Monday, March 12, 2012

Pain Observation and Choices

I've noticed that my pain has transitioned over the last year since my reversal. At first, it was a knifing pain that hit intermittently. There would also be this racking pain I'd get on my left side which would also occur with the same randomness. Both pains lasted for short periods of time, like less than a few seconds at a time, although the racking pain would last a bit longer.

Now, I've got daily, long-lasting pain. The levels of pain are random. Sometimes it hurts like crazy (level 7-8) for a long time while other times it stays about a level 3-4 on a 1-10 pain scale, with 10 being the worst pain imaginable.

The racking pain is almost constant and can be very painful at times. It is a different racking pain than I had in the beginning though. This is more of a mechanical pain. What I mean by that is, it feels like something is pushing down into my scrotum causing the pain. Before, I would just have the sensation and it seemed more nerve related.

I still feel like I've got something pushing down, like a hernia or something like that. Interestingly, when I take ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory, the pain seems to subside. I'm not sure why.

The nerve pain on my right side remain fairly dormant these days. I can push on my right groin with my hand and it hurts. But unless I bend over the wrong way or lift something I shouldn't, the pain seems to be only a bothersome twinge, at most. Of course, now that I've said this, it'll probably come back with a raging vengeance.

I believe I'd like to evaluate this racking pain on my left side with a urologist. Maybe have a sonogram to see what the deal is. Perhaps a CT scan or MRI.

In the meantime, I keep wearing an athletic supporter almost every day. That seems to help a bit. I hate the fact my boys and stuff are cramped together down there, but it seems like that helps with the pain. It's like, if they hang too loose for too long, some kind of stretching takes place that my body doesn't want to deal with.

I hope to get back on the treadmill again tomorrow. I have a job interview tomorrow and so I don't want to push my luck beforehand. I would like to be able to sit upright during the interview.

On a side note, I've also been reading a lot about a neurolysis procedure where they basically kill the nerve(s) in the groin that send the pain signals to your brain. A doctor in Florida reports an 86% satisfaction rate for his targeted robotic procedure. I'm still considering a "clean-up" surgery to get rid of any extra scar tissue as well. I wouldn't say I'm completely sold on doing anything else, but I can't imagine living the rest of my life in this kind of condition.

So, Lord willing, I'll get better or have a the right surgery to make it better. I pray for God's direction on what I should do.

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