A Broadway and Pain Update

Well last weekend i went to New York City. I saw Priscilla, Queen of the Desert two nights in a row. The first night (Saturday) I went with my mom and my favorite actor in the show, Nick Adams, was out of the show for the night. His understudy was good, but its not the same.  However, Will Swenson totally stole the show that night. The cool thing was a gay couple got engaged on stage after the show.  I still think its cool that I was part of a historic moment like that. The next night, I bought myself a ticket to see the show again. This time Nick Adams was in it. He was amazing!!!!!! His energy was through the roof. Then i went to the stage door. I was first in line for the first time ever at any show (well other than when i went to a stage door a day i wasn't coming from the show). I talked to Tad Wilson, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Tony Sheldon, and Ashley Spencer. I also talked to Will Swenson about our mutual favorite football team, the Denver Broncos. Then Nick Adams came out and I took a picture with him. He was so nice!  I had had an outfit planned for the show, but i couldnt wear the heels because i had been walking a lot causing tons of pain and it was also raining.

Above is the picture of Nick and me.

Last Wednesday (the 17th) I received a nerve block procedure. I was supposed to get my left side of the back and left leg done, but the morning of the procedure, my right side hurt more so i got the right side done. The nurses at Cooper Pain Magmt and Cooper Surgery Center in Vorhees are so nice. The one nurse asked if one arm was less painful so she could put the blood pressure cuff on the less painful one. They also for RSD patients inject lidocaine with a small needle before the larger iv needle, so that the iv doesnt hurt as much. The whole procedure wasn't too bad except for that the first iv they had placed in preop had infilitrated. Bascially the needle slipped out of the vein and remained under the skin causing the salt water coming through the iv to irriate and remain in my skin. This was extemely painful. Of course at the same time, my blood sugar started to drop and i was dizzy and nauseuated. The anesthologist put in a new iv in my other hand and had me taken straight to the OR in a wheelchair (after puting on a "fall risk" braclelet). In the OR i was sedated for the injection in my lower back, and then i woke up in recovery. I instantly felt a warm sensation in the right leg that could be felt on the outside of the leg as well. My doctor said this was a good sign. I didnt feel any pain in that leg either.

The next few days i had periods of intense pain and periods of no pain and even twitching. Even though the pain was different than my RSD pain (instead of burning and constant it was a dull pulsating achy feeling) i freaked out. I called my doctor's office on Friday and he called me back ten minutes later. He said not to worry that the nerves are resetting themselves and this can happen during the reset process. He also is fitting me in on Thursday for another nerve block (I will either get the right side repeated if i still have pain there or get my left side done, i will decided that morning). He's fitting me in because hes nice and he knows Im moving back into college the 30th to help with the International students.

Today my left leg hurts a lot (too be expected since the left side wasn't done) and my right leg goes through periods of little pain and periods of no pain. However it seems that each day the periods of no pain are more frequent and last longer than previous days. Hopefully by the times classes start (sept 7th) i will either have no pain or at least have more managable pain. What i really need to do is exercise a few times a week, but right now its too painful to do so. Hopefully if the pain reduces from the nerve blocks i can excercise which will in the long run help the pain even more.