Checking In

Well, it's been another hot minute or two.

Okay, okay almost 4 months.  

I'd been doing physical therapy since last September, starting with twice a week.
Then went to once a week after I recovered from C-19.

A few more hiccups that kept me from visits here and there. Like in February/March,
when my therapist ended up with Scarlet Fever. "Mom" got sick before that, and oh 
weather kept me from going also.

Finally got back to it in March, only for us to figure out that I am plateauing. I saw my
spine specialist in April, we discussed this. And at her recommendation, we decided to
put PT on hold at least until after I had a MRI of my C-spine and Thoracic spine. Sadly,
this worked out because my physical therapist was moving to a different office that is
way too far for me to travel to.

I got my results a couple of days ago. The good news is I don't have any tumors or pinched
nerves. Nothing requiring surgery. I have some degeneration, spinal stenosis, bone spurs in my 
C-spine area. They also saw a renal cyst on my kidney and an esophageal cyst. The latter, 
after doing a Google search, appears to be a congenital malformation.  Apparently rare. 
The spine specialist really couldn't tell me anything about it because she never heard of it.
This makes me wonder if this is what was wrong with my dad when he was a baby. He would
not nurse or take a bottle. He had to be spoon fed. And even as an adult he had issues with 
food and eating. So if he had a birth defect that causes dysphasia it would make sense, sort of. 
If this is indeed then what I have and the MRI notes say I have this malformation, then that
explains why I have trouble myself sometimes.

All in all, there is nothing further she can do for me.  Since we have now ruled out all the 
things she would have treated me for.  I could tell she felt bad that she couldn't find answers
for me.  She is leaning towards a connective tissue disorder or a soft tissue disorder. But 
because this is all out of her scope of expertise, it's back to my Primary Doctor I go.

Honestly I am very relieved that I don't need any spinal surgery and that all that is wrong with
my spine is the degeneration and spurs, the stuff they found on the lumbar MRI, and the stenosis.
Finding out you have a birth defect at 53 is kind of mind-blowing.
Thinking back to my childhood, and how I was always picked on for being a slow or picky eater.
I wonder now was this the cause?

I hope I am strong enough to advocate for myself when I go see my doctor in a few weeks.