James only fell once and that was a few days after a major shoulder surgery. He couldn’t grab the railing when our cat wrapped around his feet at the top of the staircase and he fell head first down 8 wide wooden steps that he’d constructed when he’d remodeled our house.
He blew the surgery out in his left shoulder, tore his labrum in his left hip, blew his meniscus and part of his Reconstructed ACL in his left knee, two discs in his back, and got a severe concussion. Thankfully he survived and didn’t kill the cat. She stayed with us for ten more years! He even managed to walk up the stairs and out the house so we could take him to the hospital. Why? That’a a story for another time.
All other surgeries on his body are related to his ears, congenital cleft condition, work injuries, or simply his body not staying fixed from previous surgeries.
James has worked manual labor in the oil field, as an electrician on highway, industrial, and residential, and as a football and wrestling coach and official (junior high, high school, and a Olympic qualifiers with their school districts and USA wrestling) for most of his life.
He’s no stranger to pain or ignoring it, but his body has never been kind to him nor her to it.

I’m wondering if there may be an underlying condition that has not been thoroughly pursued here in Wyoming.
There are no specialists in our town.
1. RA: Rheumatoid Arthritis. He’s only seen one rheumatologist and since he didn’t test positive for RH factor, it was automatically ruled out. He was 45 years old at the time.
2. EDS: Loose Joint Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Since he began to get joint and body injuries at age 24 - ACL rupture, his body refuses to remain healed. His shoulders have taken abuse with his employment but have been repaired repeatedly (5 times- 2 times in the left, 2 in the right with 1 repair in the right after the fall.
3. Steroids and joint frailty: James was given steroids orally and by ear drops since he was a baby to 45 years old for his ear infections and cholesteotoma removal maintenance. Both of his shoulders are dislocating again in his sleep, and any prolonged activity causes severe pain and lack of controlled mobility.
His back is the same way. He’s has surgery to repair his discs after the fall. They have been scanned and need surgery again. His knees, the left has had ACL reconstruction and a TKR and a revision. It continues to cause severe pain and clicking. The right has severe arthritis and needs replaced which he refuses to do.
His hip which required labral repair after the fall, is causing issues again and needs to be evaluated. He’s been told a replacement is in the future.
4. “Floxed:” James was given Ofloxin ear drops to control his ear infections before and after removal of his cholesteotomas in his left ear. After removal, the wound left behind in the ear canal was an open wound and he applied 4-8 drops of Ofloxin directly three to four times a day. His left ankle which ruptured spontaneously and was completely reconstructed is becoming weaker and turning and collapsing on him again for no reason we can find.
5. CRPS: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, type 1 or 2
During one of his multiple surgeries or accidents, James developed CRPS. James has severe nerve pain in one or both feet, and legs as well as carpal tunnel (hand pain of which the right carpal tunnel surgery has failed.)

He suffers tremendous pain, can’t sleep at night very well, and must fight through it to be my caregiver.
Is it fair? No. Is it life? Yes. Does he need diagnosed and treated correctly? Yes.
BEFORE he loses his pain management and suffers agony.
BEFORE we both do.