Those of a certain age will remember exactly where they were and what they were doing 40 years ago this week on July 20, 1969. It was one of those kind of events that is life altering. Maybe our lives weren't changed radically when Neil Armstrong stepped off the ladder of the Lunar Landing Module and onto the talcum-powder surface of the moon. But as we watched our black and white TV screens and saw the grainy image of a man walking about "up there," our perceptions of the world and its frontiers was irretrievably altered.
I was 17 and had just graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park, Kansas. We were living at 7201 Hadley in Overland Park in a nice two-story house with a basement. My parents had the house built and we moved-in in 1965 from our old house on 70th Street, where we had lived since 1958.
My friend, Milan Monk, was spending the night and for some reason Rebecca Barker was there too, although I don't remember the circumstances of why. Together with my parents and some of my brothers and sisters we gathered in the family room late in the evening and watched the non-stop coverage of the event.
In my youth I had been a big fan of the science fiction genre and Andre Norton in particular. Her portrayals of alien worlds and other sentient beings in the cosmos enthralled me and made me think of great possibilities. Now to see us, the residents of this small planet, take the first step in exploring another world, was truly a landmark event, not just in the history of America, but in the history of mankind. Armstrong's words were so appropriate from that perspective, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
Yesterday, the Embassy hosted our visiting physician from the Embassy in Singapore (we don't have our own). I decided to make an appointment to see him. For the past month I have had numbness in my left hand, mostly in the little finger and in the little-finger-side of the ring finger, extending down into the palm. It's not completely numb; I can feel when I touch it with something but it feels like when your leg goes to sleep. I thought initially that it was something that would go away as I have had similar feelings in other places that have done so. But it didn't. It's been constant since June 11th or so. I have also had some attendant weakness in the fingers of that hand. More of an annoyance than anything else, although it did cause concern that it may be something serious. Tobi suggested that I start taking Vitamin B.
I consulted with my niece, Carrie Hanis, a Physical Therapist, and she said that it likely has to do with the Ulnar nerve which runs from the spine, through the shoulder, elbow, wrist and serves the little finger and half of the ring finger. I told her that I thought it was something in my wrist or hand that was pinching the nerve, but she said she thought it was more likely the elbow area where your "funnybone" area is. She offered advice of using ice and ibuprofen to reduce inflammation that may be causing the restriction of the nerve.
The Doctor told me basically the same things that Carrie had and that I needed to have a specific test done by a neurologist to determine exactly where the lack of nerve function originated and thus localize where the restriction is.
Yesterday afternoon I went to the new Prince Court Medical Center which is just a 15 minute walk down Jalan Tun Razak from our condo. I met with a Neurologist, Dr. Hamidoon, and he set up the electric response test for me. A couple of nurses hooked me up with some electrical sensors on my palm, wrist and fingers and then zapped me with jumper cables (just kidding). It looked like a miniature defibrillator that they would place on my wrist, my forearm, and my upper arm just above the elbow. This instrument was attached to a computer monitor and recorded the level and speed of the electrical current from the point of contact to the sensors. They did both arms, I suppose for a control test.
After 30 minutes or so of my hands flapping about involuntarily from the electrical shocks, the doctor came in, looked at the results and said, "Just as I thought, it's in the elbow." (Way to go Carrie.)
He said the next step is to have a consultation with an Orthopedic Surgeon. I asked when I might be able to schedule that, and he said, "How about now?" I went then to see Dr. Badrul. He said that he wanted to do three things; first, start me on Vitamin B-12 (Kudos to Tobi).
For treatment of the actual problem he said we could either do an MRI to see if there is something restricting the ulnar nerve, or simply begin with steroid injections, however, the steroid injections might compromise the ability to do an MRI later. I requested the MRI and asked when I might schedule that. He said, "How about 5:30?"
So the last thing I did yesterday was had an MRI. That's quite an experience for those of you who haven't been so lucky. They lay me on a table, wrapped up my left elbow in some sort of pad, strapped me in and slid me, table and all, into the cylindrical opening of this large Magnetic Resonance Imagery machine. Then you start hearing all sorts of loud pulses and humms and vibrations, each louder and more intense than the last. You have to lie completely still throughout the 30 minutes or so, and it starts to get warm and your back starts to hurt and you want to move and you can't, and you start thinking of evil things to do to the technician when you get out of there. Finally it's over and they slide you out. All I could muster was "the stare" that my kids and various inattentive drivers are familiar with.
Anyway, that's all I know up to now. I've got some sort of an impairment of my ulnar nerve in my left elbow. It may be treatable with B-12 or steroid injections, or it may require surgery. All to be found out in the next few days. I have a follow-up with the Orthopod tomorrow (Saturday).
Dr. Brown, the Singapore Embassy Doctor wants me to send him any test results from here so that he can consult and decide if he agrees with the findings and suggest anything different.
So that's it for now. The greatest lesson learned in this experience was, (once again) trust the women. Thank you Carrie, Tobi, and Andre Norton.
Scott
