Update on Charles Richards 1/29

Charles Richards posted this update on his health:  
I have missed church the past two Sundays because of some ailments apparently related to my lower back (where I had surgeries several decades ago -- in 1981 and 1992).

About a week and a half ago, I developed a painful crick in the left side of my neck.

Then last Friday afternoon, as I pushed off of my lift chair onto my rollator (walker with wheels), I felt a sharp pain in my upper LEFT leg. I was able to make my way -- slowly -- around the house the rest of the day, but Saturday I was unable to go more than a few steps because of the intense pain in my left leg anytime I tried to get use the walker.

Consequently, I get from one spot to another now only via the wheelchair (which I last used in 2017, after my eight-hour neck surgery). That introduces significant burden on my wife, especially anytime we leave the house.

Over the weekend, two new issues -- a sharp ache in my LEFT hip on Saturday, then a sharp ache in my lower LEFT side of my back on Sunday, just above where my left hip hurts. I capitalized LEFT because that seems to be significant, that something in my lower back is askew.

I had an MRI yesterday -- ordered by my spine doctor in Rockwall -- and Barbara is driving me 85 miles to Rockwall tomorrow morning to deliver a CD of the MRI to my spine specialist at 8 a.m. so he can diagnose the situation. Surgery is dangerous for me because they don't like to put a 78-year-old man under anesthesia. Treating me by injections seems more likely.

I am pain-free most of the time -- once I've gotten into my lift chair in JUST the right position, or once I've gotten into bed -- again after I've winced a few times again trying to find JUST the right position -- or even once I've gotten into the car.