Bad News Lion
I don’t normally talk about health issues in our blog. But, in this case I think it’s fair to give you an update on what’s happening with me. Last summer, I began experiencing some problems with my vision. An eye exam revealed that my intraocular pressure was up and in short, I had glaucoma. This was odd because only a month earlier I had an exam and the pressure was absolutely normal. My optometrist referred me to a glaucoma ophthalmologist. He’s managed to get my pressure lower using medication. I suffered some loss of vision in my left eye as a result of the glaucoma.
At the same time, I’ve experienced loss of balance and I’ve fallen a few times when one of my legs felt like it just collapsed under me. I visited a sports medicine surgeon; the same guy who did my rotator cuff surgery. He determined I have a torn ACL but I don’t require surgery. I’m walking with a cane to help catch me if my leg collapses. Even so, I fell again this time with the other leg collapsing.
I also experienced loss of sensation in my fingers. This is called peripheral neuropathy. My primary physician suggested I see a neurologist, which I did yesterday. She suggested I schedule an MRI to look at my neck. Okay, it never occurred to me that there was anything going on there but I did it anyway. The MRI was yesterday. The results are pretty scary.
Apparently, most, if not all, of my symptoms are due to narrowing of my spinal column which puts pressure on my spinal nerves. I was told this is very serious and the problems would continue to worsen. This afternoon I have a meeting with a neurosurgeon to discuss immediate surgery to correct this problem.
I did my due diligence and learned that there is an operation commonly done to clean out the space and give my spinal cord enough room. Apparently, doing this surgery might well reverse all of the problems I’ve been having. The thing is, from what I’ve read I have to wear a neck brace which will prevent any movement for some time after the surgery. I don’t know how long that will be. I don’t know whether I can handle this kind of restriction.
Obviously, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to worry about how I’ll handle it until after my conversation with the neurosurgeon. Mrs. Lion was with me today and will go with me tomorrow.
No one likes to get an email from their doctor saying there’s an urgent problem that needs surgical correction. I keep thinking back to how painful and difficult recovery was from my rotator cuff surgery. When I was told my ACL was torn, I cringed inside because the memory of all that pain-and-suffering is just too fresh.
Before I learned about this new fresh hell, I had asked Mrs. Lion to put me back in my cock ring when we got home today. We are home now, but I don’t feel much like getting locked up again. I’m sure you can see why.
I’ve been lucky. Up until last year, I’ve been free of broken bones and chronic illnesses. I’ve gone my merry way through life with little sacrifice. I guess my chickens have come home to roost. In a way I’m glad it’s happening now. I’ve had a chance to travel extensively and embark on lots of really good adventures.
I don’t mean to sound so gloomy, but dealing with this stuff is getting harder and harder. I doubt the surgery will be scheduled before next week so we will have a chance to play our NFL game during the Super Bowl.
If (when) I get the surgery, we are not going to have a lot to write about enforced male chastity, at least I don’t think we will. Both of us really like sharing our lives with you. I’ve got the technology here at home to continue writing. Since I lost sensation in my fingers, I’ve been using Dragon Naturally Speaking to dictate my posts. Mrs. Lion has been correcting the typos inevitably made by the software.
Similarly, I can probably continue working from home. Of course, I can’t work if I am doped up on pain medication. Later this morning I’ll have a conversation with my boss laying out the possibilities. Fortunately for me, my company has very liberal medical benefits. I can go on short-term disability for 12 weeks. I’m very sure if I get the surgery I won’t need anything near that much. In fact, I got an email yesterday that one of the other people in my office, a guy, is taking 12 weeks for parental bonding. Amazing!
So, there may be some changes around here soon. Both of us will keep you up-to-date. If you’re interested, we’ll let you know how I’m dealing with this newest issue and how Mrs. Lion is dealing with me.