Larry Miller

My Life Has Not Ended, But It Has Definitely Transformed!

On the early morning of February 15, 2002, I was jolted awake by the most excruciating and excruciatingly painful sensations I had ever encountered in my 62 years of life.

My internist told me that we would meet at the emergency room of our local hospital in Sun City West, Arizona. The hospital is located nearby. As a result of my mother’s severe stroke and my parents’ need for support, our family relocated from Oceanside, California, to Sun City, California. We had been residents of Sun City for a little over two months at that point.

They did a heart check on me, but there were no abnormalities found. At that time, they suspected that I had kidney stones; however, despite everything, I continued to have the same level of pain, torment, deadness, shivering, and muscle weakness.

At 6’3″, I did not have a weight problem “206 pounds with a waist measurement of 44 inches, but I was in excruciating pain that I had not felt in the previous 62 years of my life.

They performed an MRI, analyzed the results, and determined that I had degenerative disc disease and a herniated disc at the L2/3 level.

I spent the subsequent six months researching the most qualified medical professionals and effective medications and drugs for DDD.

My internist suggested a few treatment options that were available to help reduce the discomfort and side effects I was experiencing.
The first thing I needed to do was locate a remedy that would effectively treat the constant agony and pain I was in.

Given my previous restorative experiences and the way I live my life, my internist and a spin doctor both recommended that I take a more traditional approach.

I was the owner of a consulting firm and was four months into a capital campaign for a Christian church that also included a K-12 school. I had to avoid having any medical procedures done at all costs in the event that it was possible. Finish the campaign that will take three years.

My doctors started me on a course of moderate (nonsurgical) medications to help ease the symptoms of my herniated disc.

My treatment consisted of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can be purchased over the counter; noninvasive treatment; the application of heat and additionally ice; and consistent physical activity.
My internist and spine specialist prescribed medications commonly used to treat herniated discs, such as Oxycontin and hydrocodone, the muscle relaxants carisoprodol and cyclobenzaprine, and oral morphine sulfate tablets. These remedies were prescribed after over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), active recovery, the utilization of heat as well as ice, and regular exercise failed to alleviate the symptoms of my herniated disc.

My internist and a spine expert recommended chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, back massages, herbs, and intriguing botanicals when I got almost no relief from pharmaceutical and other nonsurgical medications that mitigated the side effects of my herniated disc. These medications included pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs.

At the point when these moderate, corresponding, and elective strategies proved ineffective after half a year, my internist, spine specialist, and naturopathic doctor who was dealing with my chiropractic consult, acupuncture, massage, herbs, and intriguing botanicals prescribed a minimally invasive, outpatient technique that they considered a more secure and viable alternative to a conventional open back medical procedure and a discectomy and adjustment medical procedure.

The events of February 15, 2002, and the eight months forward brought about some of the most challenging periods in my life.

I was unable to work for a client who had contracted with me for a three-year capital campaign, I lost my income, and I felt shame because I could not provide for Karen and our family. Overnight, I became bedridden, disabled, unable to work for a client who had contracted with me for a three-year capital campaign, and I lost my income.

My ankylosing spondylitis was the underlying cause of my uveitis, which was diagnosed on November 1st, 2012. At the end of a day of tests, the director of a prominent eye and ear clinic in the greater Chicago area informed my wife and I of their diagnosis. He also stated that it was likely that I would go blind in three months and die within one year. They suggested that I see a rheumatologist in South Bend, and they forwarded the information they had on me to the office of the hospital where she was being treated. After reviewing my case file, she informed Karen and me during our meeting with her the following Monday that she will not be able to represent me in this matter. When I inquired further, she stated that she had no treatment available because of my advanced case.

To my good fortune, God guided me to a different rheumatologist who specialized in the treatment of patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. In January of 2013, I started receiving treatment.

For the past twenty months I have battled another case of uveitis and glaucoma and I am faced with the prospect of going blind before December 30, 2022 because high pressures are damaging my optic nerve and the use of five brand eye-drops at a cost of up to $700 a month and not covered by insurance.

After nine years since I was diagnosed with uveitis secondary to ankylosing spondylitis. the progression of my ankylosing spondylitis, uveitis and glacoma has continued to advance but, I am neither bedridden nor dead and Jesus has not finished writing my story.

“Being grateful is the key to experiencing life to its fullest.
It transforms what we already have into sufficient resources and even more.
It transforms resistance into acceptance,
disorder into order,
and obscurity into comprehension.
It has the power to transform a simple dinner into a festive occasion, an ordinary dwelling into a comfortable abode, and an unfamiliar person into a close companion. Being grateful helps us make sense of our history, provides us with calm in the now, and inspires hope for the future. (Beattie, 1990)
Gratitude is a state of being that can be chosen.
Gratitude is an attitude of appreciation that exists regardless of the circumstances, in contrast to thanks, which is an emotion. Being thankful is a component of gratitude, but it is not the only aspect of gratitude.

Being thankful and appreciative of life on a daily basis, even when nothing particularly noteworthy occurs, is an essential part of practicing gratitude.

Family and friends of Larry Miller are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.

Larry has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button. And Please share my page on your social media platforms.

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your support!