Physical pain. I’ve been experiencing a lot of it in the past week.
One of the chronic conditions that contribute to my VA disability rating of 100 percent is the lumbar area of my back. A combination of exaggerated lordosis (an exaggerated curve in the lumbar region of the spine), years of lifting heavy gas bottles and components while serving in the Navy “beat up” my lumbar region and a spina bifida (where my lumbar bones didn’t fully close around my spine) cause me to be susceptible to back aches. The past six months have found me in more pain than I have been in the last six years.
Also, I was exposed to a lot of sun during my life time, especially time I spent serving our country in the Navy. In the last few years I’ve had a significant number of precancerous growths frozen off my face, but new growths keep popping up. My VA dermatologist recommended a two week treatment of Flourouracil cream to remove the hidden growths below my visible skin, so I applied the cream twice a day to my face for those two weeks. My dermatologist told me it would leave me looking like I had leprosy – and here a week after ending the treatment my face is in pain as the facial sores from the “killing” of those hidden growths heal.
Lastly, while my face and back have been in pain, I had two root canals on two molars. Multiple medications I take to control chronic conditions cause me to have dry mouth. That dry mouth has resulted in numerous dental problems during the past three years, and that’s resulted in painful dental problems.
Authored By Autumn Sandeen – See the Full Story at LGBT Weekly
