Jenna writes her friend in California prior to leaving for the hospital, where she is to undergo diagnostic tests. She is scheduled to have a myelogram and an MRI later this afternoon; she has a suspected pinched nerve in her back, and it is causing her pain and discomfort. Understandably, she is worried, very worried, about the tests and what will happen to her. (She may ultimately need surgery.)
Saturday, July 10, 2004~
Dear Kendra:
This is Jenna Aurora Whitson writing. I hope this finds you well and happy.
Unfortunately, in MY case, I am neither well OR happy. I have to undergo some tests at the hospital this afternoon; I fell the other day during therapy, and I think I may have done something horrible to my back. I am in no end of pain and discomfort, and any movement is enough to kill me. I saw the doctor yesterday, and he wants me to have some tests, to see if that is what I DO have, meaning a pinched nerve. This is what he suspects, anyway.
Both tests will prove to be a daunting task to me: I am severely claustrophobic, and the only MRI they have at Anchorage Medical is a "closed" MRI, which means I will have to be sucked into this long tube, and I will probably be fighting tooth and nail to try to free myself! LOL I also hear that myelograms are no fun either; Louisiana, my friend in Tennessee, has had several myelograms herself, and she says that they were no picnic!
Depending on the results of the tests, I may have to end up having surgery done to my back. I hope not, but I am desperate for relief, ANY relief!! This pain is about to drive me CRAZY!!
I also may be admitted to the hospital, so this may be my last letter to you for a while; but I figured that I had better write to you and to my other friends (and family), in case something SHOULD happen! I hope (and pray) that nothing DOES happen, but with all the reports of medical mistakes and/or malpractice suits, one can't be too careful!!
How are you doing, Kendra? I hope this finds you well and happy! You are certainly doing better than I am at the present time! How are your children? I hope that they are fine, too! I am not well, but Michael, my fiance', is, and he is having to do everything for me. He won't let me lift a finger; he has really been lowering the boom on me, and I have been restricted to the couch in the livingroom! It is a pain having to lie here, bored to tears, and doing nothing but watching tv, catching snatches of pain-filled sleep, or taking pills by the gallon (NOT really, but I AM desperate to end this pain in my back! It's as though there's this angry red aurora in my back doing its dance of death! It is NOT fun!!)!
I heard from Louisiana; she is doing well; I wish I were able to come to the AASK picnic next month in Nashville, but I was just IN Nashville for the July Fourth holiday (Michael and I made a special, "unannounced" trip to Nashville, and we stopped by to see Louisiana and got to meet the rest of her beautiful "rainbow family"!), and now I am about to go into the hospital later on today! She wrote me a letter of encouragement and hope, and I wish I could say it helped me somewhat, but inside, I am more scared than ever, especially since it is only a few hours before I leave for the hospital and have my tests! That doesn't help to alleviate my fears any!
Well, Kendra, I must go; I have to take a shower and get my last minute "overnight items" packed before I leave to go to the hospital! I will write as I am able, so if you don't hear from me, it's probably because I am feeling lousy or am recovering from surgery if I need to have it! Take care, and blessings to you and your family!
~As always, your Alaskan friend, Jenna Aurora. :(
P.S.: Please keep me in your prayers; pray all goes well during the testing and the surgery if I need to have it! Thanks!
Saturday, July 10, 2004~
