Home Again

I just got Sue home and into bed, so here is the update on our latest trip to the ER:

The last 3 days have been marked by increasing lower back pain for Sue, to the point where she can hardly stand or sit for any length of time, and even lying down can be uncomfortable.  Sometimes her left leg especially will give out when she is walking and she will fall.  Fortunately, she has been able to grab something every time and hasn't hurt herself, but the rapid decline of her walking since she got home Sunday has been worrisome.  We were told that there would be some discomfort as her body got rid of the blood in her spinal fluid, but nobody told us to expect this level of pain.  She described it as feeling like she needed to deliver a baby, but there was no baby there to push.  If she was sitting, it was like sitting on a pointed fence post.  (BTW Dad - the walker really helped today - thanks for bringing it over!)


In light of all this pain we decided to go see our family doctor again.  We could only see the PA today, but the doctor was in for consultation if necessary.  We told the PA our story and she did in fact consult with the doctor, and he said he wanted us to go to the ER, since she was recovering from a serious neurological issue.  He didn't want to take any chances and MSU Clinical Center is not equipped for evaluating these kind of things.  So off to the ER we went.

During the course of the ER visit she got another CT scan of her brain which showed no additional issues there, and in fact there was no sign of the original bleed, so all that blood has at the very least been processed out from the bleed site and into the cerebral/spinal fluid for disposal.  She also got another battery of blood tests (all normal), and a lumbar x-ray, to see if there were any structural issues there (there weren't).  She also got more of the muscle relaxers and valium, and a shot of morphine to get her through the night.


So what it all amounts to is that she is having some serious muscle spasms in her lower back.  If you have ever had these you know how debilitating they are, and how painful.  But no further neurological issues were detected.  For that, I am grateful.  We also have a couple more prescriptions, which I am also grateful for, for Sue's sake.  So it may be a groggy couple of days until these spasms stop, but the drugs will allow her to rest, which will help her more than anything. 

On an unrelated note - a solicitation for prayers.  My sister's father-in-law was taken to the same hospital today with a heart attack.  I stopped up to see them briefly while Sue was sleeping and being taken for the CT scan, and my brother-in-law told me it was pretty massive, and the prognosis wasn't good.  His name is Rex.  Please ask God to sustain them all - there are 3 siblings, plus grandkids and in-laws.  Thanks.