Hi SG brothers and sisters,
First of all, as always, a big thanks for those kind comments on the last blog. You're all awesome!
So what's been happening this past week?
Pain levels were pretty high all week, so I'm pretty much finished the supply of cocodamol that I was prescribed the other week. Must request a repeat prescription tomorrow...
Pain levels were fractionally better last weekend, so I felt optimistic about the start of this week. Big mistake, the pain came back with a vengeance on Monday and it's hardly let up since.
I really hope I hear from the pain clinic soon. At this stage I'm even considering the surgery that I only found out was possible the last time I saw my GP.
For anyone interested in my medical history that's lead to the pain I'm in now, here's the info, but I've enclosed it in spoilers, so don't feel you have to read on if you don't want to...
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
I was born with undescended testicles and had to have 2 operations (one when I was 3, the other when I was 6) to bring them down to where they should be. Apparantly it had to be 2 operations, because the right one would have gone straight back up if they'd tried bringing both down when I was 3.
I was told that they would check on my progress when I was a teenager, to check that everything was working as it should be. I'm guessing they forgot about that because I heard nothing about a checkup, so Mum booked me in for a checkup when I was 17.
It was then that I found out that I was infertile, but the doctors told me that there might still be a chance for me to have kids in the future, due to advances in medical technology - IVF didn't exist when I was 17...
Fast forward to a few years ago and me and my Mrs decided to try IVF.
The year before going for the 1st stage IVF operation, I discovered I had lump at the base and at the top of my left testicle. I had an ultrasound scan done and they reassured me that the lumps weren't cancerous, they were benign cysts.
So I decided to go through with the IVF sperm retrieval operation, which I was told was a simple, routine operation.
They were wrong, it turns out that my left testicle (the one that was brought down when I was 3) was a total mess and all the connections were there but they were connected in the wrong place. Sounds like a botched operation when I was 3, and why weren't the results in my medical notes? That would have saved a lot of hassle!
Anyways, it turned out to be a far more invasive operation than they had initially intended, which resulted in me walking like I'd been riding a horse for too long. It was a week before I could walk properly, and after all the pain and anguish I went through, the operation was a failure. They'd managed to retrieve sperm but they were dead, so that was it, game over!
To make matters worse, the invasive IVF operation severely aggravated the cyst at the top of my left testicle and this is the root of the pain I'm currently in.
I saw the specialist last year and he said that due to the location of the cyst it was too risky for them to remove it because they could do more harm than good. He said that they could remove the cyst but there was a high risk that I would be left in constant pain, instead of the pain cycles I currently get.
He thought there was a high risk of cutting of the blood supply to my testicle, thereby killing it, so he strongly advised against surgery.
I then asked whether it would be possible to remove the whole testicle, which he said was possible, but he didn't recommend that either. This was because only one of my testicles is producing testosterone and they're not sure which one. He seemed to think that it was the left one though, since that was brought down when I was 3, so it would be more developed.
Basically I left with the impression that surgery wasn't an option and he suggested I try other methods of pain relief.
I got quite a shock when I saw my GP the other week, to ask to be referred to the pain clinic since I can't get acupuncture anymore. She looked up the letter she got from the specialist, which said that I would definitely need surgery and it was up to me whether I wanted to go through with it. Certainly not the impression that he'd left me with when I saw him. I was under the impression that surgery wasn't an option...
So now I'm waiting to hear from the pain clinic again, as they didn't want to do anything last time and referred me for surgery. Hopefully they'll be of more help this time, though my GP told me they don't practice acupuncture anymore, so the only solution they could offer would be a nerve block injection.
So now you know all about my situation and the pain which is driving me nuts! Pun intended, if I didn't laugh about it, I'd probably cry...
In other news I found a potential job. Our local vet is looking for a receptionist, so I made enquiries, as the advert in the paper seemed to say it was mostly office based.
Upon getting the full job description I discovered that it's only partly office based and the successful applicant would be helping out the veterinary nurses and dealing with customers most of the time. In retrospect I don't think this is a job for a 31 year old, it seems more like a job for a school leaver who has aspirations of being a veterinary nurse. Also, I don't think I'd have the strength to arrange the euthanasia of animals, which is another aspect of the job.
The deadline isn't until the 10th of May, so I've got time to think it over and see if there's anything in this week's paper that I could apply for.
In other news, I saw Iron Man 3 today, which was awesome! My Mrs had her doubts, as she wasn't a fan of Iron Man 2, but she thought agreed that this one was the best one yet!
I loved all the Iron Man movies, and this was most definitely the best one. They focused on humour a lot more this time, which wasn't a bad thing at all, Robert Downey Jr was born to play Tony Stark...
I've also changed my username, again, but this is the last time. My sincere apologies for any confusion caused...
Music share now:
That's about it for this blog, so as usual, I'll wrap this up with a request for more love for the following lovely ladies. In my view, they all deserve to be pink!
p.s. you can confide in me. I won't repeat your music shame. *warms up the megaphone*