Frank’s Case

Introduction | Progress Reports | Lab Reports | Medical History | Chief Complaints

FRANK’S 21st PROGRESS REPORT

February 2008 - March 2011

- 2008 -

Most notably I had my first ride in an ambulance as a patient in November. I couldn’t get out of bed; my back had “frozen”. I had had lower back problems since my late teens, but never this bad. An MRI revealed that I had four bulging discs in my lower back.

- 2009 -
Consequently, for the first four months of the year, I had spinal decompression (see http://www.empowereddoctor.com/doctor_index_4114.html), which worked wonderfully.

- 2010 -
The year progressed very well. I felt as though I was finally getting into decent shape: walking several miles at least every other day, pull ups, and pushups. That changed on August 28. While I was drying off in the shower, I heard a loud pop that coincided with a sharp pain in my right shoulder. MRI results indicated two full thickness rotator cuff tears and two torn ligaments.

On September 26, I had surgery on the shoulder to repair the damage. (See the post operative report.)

Toward the end of October, I stopped having weekly testosterone injections.

In December, I caught a virus (the first one that I can recall in more than a decade). It lasted for six weeks, and I could not eat much. I lost 15 pounds, looking rather gaunt. However, the fungus that has been covering a major part of my body for decades dramatically receded. After getting well and resuming my normal diet (heavy in carbohydrates and dairy, and drinking some alcohol in the evening), the fungus started returning. I conclude that the fungus is diet related. So I am going to have to alter my eating and drinking habits, which will not be easy, if I want the fungus to diminish, if not eliminated.

- 2011 -
 

After roughly four months of physical therapy, I have regained flexibility. But I cannot lift my arm above horizontal and my shoulder is in constant pain: not severe but bothersome. My surgeon says the rotator cuff and one ruptured tendon have been repaired. Unfortunately, while the second tendon is now intact, it is too atrophied to function. Cortisone injections might help. And if the pain becomes a significant issue, I can consider shoulder replacement.

Additionally, my left shoulder started having problems during this time as well. Perhaps because of my having to use it much more to compensate for the weakness and healing process of my right shoulder.

My overall condition seems to be getting worse. Aside from my shoulders, my back is having spasms between L1 and T1 and almost goes out several times this month. My wife massages the knots along my spine (all on the right side), which really helps. My left foot has a toe that has part of the synovial membrane coming through the top, something like a hernia.

My right foot little toe accumulates a callous that makes wearing shoes very painful. Consequently, wearing shoes is rather uncomfortable. Due to the shoulder surgeries, I can no longer do pull-ups or push-ups. I have really been hoping to start walking for exercise, but my hopes have dimmed. These issues are definitely testing my sense of humor. I have had two consultations with Dr. Rothbart, who has given me some reason for hope: at least slowing my rate of descent. He states that I have a descending (from my head) and ascending (from my feet) pattern of problems. In the former instance, my sphenoid is misaligned, probably caused by trauma to my head when I was young. (I fell off of a concrete wall; the fall was stopped by catching the top of the wall with my chin.) My head tilts to the left, and my neck vertebrae are compressed and without any curvature. In the latter instance, I have high arches and hammer toes combined with surgeries (bone removed and tendons severed) on both little toes in my teen years.

He stated that it may take as long as 16 months to correct my structure. Function follows form, he said. Consequently, my musculature and nervous system are not functioning optimally because of my structural issues. Additionally, the sphenoid misalignment may well be the cause of my tinitis.

In April, my dermatologist froze a number of spots on my face where he also took a biopsy. I told him of my diminished fungus after changing my diet. He agreed stating that various cells in the skin are lipid attractors. After fighting the fungus for over four decades, I wish my various dermatologists had told me about the impact of diet in addition to recommending various lotions and/or antibiotics. As I noted earlier, since stopping the weekly testosterone injections last October, I was ill for several weeks and lost roughly 15 pounds. I did not notice any decrease in libido, my energy level significantly diminished, however. Since restarting the injections, I have regained ten pounds of the weight I had lost and my energy level has significantly increased.

The information contained herein has been obtained from a variety of sources. This document is presented to increase awareness of the topic and educate the general public. It is not intended to be an extensive discussion of this subject, or to provide specific treatment guidelines.