Mike having another surgery...what?

Nothing serious...they are going to repair a tear in a tendon in his elbow. So I think this is 9 surgeries in 5 years...though who can keep track. Why do his tendons keep tearing? Is this a liver thing? He is a 67 year old male, post TP, post Hep C, post aortic valve replacement who just wants to play some old geezer golf...and he messes himself up...again. He has had 3 rotator cuff repairs and now this. Cast, PT, 3month recovery. He won't be able to play golf for 3 or 4 months and he was just getting back into it...again. The guy can't catch a break. Oh, no driving when the cast is on. Anyone think that is going to work?

Okay, this is more small stuff. I'll be quiet now. I have plenty of practice helping him get dressed and to the john.

Hugs,

MamaLama

MamaLama,
Geesh, it doesn't rain, but it pours. The poor guy really can't catch a break, can he? As far as driving with the cast...well, we're guys and that makes us idiots...at least some of the time...lol.
I hope his recovery is short and uneventful. You two sure deserve some breaks.

I'm very curious about the tendinopathy that Mike has experienced.
I see in your sig...his tx. in 2014 with Olysio and Sovaldi.
Was he treatment naive for his hep c at this point?
I'm wondering specifically about any previous regimens with Interferon.

I finished my first and only tx. for hep c about 1 1/2 years ago now
(24 weeks duration...Telaprevir, Interferon and Ribavirin)
Approx 1 year ago, I began experiencing diffuse tendon inflammation, pain and damage. Most of it had no obvious cause. My right Achilles' tendon suddenly became painful, causing me to limp for 2-3 days. As that subsided, my rt foot and ankle became swollen, reddened and very painful. Then the same sequence of events took place on my left Achilles' tendon, foot and ankle.
It took about a week for the swelling redness and pain to subside.
My feet looked like a guy in acute congestive heart failure!

Anyway, more stuff like that occurred and now I have a left elbow (triceps tendon) that has become chronic after a dumb, self-inflicted injury 1 year ago. (Tossing about 70 large bags of mulch and garden soil in and out of trailers and eventually spread out on my property).
Overall, this "tendinopathy has improved, but not wholly abated.

I believe this is related to the 6 months of Interferon treatment. I've read a few similar stories on the net and while I know this is purely anecdotal, it's pretty darn peculiar.
My hepatologist and internist feel the same.
Oh well, the only real treatment is tincture of time and not behaving like an idiot.
I'm a 66 yo guy...good luck with that...lol.

__________________________________________

2013 / Diagnosed and successfully treated for hep c geno 1b with Telaprevir, Interferon and Ribavirin...treatment duration 24 weeks.
Retired CRNA (aka nurse anesthetist)...approx 35 years experience in the ER and anesthesia.
Exposure was likely a bloody needle stick from a known hep b patient in 1977. Hep B never progressed to the chronic phase...my own, healthy immune system took care of it.

Thanks ML, I very much appreciate your response. You have probably typed out Mike's history a 100 times or more....I just couldn't find it.
You have confirmed what I've found as well. I knew about the fluoroquinolones and statins, but there's no solid data in the medical literature re: Interferon and tendinopathies. Like I said, feedback from my docs was the same.

There is a risk vs. benefit decision attached to any drug, therapy or surgery. This is true even of the so-called naturally occurring "drugs" and the interferons fall into this group. Of course to treat hep c, we are not taking any thing close to what our bodies naturally produce. And as good as medical care is in the US and it is excellent overall, there is much more that we don't know than what we do know.

I have no regrets. Personally, my tendon issues are relatively minor and certainly pale in comparison to living and dying with hep c. I'd start the treatment again tomorrow, no question, if that's what it took.
My sense is that given time, my health issues will continue to improve.
I hope this is true for Mike as well. God Bless.

___________________________________________

2013 / Diagnosed and successfully treated for hep c geno 1b with Telaprevir, Interferon and Ribavirin...treatment duration 24 weeks.
Retired CRNA (aka nurse anesthetist)...approx 35 years experience in the ER and anesthesia.
Exposure was likely a bloody needle stick from a known hep b patient in 1977. Hep B never progressed to the chronic phase...my own, healthy immune system crushed it.

Tuesday is the next surgery...he has had to get sign off from everyone but the Pope to have it. But he is hoping to get himself repaired and get back to his post TP, post TX, post Aortic Valve Replacement life.

They do it one day, let the swelling go down then cast it from above the elbow to the hand so that the wrist cannot bend and activate that the tendon that inserts by the elbow. Once it sets good, they will switch to an air cast he can remove to shower.

Wish him good luck. He figures this is 9 surgeries (plus the normal procedures the TP and HCC and HCV folks get) in 6 years. Poor guy.

But he is in good humor, he put a post roast and veggies in the crock pot this morning as he figures nothing good to eat for a while...he is the chef here...not me. I am more the soup and grilled cheese sandwiches type of cooker. My bad.

