Several years ago, perhaps as many as twenty-five, I got up early at Las Vegas’s Bally’s Casino and went down to play blackjack. There was one other man with me at the table. I sat in the first position, and he sat in the last. Neither one of us was winning or losing. We were just pushing chips back and forth with the dealer. We both ordered coffee with Kalua and started to talk.
He told me where he was from, but I don’t recall. After a while he told me about shooting dice the evening before. One guy went on a run and won over $2,000,000. Holy crap! Coincidently, that’s the name of the dice game, Craps.
If you’ve never shot dice, it can be an exciting game with a lot of hootin and hollerin if someone “gets on a roll”.
He went on to say that the guy that won the $2,000,000 was the man who invented the MRI. If he was correct, his name was Raymond Damadin. In any case my fellow blackjack player pointed to the craps table across the pit from us and said, “That’s him.” I looked over and saw a man shooting dice. He was all alone.
When our dealer shuffled the cards, I walked over to take a look. There was a sign on the table stating “RESERVED”, so he had the table to himself. I looked at the layout and saw that he had $55,000 in bets. He had placed $5,000 on the 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10, put $10,000 on the pass line and backed it up with another $20,000. His point was 6. If he rolled a 4, 5, 8 ,9 or 10 he’d win. If he rolled a six, he’d win even more. If he rolled a 7, he’d lose it all. I couldn’t watch. My gut was churning just thinking about it. He was risking more on the single roll of the dice than I made in a year, but I guess you’ve got to bet big to win big.
I’ve been having trouble with my left shoulder for several years. I first noticed when David and I were working on his first house. It was an investment on Lake Columbia. That’s where he lived when he met Lindsay.
I was lifting something up over my head and my hand stopped about two inches from my goal. It didn’t hurt; it just wouldn’t go up. I could push my arm up with my other hand and I ended up doing that for several years. Shortly after that first failure I made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in Adrian. He took an ex-ray and made his diagnosis. “You can have shoulder replacement surgery, physical therapy or try an injection.” I opted for the injection coupled with physical therapy. Both helped and I resumed my normal routine for about ten years.
For the past fifteen, my shoulder has deteriorated. I’ve had additional injections and physical therapy but experienced limited success with both. I’d be good for awhile but the duration between my awhiles grew shorter and shorter. I saw two more ortho men in Michigan during those years and both offered a shoulder replacement as a viable option. I had arthritis and needed a new joint. I declined.
This fall my primary doctor referred me to a shoulder specialist here in The Villages. He examined me, discussed possible surgical options and ordered both a CT and an MRI. I needed them both before he could settle on a concrete diagnosis.
CT scans and MRIs both capture images within your body. CT scans provide pictures of tissues, organs, and skeletal structure while MRIs are more detailed and can show abnormal tissue. The biggest difference is that MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) use radio waves and CT (computed tomography) scans use X-Rays. While both are relatively low risk, there are differences that may make each one a better option depending on the circumstances. I got both so we’d cover all our bases.
A CT scan, sometimes called a CAT scan, is a form of X-raying that involves a large X-ray machine. They’re typically used for: bone fracture, tumors, cancer monitoring, and to locate internal bleeding.
MRIs use radio waves and magnets to view objects inside your body. They’re frequently used to diagnose issues with your: joints, brain, wrists, ankles, breasts, heart and blood vessels.
The MRI is a loud machine. I listened to music from the 60’s through headphones but could still hear the loud banging that the machine makes. I had to lie perfectly still. If you’re claustrophobic, it’s a challenge.
The two tests were scheduled three weeks apart, and I had my follow-up with my surgeon this past Tuesday. The good news is there’s no immediate surgery to place on my calendar. The bad news is there may never be. It appears that my delay has caused further deterioration of my shoulder.
The official diagnosis reads: Severe glenohumeral osteoarthritis. Severe glenohumeral joint space narrowing. Extensive remodeling and flattening of the glenoid. That’s a problem.
For you laymen, this means the ball head of the joint has worn down the receiving end. There’s not enough bone left for a new shoulder. I’m bone on bone and have been for several years. While this surgeon can’t do anything for me, he’s referred me to a sports med shoulder specialist in Gainsville with ties to the University of Florida. He’s supposed to be the best. If he can’t do anything, and I’m not hopeful that he can, I’m stuck with injections and pain meds. They won’t fix the problem but will hopefully be helpful.
The upshot is pretty simple. I’m hitting from the forward tees for the remainder of my days. I’ve been hitting from them for the past two years, but I hoped it was a temporary adjustment. It may not be. I’m ok with that. I knew that day was coming but it’s just a bit sooner than I’d hoped.
I have great medical insurance, so it will cover most of the cost associated with my doctors, the x-rays, CTs and the MRI. If surgery is an option, it will cover that as well. Meds and injections are covered too.
To date, I’ve shelled out a single payment of $23 for my MRI. And although Raymond Damadin died a couple of years ago, I got to see him put the proceeds of his invention to good use at a craps table a quarter of a century ago. Good for him.