Crap, My season is getting cut short

[sennister]

I just got back from the Dr and my riding season is getting cut short and I am pissed.

I have had issues over the last 10 years or so with Cholesteatoma. It was originally caused by blast damage that I suffered to my left ear when in the Army. That is what I get for playing with C4 when I had an ear infection. Anyhow I have been through 4 operations so far attempting to correct the damage/injury. I went in today for my yearly checkup with the ENT specialists and they asked how I have been doing. I said good except over the last month or so I have been noticing that the left side of my face has not felt normal, basically a little numb. Well that is a warning sign that it may be back as the growth can press up against and destroy the facial nerve. If I don't have it taken care of quickly at this point it will lead to facial paralysis and possibly to meningitis if I let it go.

The Dr I saw today put in an order for a CT scan today so I will have to go back for that in a week or so and he said they will want to go in yet this summer. Part of me wants to put it off until this winter or fall at least to get more of a riding season in but I guess the CT scan will be what helps us make up our mind on when it will be done. With the previous 4 operations I was always able to work them in some time in the winter so it wasn't impacting my summer that much but this time I may not be so lucky. Based on the past I will be drugged up for one week following the operation, followed by another 2 weeks or so pretty much on restriction where I can't pickup anything. So I think I will have to park the bike for a month or so.

Oh well I guess health comes first.

 

[Mellow]

Oh well I guess health comes first.

+1...

 

[SteveST1300]

+2 Just heal up there will be plenty of time to ride later. Health first!

 

[MNwing]

Sorry to hear about your problem. I know all too well about not being able to ride. Do what your Dr. tells you, and hope you able to ride in a few weeks.

 

[sennister]

Sorry to hear about your problem. I know all too well about not being able to ride. Do what your Dr. tells you, and hope you able to ride in a few weeks.

On the good side it makes me want to try extra hard to make it the Nelson for the RTE. I doubt they will be able to get all the specialists in order and the preop stuff done by then. It may end up being my last big ride (ok, it isn't that big) of the year.

Now I need to think of stuff to do to the ST while I am stuck at home. :

I should order up that Autocom I have been thinking about getting. I don't know what else I want to do.

 

[wjbertrand]

Had to look that one up. Does not sound like fun. Take care and get well, better to sacrafice a few days now instead of the rest of 'em later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesteatoma

 

[st1300r]

Plan you farkles and listen to the doc. Doesn't sound like something you want to let go untreated.
Good luck.

 

[S2000-Dave]

Sennister, sorry to hear about your situation. I've never heard of your disease, I too suffer from hearing problems. I was in EOD and SF in the Army for 10 years, and taught explosive entry to SWAT teams in the Dallas, and Denver area. What are the specific ailments? I suffer from tinitus (sp?) Maybe I should go in for a check up :, good luck !

 

[sennister]

Sennister, sorry to hear about your situation. I've never heard of your disease, I too suffer from hearing problems. I was in EOD and SF in the Army for 10 years, and taught explosive entry to SWAT teams in the Dallas, and Denver area. What are the specific ailments? I suffer from tinitus (sp?) Maybe I should go in for a check up :, good luck !

Well as I mentioned I was in the Army. I was going through my SF Physical actually when they noticed the hearing loss. I got sent to the Hospital in Germany where the ENT specialists were. They were concerned because I had hearing loss in my left ear but not the right. This is not normal because if you don't wear your ear plugs both ears should have hearing loss unless you run around with only one plug. Anyhow they had concern because there are several medical conditions that can cause this. The first concern was head trauma. They asked what I did in Army and what I did for fun. When I said Infantry (11B), Downhill ski in the Alps and mountain bike all over Germany and the Alps. They were a little more concerned. They ordered up a CT scan and that is when the problem was diagnosed. I was nearing the end of my enlistment and decided if I couldn't go SF I was going to hang up my hat. Since I was medically DQed I went to the National Guard and eventually got out. I chose to have the VA do all the treatments.

