once again skyrocket. She advised to take the next A1C test in mid-April. I originally planned to take it in mid-March. Like I said, I still don't have a surgery date, but obviously this pushes it back further if the hospital were to call for a surgery date before mid-April.

Tomorrow I'm heading to the coast to go on a 9-day retreat in hopes that I can clear my mind, relax and reset my sleep pattern. I'm taking minimal electronics with minimal wifi capabilities. I just want to read, write, pray and take walks on the beach, foot pain and all :eek:

Thanks to everyone for the continued prayers. Without your prayers and my faith and trust in the Lord, I'd be in a worse state of mind.
-Ed
 
Hi CGA,

I apologize for not updating sooner. The retreat to the coast did work. I was able to relax and reset my sleep patterns. Since then I've been getting between 4-8 hours of sleep each night. Thank you for the prayers.

The cortisone shot's effect for my blood sugars lasted for about nine days. I was hoping the hospital wouldn't call for a new surgery date but they did. It's now set for April 27 pending a new blood test. Since the failed A1C test back in January, I've been more strict than ever in my eating habits. Even with the high blood sugars caused by the cortisone shot, overall I'm seeing a good average score for my blood sugars.

In looking back over the past year in trying to get my blood sugars lowered, I realized a mistake I made. I relied on myself to maintain control of my diabetes. I did not give this to God. In fact I was so confident for that January blood test that I only asked a few people to pray for me. I realize now that this is not what the Lord wants. He wants you to give Him your entire life; not what you pick and choose for Him. I humbly bow before my Creator for help. Like I said, I've been very strict on my diet & have not cheated in a very long time. But in addition to my daily prayers, I now pray for help to control these blood sugars.

In my right foot, it's now about 2.5 years since I began placing weight on the foot again after the operation in July of 2013. The pain I have in this specific location in the foot has never improved. It'll even throb when I'm sitting down and obviously, placing weight on the foot makes it worse. No one knows this next part: in 2014 & 2015, I spent about $2000 on foot massage and acupuncture treatments in attempts to bring relief. These treatments never helped.

I'm really hoping I can get this operation next month. Next Friday, on April 1, I'm scheduled to take the next A1C blood test. I humbly ask for your prayers to get the A1C result below 7% thereby clearing the way for the operation. The reason I am asking this now is I'm leaving for California later today to be with family members for the anniversary of my nephew's passing, which is on Monday. On Thursday evening, I'll return then need to wake up early in the morning to take the blood test. I should know the results on the following Monday.

Above all else, I know this is in the Lord's hands and I am very thankful for the continuing prayers.
-Ed
 
Returned from California last night. Then immediately got up this morning to take the blood test. I didn't think I'd get the results until Monday but surprisingly received the result already: 6.9%, which should be low enough to have the operation on the 27th of this month. I'll fax the results to my orthopedic surgeon on Monday. I am surprised at the result. I thought it would be lower but the cortisone shot in my elbow in February certainly had an impact on the result. Forgot to mention the progress of my elbow. The cortisone shot didn't work. There's still pain in the elbow so I wear a brace 24/7 now including when I sleep. I will continue to work on maintaining my diabetes numbers. No cheat days.

When I get a response from my orthopedic surgeon, I'll let everyone know.

Thanks for the prayers,
Ed
 
Good news. Thanks for the update. I too am a diabetic, and keeping the numbers from too high or too low can be a pain. Will continue to pray.
 
The hospital called and confirmed the foot operation for April 27. April 15 is the pre-op. It's been just straight up stress and pain for a year. The news today has been a wave of relief. Now I can really relax for about 3 weeks before the operation. I pretty much know what the operation entails but I'll update this again after the pre-op.

Thank you so much for the prayers.
Ed

ursen said:
Good news. Thanks for the update. I too am a diabetic, and keeping the numbers from too high or too low can be a pain. Will continue to pray.
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Yes it's difficult for a diabetic, especially a conscientious one. My only celebration will be making cauliflower-crust pizza. It'll be my first attempt at it though. I haven't had pizza in over a year and certainly don't want the large amount of carbs even from thin-crust pizza.
 
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