Earl Is Fighting Back

MY ONGOING PHYSICAL SITUATION IS SURE A STRANGE STORY!!

EARL BALL SPEAKS:  My right arm and hand have been a problem for many years; it got so bad by 2013 that I found myself in such pain that I thought I wouldn’t even be able to complete the frame I was playing. I didn’t dare pick anything up with just my right arm and hand for fear I would drop it. One day I saw Jo Miller, one of our tournament directors, struggling with her hand and we talked. She told me the problem was carpal tunnel. By the time I had seen her next she had surgery done and was all better. I went to my doctor and he sent me for nerve conduction studies. They tested the wrist and elbow with needles and echo cardiogram and decided it wasn’t carpal tunnel. They then did an MRI and found my problem was a pinched nerve in the neck. My Doctor advised me that because it was the neck I should wait until I couldn’t stand the pain! Many players knew I had a problem but never did my opponent know while we were on the court. It kept getting worse and was presenting itself in my right outer rib cage; I knew the time was near.
One Sunday morning, early in the year, I was on my way to see my mother-in-law; we had lost Vivian and I was the only one left to watch out for her, when the pain really hit me. I went to a local Chiropractor’s office, it wasn’t unusual for him to be in the Office to help people on Sunday. He sent me home to get the old MRI. While looking at the MRI he made the comment that I was in the wrong Office; I should be in a Neurologist’s Office. On Monday he went to the local x-ray office to talk with the doctor who diagnosed the MRI originally. They agreed I needed to talk to a Neurological Surgeon. He Suggested two and set me up with one of them. The Surgeon was surprised I still had good use of the arm and hand. We deiced to set surgery after the Summer Nationals in Lakeland if I could make it that far. I did, and had a very successful season at that.
Now the operation is done and the arm and hand seem to be fine but the pain from the surgery is still having it’s way with me, but I’ll win that battle too! My take on the Surgery is that they took something our, put something in and fused C4To C5 and then C6 to C7.
I’ll play in Battle Creek in July so my sister can see me play and in Lakeside later that week for the Summer National Doubles Championship. In September I’ll play the Eastern National Doubles in Hendersonville.
Earl :  2019 05 13

And all season I thought the failed Cataract Surgery was my biggest concern???????