Medical Stuff

If you are a long-time, faithful follower of the stories of our clan, you may remember when Master got His new knee. We were, at that time, apprehensive but optimistic that the successful completion of that surgery, and the subsequent rehabilitation would make for a huge improvement in His quality of life. It hasn't quite worked out that way. The new knee is some better than the crummy knee that it replaced, but it is nowhere near as good as a healthy real knee would be, and there remains the other knee which was even worse to begin with and still needs to be replaced someday.


He has never, in spite of aggressive work to rehabilitate, ever been able to resume the kind of walking program that we were engaged in prior to His surgery. That has contributed to a continual, and steady battle with weight gain. Even though we rigorously control for sugars, carbohydrates, fats, and sodium, He has consistently lost that battle.


In the last year, He's been given additional medical diagnoses including severe spinal stenosis, meuralgia parasthenia (a neuropathy that creates pain and burning in His thigh), and elevated liver enzymes that we believe are related to the statin drugs that He is given to control hyperlipidemia. On top of that, His once very well controlled diabetes has become more volatile and harder to manage. Recent blood work indicates increased levels of uric acid in His system, which puts Him at risk for developing gout.

We are simply feeling beleaguered and bewildered in the face of this array of medical hurdles. Master, in particular, is frightened, and angry, and very much hurt at this turn of events. To have worked so hard to have it all turn out badly anyway is a huge disappointment (at the very least).

He is at this point, considering bariatric surgery in the hope that it might prove the solution to the weight control dilemma -- and that solving that issue might eliminate, or at least radically improve a whole host of other medical issues. He will consult with a surgeon this week, and make some decision. If it gets quiet here, you will know that it is because we are simply "up to our necks in alligators."

swan