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I went to the neurosurgeon last Friday and he scheduled me for an EMG and nerve conduction test which I had done yesterday. It was extremely painful and at one point I fainted from the pain. Apparently I’m not all that tough, after all. There is significant muscle and nerve damage in my shoulder, arm, and hand and the doctor that conducted the tests told me the they will need to ‘go in and fix this problem’. At this point I’m waiting for my neurosurgeon to call me with the official results and the ‘next steps’. My shoulder is still throbbing this afternoon and my arm is incredibly weak. I spent the night on pain meds and managed to sleep that awful thick tongued drug sleep that leaves you sick and groggy and unrested the next day.
The good news is that I passed the stress EKG done last week with flying colors and was told I have the ‘heart of a lion’. I’m not sure what kind of hearts lions have, but apparently the Heart Center personnel think they are good. My blood pressure was 120/80 range before and after the test and so they assume the fainting spell I had at karate was more likely related to my claustrophobia combined with heat and physical exhaustion (it was a particularly brutal workout) than anything heart related. Oh, and don’t yell at me–I’ve dropped out of karate per the doctor’s orders.
I am still trying to lose weight, but the first noted side effect of two of my meds are weight gain and swelling so at this point it is a bit of a ‘gaining’ battle. I have not lost any more weight but have not gained any, either. My family doc says she is happy with where I’m at and to tackle one problem at a time. She told me this as she wrote orders for a CT scan, a neurosurgeon visit, and the heart test. :)
The pain level has increased dramatically over the last month or so and the manipulation of my arm and shoulder by the doctors has made life even less fun. I have an appointment with the Pain Clinic doctor next week so we’ll see what he says.
My eyesight was greatly helped by the new lenses so I am able to read again without trouble. It is a good gift to be able to bury my nose in a book and I thank God fo the sweet gift of sight.
Rod | 
