Wasting Away in PV

Dear friends and family,

It has been far too long since I have written. Part of that is due to too little going on (that is not a complaint); the other part is that too much has been going on. Polley continues to struggle with pain issues and we continue to look for solutions.

Since the reading of her MRIs by an local orthopedic surgeon, we have been gathering opinions about treatment options. A couple of weeks ago we talked with a doctor who does stem-cell treatments that. Are combined with detailed physical therapy. Last week we met with another doctor who suggested something called Prolotherapy. It is a series of injections along with physical therapy. Both treatments are, to a certain extent, experimental ahd have levels of success and failure. Polley is not keen on surgery, so we look to alternatives. However, the plan is to return to the States and visit Kaiser and get there opinion as well. The hope is to return to Mexico in April, either just for relaxation, with surgery coming in the summer, or having on of the other options done down here. There has been a lot of exploration both in person and on the web.

Part of the time-consuming part down here is understanding the system. At home you just call Kaiser, get an appointment (alright, that's not always easy!), get in the car and go. Here I have to go to the actual hospital or clinic, determine the right doctor, get an appointment and then get Polley in a cab, go, work our way through the appointment and the language, find another cab and get home. Oh yeah, then to a famacia for yet another prescription or two! That's part of the reason for not writing.

The other part of the pain issue is that it seems to come out of nowhere. Polley can be fine and 30 minutes later, miserable. Or the other way around. We have cancelled numerous dinner reservations or having no made them, found that she suddenly felt like going. Last night we missed a wine tasting because of a sudden attack. Right now Polley has been in bed and mostly sleeping for the last 13 hours. It has been hard.

However, having said all that, the days have been lovely, the temperatures nearly perfect and we have caught a few beautiful sunsets

We also are still enjoying Kira, our resident cat

We also have acquired 4 stays who seem to enjoy our front porch buffet for breakfast lunch and dinner.

So, there are some struggles, but generally we both have maintained our positive outlook and still are pleased to have this opportunity and to enjoy it in the moment for as long as we can. More later and home in two weeks!

 

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Latest News

Dear friends and family,

Here is the latest on Polley's condition. Over the weekend she was in a great deal of pain. Monday, despite it being a Mexican holiday, we were very fortunate to get an appointment with Dr. Max Greig, a noted orthopedic surgeon who also happens to be the brother of our old landlord. Dr. Max spent about 2 1/2 hours with us, assessing Polley's MRIs. His diagnosis is that Polley has a badly compessed disc at the bottom of her spine. For you experts, it is the L4-L5, with some other damage to L3-L4. He sees surgery as the only option for relief. He did give her some cortasone shots, with an additional shot yesterday and one scheduled for Friday. He feels that this will see us through until our scheduled departure on March 4. At that time, we will get further assessment from Kaiser and proceed. If surgery goes forward, we will not be returning the Mexico for April-May. We are told that full recovery is about 3 months. We may look into another option which involves ozone and stem cell treatments, but it is experimental and is not the solution for all.

So, that is the latest. Polley has been relatively comfortable thus far, following the injections. She got out for lunch yesterday and we even got down to the Malécon last evening for sunset. So, all is not bleak. The skies are clear, it is an even 82 degrees nearly every day. How can one complain. More soon.

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