We finally took the truck in to see what the issue was with overheating a few weeks ago. Everything checked out as fine except for … the radiator. Yep. Radiator leak. That original 1992 radiator finally gave up the ghost. Boy was that an unexpected hit to the ol’ budget.
Ha. I just typed in the word “budget.” That amazing watchdog named Spellcheck
decided that was not what I meant to say.
Instead it changed my word into … “buffet.” Well, I guess that’s what tends to happen
with automotive repairs. You start out
on a budget and end up with a veritable buffet of issues – and costs - to
choose from. Ah, well. Dennis was able to get a new radiator and
have it installed before we even finished our grocery run.
The
truck wasn’t the only thing creeping into our usual Monday routine. It was also MRI DAY II. After we dropped the truck off, we headed
into Texas to one of the UTMB facilities up there for the MRI on the thoracic part
of my spine. The last one only took ten minutes,
so we were anticipating something similar.
Silly us. Everything was different
this time. They had to wedge my neck
into a stabilized position this time.
And put that extra piece over my head to make sure I didn’t move from the
neck up. Absolutely Chris’ favorite part
of the procedure. Not. And then they finally started. And the knocking and buzzing and thumping
continued off and on for nearly an hour.
That was a long time even for me.
I was just getting relaxed enough to maybe catch a few winks in spite of
all the racket when the test was over. It
was a good thing, too. My lower back was
getting really sore just from being flat and immobile for so long.
I
dutifully called the doctor’s office when we got home - as instructed - to let
him know the test was done. And to my
surprise he actually called back. He had
seen the report and said it pretty much confirmed what he had said the last
time I was in the office. Apparently, there
is a disc that kind of exploded inward toward the spine. It is putting some pressure on the cord as well
as on the nerve coming out from that area.
That’s what’s causing the numbness.
There are also numerous other bulging discs as well, but this is the big
one. He doesn’t think it is a real
danger to the spinal cord at this time. If
we do nothing, the disc material could slowly dissipate over the next year or
two. On the other hand, something could
happen to make it worse and a surgery would become a little more urgent. Now I have to decide if I can live with the
numbness, intermittent pain, and activity restrictions. And then there is also the matter of the two
areas of concern in the lumbar regions.
It is quite a lot to think about.
Too much, in fact, to come to a conclusion over the phone. I asked if we could go ahead and keep my
appointment for Wednesday so I could talk to my wife and come up with other
questions – basically, so I could process the whole thing. He was perfectly fine with that.
And
so there we are. It appears the ball is
in our court to decide on whether to have the surgery or not. I still have some questions about that
part. I’m not all that excited about the
perennial restrictions on lifting and strenuous activity … no matter what choice
we make. It’ shard to acknowledge to you
have to ask for help. Hmm. Maybe we could make a “Heavy Lifting Jar” and
put in all the things we run into that require assistance. Then when the grandkids come over, they can
each pull one out of the jar. But then,
who will we get to lift our suitcase when we go on one of our little mini-adventures? Maybe we can just pack four or five tote bags
instead of one suitcase. So many
lifestyle changes to consider …
Romans
12:5 says, “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member
belongs to all the others.”
Father,
please give us some of that supernatural wisdom to make some informed decisions
down here. Amen.
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