Another Quickie

Yes, another quick update. Sorry, but since I'm only sleeping (kinda) 1 or 2 hours a night, my concentration levels (not to mention my interest levels) are near zero so I can't write much.

First, I got my new leg brace. It is much lighter than the old boot, fits in my shoe (pretty much), and can be adjusted as my achilles tendon improves and I can move it more.

Speaking of the tendon, it is improving. It appears I have move from tendonitis to tendonosis. Meaning it is not all swollen and pissy, but it is now stiff and pissy. It's gonna take some time to get it loosened back up and recover what little range of motion and strength I had built up.

As of last Friday, I am now off ALL pain meds. I am not convinced that is a good thing, but everyone is saying it is time I started "walking through the fire." Easy for them to say!

As it turns out, all my other problems from a few weeks ago were not med withdrawals, but the med I had stopped had been masking the effects of another. Stop taking A, the side effects of B fired up big time. Now I am no longer taking med B either. The only lasting effects from that are some pain, discomfort, and nerve issues along with a wicked-nasty case of insomnia.

If I can get to sleep I sleep fine. The problem is, I can't get to sleep til somewhere between 3 and 6 am. About every 3rd or 4th day I wear down and crash, then the cycle repeats. Accordingly, my concentration, reasoning, and other stuff are getting pretty wonky most of the time so most of my energy is expended doing my PT and doing what work I can. This also means I can't focus long enough to read much at all. I just can't get what I'm reading. So the really mentally challenging stuff at work, or the stuff that requires reading a bunch, is just gonna have to wait a while. Glad I got my BIG project done!

Today was a bit of a landmark also. I had my last pain management appointment. Unless I can't pair the aches, pain, and discomfort and want to try other meds that may or may not work, they have nothing else to offer me. So I'm all done with them. On the other hand, it looks like I'm gonna have to go see a sleep specialist to figure out why I can't get to sleep. Also, I'm pretty convinced (and I'll know more this afternoon) that I'm gonna have to get some hardware removed from my right heel. That terrifies me, but the doc assures me that it isn't all that bad. I'm gonna try to get details from him today.

The PT is slowly coming around. I've been back on the stationary bike the last 2 sessions and I did a little light stuff on the total gym to stat working these ankles and tendons again. I've lost a LOT of ground and I can sure feel it. I can also tell how much the drugs were masking what was going on. But we're back on the road and we're making some small progress. I guess that's all I can ask at this point. I sure wish I could walk the hike & bike trails again though. Even if it was only a quarter to a half mile, it was sure nice while it lasted!

So that's about it for now. Thanks to everyone for your continued concern and support. It really helps.