From talking with the DRs this is what we think happened. We were doing Gunnary week in Grafenwoehr Germany. As you know we were going through all kinds of ordinance. You know how this goes, basically all the guns we use, C4, Claymores, AT4 and Dragons. I happened to have an ear infection and somewhere between the 4 Dragons I shot that week and C4 and Claymore Demo Range I blew out my ear drum from the concussion of the blasts. I saw the medic on site and he said eh, it will be fine. It healed and it wasn't until a couple years later when I was doing my SF package that something was discovered. Basically it is described as a growth but it can be anything. From talking to the Drs that operated on it they think what happened is that the trauma that my ear suffered in from the blast it caused a tear in the skin. Think of when you get those angeled cuts that leave that little flap of skin. Well because it was infected and had all the puss and blood in there that flap wasn't laid back down so it formed something like a blister. Now a blister normally has fluid in it however in this condition it is filled with dead skin cells. This is because your body is shedding dead skin cells all the time. I guess it does this inside your ear as well, don't ask where they are supposed to go because I don't know. That is basically what formed the condition in me the best they can tell. They don't know why it keeps coming back other than if they miss any it can come back. I have pretty massive hearing loss in that ear because of all of this. They have removed all the hearing bones and installed artifical bones made from titanium. I guess they do this to prevent it from comming back.

As for symptoms.

I guess the only one I had was hearing loss in the one ear and not the other. Any time you have that you should seek medical attention because it can be caused by a few things such as this. If left untreated it will cause complete hearing loss. The hearing loss starts as a conductive hearing loss. Basically the growth touches your hearing bones so they don't transfer sound as well to the nerves. It eventually destroys the hearing bones. I still have a conductive hearing loss. Meaning I can't hear crap out of the ear but if I use temple speakers I can hear fine because the sound is pumped into the skull and not through the ears. It bypasses the drum and hearing bones that I have problems with.

Other symptoms that I have now is the one side of my face feels a little numb. Not totally, I would describe the feeling like that of novicaine as it wears off and you are getting your feeling back.

As I mentioned you can loose all muscle control of facial muscles on that side of your face as it progesses.

Followed by a form of meningitis. It isn't contagious at all because it is an injury. It is't cancer because it is more of a blister like growth that is filled with dead skin cells (think dandruff).

As for tinitus. I have that as well. That is from just too many years in the Infantry and being around helos. I spent most of my 3 years in the guard as a door gunner on a UH1. So I get disability from the VA for that and from blowing out my left shoulder while in training.

I had a pretty good run in the Army but after 16 broken bones and 5 going on 6 operations trying to fix all the damage it has proven to be a rough job on the body. I would say the worst was when I broke both my feet 6 miles into the 12 mile road march when I got my EIB. I completed the march in 2hrs 45min, performed the M16 Station, walked to the award cerimony and after the BN CO pinned on my EIB I went to a medic and was transported to the hospital for casts.

 

[Mark]

So skipping the operation can be deadly...
In the long run I think you'll have more rides if you don't die...

I think I'd cut my riding season...

Get 'er done and we'll see you on the road when you're well.

Mark

 

[S2000-Dave]

You talked me into getting a ear exam! guess I had it pretty good in the Army. I never broke a bone, just sprained an ankle a couple of times. Six years in SF and only got my bell rung once when I did a night jump and landed wrong. I'm 20 years older than you, so I went through back in the late 70's-80's, I recently had to have a eye ball lense replaced (catarac due to over pressure to the eye ball from close poximity explosions) Guess you and
I have a lot in common.

 

[John Anthony]

Taking care of your health has to be a #1 priority. Quality of life suffers pretty dramatically if your health is in the tank. Heal well!

John

 

[Papa]

Like Mark says," Git 'er done." Sooner the better, then jump back on.

 

[AgSTreak]

Get it done ASAP. The bike will wait.