Summer Waxing Summer Moon
Up to Elk River with Kate to see Dr. Bewin, a pm&r doc (physical medicine and rehabilitation). He’s a tall, fit man with gray hair and a reserved manner. His demeanor in the office was professional, taking careful notes and putting Kate through a series of movements to discern the current state of her pain and its sources.
In the end his news was sobering, that is, he said no surgeon will touch her back, “Just too complicated.” That means more physical therapy and possible injections, but no long term fix. Her neck, a somewhat less complicated area (but still her neck), might still respond to surgical procedure. We’ll check that out in a month or so with a couple of neuro-surgeons.
She’s dealt with this ongoing problem since our honeymoon, when she carried two liters of water in her backpack and felt some pain the following day. This degenerative disc disease did not start then, but its appearance in our lives did. Now here we are, 20 years later, still deciding, still treating.
Kate’s ability to endure and to endure and get significant work accomplished staggers me. It has its limits. The combination of neck and lower back challenges even Kate’s Norwegian toughness. I believe her conditions will ameliorate somewhat with retirement when she has more control over her movements on any given day.