Hope all are having a nice weekend, Mama Lama

Upscale put-put golf. Hey, Get him a Hoveround and Sippy while your at it. That'd be like his golf cart. That should pretty much solve the problem.


Ziff

My father-in-law had problems with his tendons,muscle mass,he was also a golfer,it ended up being r/t renal failure that he had that was found when he went in with a knee injury.hope this is not Mikes problem but I thought I mention it.take care.

Update on tendon surgery: All went well. He had a cast on it from armpit to top of fingers for 3 weeks. Yesterday they took off the cast, removed 10 staples and used steri-strips to keep it closed for a while more. He has a brace now, from armpit to top of fingers. He can remove it to shower ONLY. He sleeps in it. He can remove it twice a day also to do passive exercises, flexing the elbow by moving it with his good arm.

But all is not so easy. As I said on the 9th, his labs were mixed up. His AST/ALT was 41/120 after both being in the teens for YEARS. And his coordinator didn't call back for 4 days!

He redid his labs this week even though no on told him (he has an open lab slip and felt that is what they would do if anyone answered his calls or emails). Those came in this morning and most numbers are back in the normal range. AST/ALT 19/24. The theory is that the elbow surgery, though a day surgery with twilight sleep, still took a toll on his immune system and messed up his numbers. The one saving grace is that they ran a viral load which continues to be undetected. That took an extra day to be posted and we were very worried about the Hep C returning. Though everyone says Mike is CURED, I'll never be sure until years and years go by. Those new meds are new and who knows what will happen long term. Maybe they will find out that lots of folks tendons get messed up! Who really knows. For now he is thankful to be Hep C free.

Hoping he is back to his old self soon and can play a few rounds of golf.

And that you all are having a peaceful day.

Hugs,

Mama Lama

That is great news. So glad the numbers are stabilizing.

Hope you are doing better soon, ML. It sure puts meaning in "walk a mile in their shoes". Although I would never wish anyone to go through any type of suffering, I am always grateful for the insights I have gained when I have been forced through an adventure I really did not understand.

Hugs and good wishes....

Rubi

Hey ML...c. dif...ugh! Awful, awful, awful stuff!
As I'm sure you know...as much time as you've spent in hospitals recently you most likely picked it up there.
If you want to get sick, spend some time in a hospital.

Anyway, sorry you feel like crap...I know, I know, sorry I couldn't resist.
Hopefully, you can still get a chuckle.
Do they have you on Flagyl...Vancomycin...or both?

Thank the Lord they caught the "tiny tumor". I had no idea that these suckers are malignant almost 50% of the time. Yikes!
Best of luck...you'll do great!

________________________________________


2013 / Diagnosed and successfully treated for hep c geno 1b with Telaprevir, Interferon and Ribavirin...treatment duration 24 weeks.
Retired CRNA (aka nurse anesthetist)...approx 35 years experience in the ER and anesthesia.
Exposure was likely a bloody needle stick from a known hep b patient in 1977. Hep B never progressed to the chronic phase...my own, healthy immune system crushed it.

I'm thinking about you ML. Feel better soon!

I am so glad you have the surgery behind you and that everything went well. The drug reaction sounds frightening. I am so glad you are on the mend and will get home soon. I am sure Mike will be glad to take off his caregiver hat:) Big Hugs to you both

Well...... Congrats on the demotion to peeing oneself. I never thought I would say that to someone else. Kinda strange how the perspective on those issues change. Pee? As a full on multi year veteran of self embarrassment I'd rank this as a 7 out of 10. Try trying to open a icu ward bathroom door with hands freshly lotioned, Dragging a I.V cart. I managed to get two attempts at the the door handle before the lactulose said "Unhinge thy butt cheeks". Hit the emergency nurse button on wall as the grisly aftermath continued. Floor, Split tail gown soaked and soiled. Nurses shift change ironically. Not one but three lovely young ladies burst into the room (nurses) only to see the mess I created. "You only get to make the first impression once". darn that cursed Lactulose. I say again, If hell exist it has water fountains that dispense the fowl concoction.

Now a bit of a humorous tale a British fellow told me once. He and I sat along with others one afternoon eating our lunch. Tired from the mornings work and full belly's , He looked around at us all "Well gentlemen, Back on your head". He'd said this many times and everyone figured it meant back to work. I being the curious mind had to ask "What does that mean". He says "Ya know there was the first iron worker in history whom passed away. Sam, I believe his name was. Well old Sam got sent straight to hell before he had a chance to challenge St. Peter. Sam nervously watches the elevator descending down. Out he walks as the door opens. He looks out and as far as he could see was a ocean of folks neck deep in excrement. Amidst the mass one figure holding a pitch fork looking at a wrist watch high above the masses. Horns and a evil grin. Sam says, Ain't great but better than I expected. He wades out in the crap, Finds his spot next to another tortured soul. Seconds later the pitch fork guy stands abruptly and says, Alright breaks over, Back on your head."

Thought I'd lighten you up a bit.Sorry about your troubles and Mikes also. Here's hoping to better days for you both.


Ziff