Yesterday was a better day than the day before, thanks in part to the Codeine I took, starting at midnight. It allowed me to get some sleep and took a lot of my back pain away. Except for checking email a couple of times and dealing with four or five that were pressing, visiting with Orv and Nancy Hazelton when they came over to check up on me, and going down to soak in the hot tub with Miss Terry in the evening, I didn’t get much accomplished.
I napped a bit, watched TV for a while, and did some research on pancreatitis online. I would say that compared to the pain levels I had on Thursday, they were reduced by 75% yesterday.
I appreciate everybody’s concern, and a lot of you are telling me to go to the VA hospital at Loma Linda if the pain persists. But I think I’m beginning to turn the corner on it. And the thing I guess I didn’t explain very well in yesterday’s blog is that the pain I’m experiencing is NOT the same pain that came with the pancreatitis. This pain is something that I have lived with since I was a young soldier, the result of an injury I suffered in a helicopter crash that resulted in several herniated disks.
I’ve dealt with it for 40-some years, and it’s not usually this severe, more of a constant nagging ache that never goes away. But I’ve had flare-ups like this in the past. I think that sleeping on the miserable hospital bed and lying on the different gurneys they moved me onto for CT scans and x-rays is what set it off. I’ve been in this position before, which is why I had the Codeine in the first place. As far as the abdominal pain that took me to the hospital, it’s pretty much gone, leaving nothing more than a lot of abdominal tenderness. When I went to the hospital the abdominal pain was a 10 on a scale of one to ten. Now it’s less than one.
Before she and hubby Orv retired and hit the road as fulltime RVers, Nancy was my original primary health care provider at the VA hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. She is the one I judge all medical professionals against, and I’m here to tell you that I haven’t found one yet that measures up to her knowledge, skill, or compassion. She is monitoring me closely, and believe me, if she thinks it’s time to head for Loma Linda, we will be doing exactly that.
The research I’ve done so far online says that once you rule out the gallbladder (which they did my case) and alcoholism (which is also out), there are about 15% of cases that really don’t have an explanation. They just happen. It may never recur, or it could hit me again next month. Like everything in life, it’s a crapshoot. I trust Nancy more than any other medical person I’ve ever dealt with and she feels that I fall into that small minority of oddball cases. But really, should that surprise anybody who knows me?
If I continue to improve and get the pain levels under control, we will be heading out to Arizona and the Tucson VA Hospital and my primary care team will take it from there. In the meantime, the notorious Santa Ana winds are hammering this area of Southern California. They are supposed to blow out sometime Sunday evening, and maybe they’ll take the rest of this nonsense away with them. We’re comfortable in our RV site here at Jojoba Hills, Miss Terry and the Hazeltons are taking very good care of me, so there’s no reason to rush to get back on the road. We’ll just take it one step at a time.
Thought For The Day – When a gas station toilet seat is cold it’s uncomfortable, but when it’s warm it’s worse.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Glad you are feeling better and I hope you aren’t giving Miss Terry too much trouble.
So glad your doing better…. How ironic is it, that if it was going to happen, it happened when you were near your friend Nancy…In that respect, it can’t get much better. It’s such a comfort to have trusting knowledgeable people around….Every day will be a better day…take care
Very glad to hear that Nick,our prayers are being answered, just hope you continue to heal quickly,
You and Terry have both been in our thoughts and prayers day and night,Blessings
The wicked mother-in-law
So glad you are doing better..Steve’s attack like that was just a one time thing, hope yours is too! .and hope your other injury doesn’t give you too much more grief. Be comfy and heal.
Glad to hear you’re feeling better and that the original pain is subsiding. Agree with what Margaret said above about being near Nancy, someone you trust with medical advice. Things happen for a reason and sometimes meant for us to take a serious look at things! Both of you take care and rest.
I’m sure a lot of us assumed that your severe pain was from the pancreatitis and are tremendously relieved now that you cleared it up with today’s post. You allowed 100’s of us to breath easier. We were wondering how you could have been released from the hospital in that situation as pain is a symptom, not the problem. It truly is remarkable that Nancy happened to be that close when all this happened. Get better soon.
So glad to hear that you’re doing better, Nick. Take ALL the time you need to heal and get to feeling better. Your health is the most important thing right now and we are with you, in spirit, during your recovery.
All the best –
John & Linda Eibeck
Okay, I get it. You’re sick. Shit happens. But how long is this daily recitation of your aches and pains going to go on? It’s like visiting my grandparents for god’s sake. I don’t mean to be rude, but can we please move on? I subscribed to this blog to learn about RVing and full timing, not all of your maladies. Much more of this and I’ll move on.
omg. He can’t be for real, can he?
Geesh! Rude one up there! Anyhow, so glad you have two fine ladies taking good care of you.
To Gene Walker, THIS IS RVING. Stuff happens. Be prepared for – if things can go wrong, they will. It’s not all roses and perfection. Grow up.
To Nick, prayers are answered. So glad you are on the mend. You and Terry need some R & R. Just relax and get better.
Hugs, Connie B.
To Gene Walker. If that email was real you are a jerk and any other word you care to think of. Go away!
Nick,
Had pancreatitis in college and not since and retired now. I’m sure they told you to lay off fatty foods and milk or dairy products for a long time. Hate to tell you this but it also includes a lot of Chinese food.
sorry
Gene, So go away already!
Nick, Clever of you to have arranged this when parked near Nancy. One of my fears about being hospitalized is that it will make my back problems flare up but mine aren’t nearly as bad as yours. Hope everything calms down soon.
Gene Walker, I don’t know what your problem is, but if you want more information about RVing, you can always go buy an RV magazine. As far as Nick’s “maladies” are concerned, we readers,whether we have actually met him or not, consider him family and a dear friend. We are concerned when our friends are not well, and try to give them the comfort necessary to get them through an uncomfortable experience.
Nick, you just keep resting and listen to both Terry and Nancy’s advice. We are all keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers, regardless of what Gene Walker says.
Love to you all.
Nick so glad to hear you are getting the pain under control. Sounds like you are receiving wonderful care from Terry and Nancy. Hope you continue to heal. Tom H. & Barbara B.
Sounds like you got things under control guy. Just another one of those crooks in the road as they say. You are very lucky you have that nurse right there that you trust so much. That right there is worth a ton. Makes one feel like your doing the right thing. Take care and be good and Miss Terry might just keep you around 🙂
Hadn’t read all the responses to this blog until I posted. Now seeing Gene’s post got me all fired up too.
My response to you Gene is simple, and its the way Nick feels I am sure. If you don’t like reading the blog just move on, no sense being a jerk about it. It is your option and I am sure Nick will lose no sleep over it!
Have a wonderful day Gene!
So glad you are feeling better and that your pain is under control. We want to hear all about how you and Miss Terry are doing. Ignore that curmudgeon Gene Walker.
Well somehow I am not surprised you are in the special 15% of unknown causes altho’ in this case I think you have have preferred to be slightlyless special. I am very, very happy to hear your pain is better (huge relief for both you and Miss Terry I’m sure) and really hope this is the turning point to full recovery.
Nina
Get well soon, Nick. You’re in our thoughts and prayers!
Hope it’s all better from here.
Carol