Ugh, How Much More Can A Guy Take?

Hello folks - Merry Christmas!

and a Happy New Year!

Gosh, I wish I could start you off with a HAPPY NOTE, but it has been an interesting set of few weeks since I spoke with you last. Let's catch you up to current: My dad is currently stuck in a massive back up on I-205 going southbound onto I-5 south on his way to get me for Christmas. This is because ODOT, my employer decided to do an "ice clean-up" on the freeway shortly before rush hour. This leads to many questions, to many answers I can provide...

Why is my dad coming to get me? I have been suffering for the past several days with pneumonia. This is the first time in my life I've had it, and the last time I ever want it again. The last few days of my life have been extreme hell -- and I've been through cancer, shingles, surgeries, and many, many other illnesses and hardships in my life. Finally, today I think with the grace of God things started turning around and I started to feel better. This of course, after nearly avoiding spending some time in the hospital after an extended ER visit last night. They hooked me up with some breathing treatments, and shortly after I started breathing better once again. My entire day was spent with doctors... first thinking I had some sort of mass putting pressure on my airways, possibly cancer. I said "I don't think so!" and eventually my body vindicated me of that. With the combination of two different antibiotic treatments, rest, and keeping myself warm, I am happy to say I think I am on the rebound... I couldn't have said that 24 hours ago!

So what's the deal with the shingles? Either they are being covered up by the pneumonia, or I am finally recovering from them as well... or maybe the appropriate medication I've been taking is covering up the pain appropriately?

What's next? I hope to enjoy Christmas with my family, and then it's back to the Willamette Valley and hopefully back to work in good health. Shortly after the new year, I hope to present to you 2008's Top Ten People!

I wish you all the best, a quiet, happy, and restful Christmas and New Years!

-LB

Are You Kidding Me?

Folks, if I hadn't been hit enough lately with diseases and setbacks... I have been diagnosed with a case of Shingles, which apparently has developed further into postherpetic neuralgia. Oddly enough, this type of condition can develop when the immune system has been compromised by things such as chemotherapy. CHEMOTHERAPY??? Really? Are you serious? Lucky me!!!

It all started about two weeks ago... it was just a minor pinch I felt in my left side. Nothing to worry about I thought. Then a week ago this past Sunday I woke up in some serious pain. I couldn't sleep any longer and rushed to my cabinet full of pain killers. I was finally able to catch up with the pain and treat it. Nothing seemed to completely kill it, however, and I was living in pain for yet another day when I decided to visit Salem's ER... after about a four hour wait, x-ray, and examination -- nothing was found. Nothing I thought... sure... right...

I lived with pain yet another night and day when I decided to follow up with my oncologist (thinking this might by Lymphoma related). The visit was productive as I had a CT scan which came up 'inconclusive.' Another thing to be ruled out: Lymphoma and any possibility of kidney stones.

Several blood and urine tests later... nothing could be found. "Huh," I thought... and then I went through the "why me?" phase. Finally, I returned to Wallowa County for Thanksgiving with my folks. I was in pain almost the entire time. Oddly enough, soaking in a warm bath was one thing that seemed to temporarily reprieve me from this massive pain. But even with as much pain killers as a small pharmacy would carry, my patience were wearing thin yet again and I had to do something! My dad took me to the local clinic where they thought I might have an ulcer of sorts, and directed me to take some Prilosec and Tylenol (instead of Ibuprofen--which is what I was taking). Needless to say, it didn't work, and the meds that were working were now out of my system. So I loaded back up on Ibuprofen and some various narcotics from my cancer treatment. So, it's now Saturday after Thanksgiving... I'm still in pain... my dad takes me to the ER in Enterprise. I finally get somewhere... this time there was no kidding around. The doc came in and saw me and I told him what I just told you now... and he followed the pain perfectly with his finger on my stomach to my side and around to my back. He was fairly confident I had a case of neuralgia. So treating it with Gabapentin seemed to start cutting into the pain fairly well. I knew this doc had actually hit pay dirt for the first time.

Stepping forward to today (Monday), I followed up with my primary care physician. I told him yet the same story once again... and he agreed with the doctor in Enterprise, but also added an important diagnosis; specifically, this was a case of shingles. It was a case that showed little or no rash (like most do), and since it has been advancing, it has turned into postherpetic neuralgia. Sounds pretty bad, but there is a good prognosis in all of this... it is likely only to be around for another 3-6 weeks because this stage was caught early and I am dealing with the pain quite well with the proper medications. Though it could last longer in some rare cases, we just aren't going to go there, okay?

So folks, there you have it... another chapter in Levi's quest to have the most unusual and rare combination of medical anomalies for a young man in his twenties.

-LB