Almost a Medical Disembark - December 27 

And so the saga of woe continues.  I slept for about three hours and when I got up and stepped up into the bathroom. I twisted my left side and I could feel muscles pulling.  Great - now my left and right sides were out of commission.  I was afraid if I got back in bed, I would never get out, so I sat on the sofa.  

I fell asleep sitting up for a few minutes at a time until my head flopped to the side.  I played games on the computer for some while, killing time until the medical center opened at 8.  My plan was to get up and get dressed about 7:30 to go down there.  My plan was foiled by the fact I could not stand up.  I ended up calling 911 again, who sent my room stewards and someone with a wheelchair.  

With much pain (and a few screams on my part - I am a pain wuss), they got me up and into the chair and I was off to my new home-away-from-home.  When I got there, Dr. Vos was not happy that I was not improving more and that this new pain would not help.  She said if the next IV didn't help, she was going to medically disembark me - in Cozumel, Mexico!  My Mexican is limited to si, no, taco, burrito, and a few more.  I did start crying at that point and pleaded with her not to do it.

Luckily, the IV helped the new left side strain and I was able to get out of bed twice on my own and walk to the bathroom and later to the wheelchair for the ride back to my cabin.  I am due to see her again on the 29th (when we return to Fort Lauderdale) at 8am for another evaluation.

From the way I feel right now, I am not very optimistic.  The difficulty I am having walking because of the right-side pain is making my life miserable.  As little as I want to give up the world cruise, there is no way I could enjoy it if it takes everything I have just to get to the Lido.

I am hoping and praying that the meds will kick in (I am on day four of the prednisolone and day three of the others) so there is still a chance.

After hobbling back from the Lido, I took a three hour nap in the bed (both the doctor and the nurse repeatedly told me not to sleep on the sofa) and from which I was able to get up from with only minor pain. I killed some more time on the computer.

At about 6:40, I started getting ready for a 7pm dinner at the Pinnacle with Kathy and Mike.  We had a very enjoyable dinner and they offered to take a couple of things off of my hands if I do get disembarked on Thursday.

We talked until 9:45 and then back to my cabin.  The front right leg pain has ceased for the time being (yea!), but my right backside pain still feels like a stake is being driven into me and is very much like the pain when I had the piriformis problem earlier in the year, only in a different location.

I have had such nice comments from so many of you and I appreciate all of them.  Please continue keeping me in your thoughts.

Smooth sailing until next time!