The End of Spring and Summer 2023

Sleeping problems due to elbow pain started in 2019. Less than a year ago, this started getting worse and worse. I have probably seen about ten different doctors, therapists, and specialists since then.

I started therapy to treat my golfer's elbow (despite not playing golf) right after Spring Break 2023. It lasted six weeks. It seemed to help, but only a little. When I went back to see Dr. Dustin Ray on May 3rd, right after finishing my therapy, he scheduled me for a plasma injection. When I inquired about the cost, I was told that I would get a call the next day regarding the cost with the insurance. As I did not receive a call that next day, I called back on Friday, May 5th but no one answered. I found out that no one worked there on Fridays. I called again on Monday, May 8th. The staff at the Dallas Medical Center is disorganized in such a way that no one knows how to give answers, and no one seems to get the blame if something happens. No one at the doctor's office or at the hospital where he works were able to confirm the cost, so I had to postpone my appointment indefinitely until I was told about the cost. In the next few days, some people would tell me that the insurance would not cover the treatment, others said that it would. I even found Dr. Ray while trying to find the billing people during my conference period and he told me that they would call me this afternoon to confirm the cost. When no one called and when I figured out that the insurance would not cover anything, I decided to get treated in Mexico, as I would be going back there in about a month. I later found out that many doctors and even physician assistants know that plasma injections are not covered by the insurance anywhere in the world, as this process is not standardized. This doctor was not honest. 

As I was slowly but effectively drawing a line in the sand with toxic people that were inevitably around me and while I was trying the exercises that I was given during my therapy I slept a little better, but eventually I noticed that the exercises were hurting me and I had to stop doing them. They ended up hurting so bad that the problem got worse. I spent the whole month of June and the first 2-3 weeks of July taking Tylenol PM, otherwise I could not sleep because of the elbow pain. 

I began working on writing science curriculum for the first time right after Memorial Day, which I enjoyed, despite struggling with elbow pain at night. As soon as I went back to Mexico sometime around June 10th I went with a friend, Cecy, and her dad, (both of which are doctors), who had offered me a plasma injection about a year ago. The pain did not go away, so a different doctor who is a friend of my dad confirmed that this was the right treatment, and said that a second injection may be needed, which would be followed by a shockwave therapy in case that did not work. 

I was hot out there. I did not even feel like leaving my parents' house, but that would've also been the case even if high temperatures were not reaching 43-45°C (110-115°F) about half of the time. The pain at night was so uncomfortable that I even thought about having someone chop my arm off. I also felt that I stayed alive because of my faith. 

Still hopeful of a better future (hopefully not in a too distant future) I went to Austin in July to review materials for the new science learning standards. I truly enjoyed it, but I was still in severe pain at night without Tylenol PM. These pictures are from the day that I arrived, right before working for the following five days:

I tried a second plasma injection in Mexico. Trying to find the cheapest ticket back to Monterrey I decided to stay in Dallas for three nights. I visited some museums and churches in the DFW area. The pain was still there, but this helped me forget for a while:

Getting that second plasma injection did not help, so a cousin recommended another doctor. That doctor confirmed that I was given the right treatment with those plasma injections and suggested starting shockwave therapy, and finishing the treatment in the US (I had to get back to work). He put some kind of echo machine around my elbow and he told me that I had both golfer's and tennis's elbow. As soon as I started therapy, I was able to sleep without Tylenol for the first time in about 45 days. 

It has taken almost a week, but I found a doctor that does the same treatment here in Dallas. Hopefully I'll be able to start in the next few days. I was lucky enough to have my last period as a conference. I am also hoping that my new principal will allow me to take care of business at that time. Despite the fact that plasma was not a solution to my problem, I appreciate Cecy and her dad, Dr. Joel Sosa in helping me try this treatment at a very affordable price. I also can't thank my parents enough who supported me along this painful process.

What happens next? From what several different doctors have said, if shockwave therapy does not work, the last step is surgery. Recovery is something that I long more than traveling. I just hope that I'm able to continue traveling and start saving money after that happens. As of right now, there are no travel plans after this fall. Most of my planned trips were booked months in advance, mainly using miles, hotel points, and card points. Medical bills will determine when traveling will resume. 

There may not be too many places left to see in North Texas, but I'll try to keep exploring them as time permits: