Final Update .... I hope ...
Okay, so the antibiotic run is done. I've seen the Eye Doc, the Allergist, the ENT, my GP, I've have blood work, a CAT Scan, urinalysis and who knows what else.
So, had a meeting with the GP yesterday. It would seem I'm gonna live ... ThumbUp ... I feel better than I have in some time. I haven't felt bad ... just "off".
Okay, so here's the consensus of all the medical master minds after reviewing my records and test/exam results.
Back in January 2019, I had a total knee replacement on the left leg. The brain trust believes that as a result of that surgery I developed an infection in the right spit glad. What brought them to that conclusion? As I woke in the recovery room from that surgery, I mentioned to the surgeon that the right side of my face "Tingled" and the middle finger on my right hand was numb. The surgeon told me it probably had something to do with the anesthesia and if those things didn't go away, to let him know. I had totally forgot about that.
At my two week checkup and staple removal, he asked about those two things and I told him the face wasn't tingling, but, the finger was still numb, it's still numb today. The neurologist thinks the nerves to that finger were "aggravated" during surgery and should eventually calm down and gave me some exercises to help. It actually is getting better.
Okay, back to the knot and tingling face. The conclusion was that the very small post op infection in the spit gland just kind of festered for the whole year. They all believe my body did a good job fighting it, right up until the little distribution fingers started to get clogged up, this caused the spit gland to swell and develop pressure. When it got pretty full, it would get sore and a pretty big, hard knot would form. The pressure would eventually push through the distribution fingers and it would feel better and the swelling would go down ... repeat as necessary.
So, between the antibiotics and the "massaging exercises" the ENT and the Allergist taught me, I am feeling well. Both the ENT and the Allergist have told me the "massaging" should become a regular thing. Apparently the distribution system is tiny and once it's been clogged or partially clogged, they are susceptible to getting that way again. :Shrug:
So, like I said, I am welling well. My membership at Gold's gym doubled in price recently (like $45 a month, the Gym was bought out by another company and is now becoming a boutique workout club. I dropped them and went and joined Planet Fitness.
Did my first "workout" this morning (schedule it for 5am) .. LOL ... not sure you could call it that ... between the shark bite, two knee replacements, and the knot ... been awhile since I have done anything but therapy :blush: ... with the membership, you get a One-on-One with a gal that designs a "plan" to achieve your goals, then she shows you how to get the best results with the machines for your desires.
My goals were to do some sort of cardio that both would keep my heart strong and my knees flexible. Also, I wanted to work on my core so my lower back issues wouldn't get worse. The first step was a recumbent bike machine. Never rode one of those before. Kinda weird, but, the gal explained that it was the best option to not hurt my knees or my back. We started with little to no resistance .. LOL .. felt like I was riding up the Rockies ... did I mention I haven't done anything except therapy for awhile. Thirty minutes was all I could handle.
Next she set me up with a series of 8 machines to straighten my core, as well as, upper body and lower body. She said my lower body was pretty strong. I told her to carry "this" around and her legs could be strong too ..
Anyway, bottom line, I'm feeling well and back to working out. I have a feeling, later today I'm gonna need the hot tub ... :blush: ... I left the gym sweaty and tired .. kind of a good feeling. We'll see how I feel when I wake tomorrow. :AGGHH: