Ow! Ouch! Ooo! Arrgh! Owwwooowwwoow! Ouch! That was a quick summary of the week that was. If you still haven't got the hint, my ass hurts...............a lot.
Before I go on with my misery report, I would first like to thank all of you for your kind words, prayers and best wishes. They were all much appreciated. Thank you Mark (The Walking Man) for recommending Neurontin; it's the only thing keeping me from screaming. Thank you Proxima for reminding me I am not a spring chicken; I must really remember that so that there will not be a next time.
My mom is doing physically well. Operatio went without a hitch and without any complications. The wound is healing well. She is doing physiotherapy and her strength is returning to her leg. Physically, everything is as good as could be expected but she is a bit depressed and needs to be ordered/cajoled to do her exercise. Surprisingly, her appetite is very good and she might even put on some much needed weight.
As for me, my ass hurts.............. a lot. the doctor has confirmed that I have not one but three prolapsed discs in the lumbar region of the spine. At least two of those are compressing the spine and one is compressing a nerve leaving the spine. I have difficulty walking or standing for more than a minute and I cannot lie down flat. I have been sleeping in a sitting position for the last week.
Prognosis though seems hopeful as it appears to be an old injury which has been aggravated rather than a new one. The doctor recommended a treatment of physiotherapy and traction. I am on neurontin . Surgery will be considered only if the condition shows a deterioration. Doctor cheerfully predicts that I will be incapacitated with pain for at least another two weeks.
That means I am off and working from home. Whether that means I will post on the blog more regularly or less regularly remains to be seen.
In the meantime, a word from the wise, take care of your back or you might get a painful kick in the ass.
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Age, a work of art
3 weeks ago
34 comments:
Awe! Poor you! I'll be praying for you and your mother. I know all about nerve pain and needing physical therapy help etc. etc.
Sometimes its difficult to understand why we have to suffer but we live in a fallen world ( no pun intended) so... that might have something to do with it. But no matter what we struggle with God is faithful to sustain us and bring to us every need we have from the emotional and spiritual to the physical.
Maybe your immobility will give you more time to spend with him? :)
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Caramba! It would be a little overstressed to say "I feel for you", but I certainly know some pain in the ... spine. It is good news to hear that your mother does well and recovers from the op.
Sleeping in a sitting position? Oh Mann ... I really hope you recover fast!
Novocain? Ritalin? Wonder-world of painkillerdrugs, an other enzyklopaedia to discover ...
Get well soon.
I have that in my neck. I'm telling you Squirrelly - the only thing that helped/worked was acupuncture. I hope something works. I hate to think of you in so much pain.
Traction?!!?! I've only seen it in the movies. Boo Hoo - I hope it helps. "Hang" in there... get it? I know, bad joke. But get better soon, okay?
It is good news that your mother is eating well. My dear old Aunt has lost her appetite, & is very thin.
Sympathies to you for your back. I have suffered with back pain for years, & know that horrible feeling when you can't get comfortable.
Sending healthy vibes!
Like that Hippie Chick, you got me laughing out loud with those rabbit ears or lack thereof.
I have never had a serious back injury but I wathced my father go through a lot of back pain over the years and so I can only imagine what you are going through. Take care of yourself LGS.. I hope and pray that thise two weeks of more pain will turn into a lot less.
All the best LGS!
Gosh Lgs do take care - my thoughts are with you as I have experienced herniated discs a few times and know the pain the back can give one. Glad you are getting treatment and wish you the a quick recovery.
OUCH - that does sound painful! wishing both you and your mom a speedy recovery.
I didn't see that American Idol episode with the Shout to the Lord song. No way! I heard about the 'gives back' episode but had no idea that they would sing a Christian song - especially when I've seen Simon Cowell so openly mock the singers if they sang anything remotely religious in the past. Interesting indeed!
Gee, I'm so glad your doc is cheerful about the whole thing...ouch!
But I wish you and your mom speedy full recoveries!
My OC has trouble with his back because he too refuses to face facts--he is no longer a spring chicken[or should that be rooster?] Sorry to hear your donkey hurts so much. Hope time, [and ice and heat--highly recommended by the OC, who should know!] and medicine will see you out climbing trees again soon!
I will be praying for you. I have had back pain and know what it's like. I had a compressed nerve. The Doctor handled it well.It sounds like yours is too.
Hang in there Calvin, dealing with constant pain is dreadful. I will be praying for you.
Thinking good thoughts for you.
*hugs*
sincerity,
Thanks. I do believe that all things happen for a reason and that in the midst of this pain, God wants todo something.
mago,
Caramba indeed! Actually, the pain while always there, is under control (tolerable) with the medication. The first 3 days was horrible before the medication. But I continue to sleep in the sitting position.
claudia,
I fully believe in alternative medicine and I have personally benefitted from a chiropracter. I haven't tried acupuncture but the scientifically trained side of me feels the need to let modern medicine have its shot.
tsduff,
Just for you, I shall describe in detail the process of traction once I undergo it. Between you and me, it sounds a bit like a medieval torture device.
meggie,
Yikes. I wish YOU all the best. I can't imagine suffering back pain for years. I certainly hope my situation will not become chronic although there is a slight possibility of that.
dave,
If you haven't had it (back problems), avoid it. The pain is incapacitating in its acute form.
janice,
Does that mean we are fellow members of the Pain in the Ass Club? Entry requirements is a bit severe though. Keep well yourself.
becky,
Thanks for the well wishes. About the Shout to the Lord song on American Idol, you can look it up on their website. It seems miraculous to me that it was sung on that program.
tai,
My doctor's a sadist thats why he's happy. Just joking. He's quite good really. Thanks for the well wishes.
molly,
Tell OC that heat treatment gives me about an hour of relief each time. It is helpful.
dr. john,
Sounds like a number of my readers including yourself have also had this problem before. I suggested to Janice that we could form a club called "Pain in the Ass Club". Perhaps you might have a more genteel suggestion for the name of the club? Thanks for the prayers.
ruth,
Thanks. Appreciate the prayers.
msw,
Thanks. Hugs also appreciated.
Squirrel,
You're welcome for tip on neurontin.
Here is the bad news also gleaned from experience. Beginning in 1993 I began to have increasing pain in the area (lumbar) you refer to and "manned up" and continued on working like a mad man 18 hour days. It is this injury which eventually got me declared disabled permanently and retired at age 46.
By the time I saw the surgeon I had been through tremendous amounts of physical therapy, traction and, all of the rest, to no good conclusion. The left leg pain would not abate and I could not stand on it or walk, seriously I was fixing cars working on one leg when I had to and sitting when I could.
The L4/L5 disc was pushing so hard against the Dura (cover for the spinal cord) that the sciatic nerve was impinged and that being the main nerve in the leg, the one from which all others branch out of, was the reason I could not walk or stand.
L4/L5 had to have the prolapsed disc totally removed, bone taken from my hip and the two verts fused.
The pain in the leg relief was immediate, 18 hours after surgery I was up and walking further and more pain free than I had been in years. But I had let it go too long and have and will always have residual affect from that nerve.
This surgery was done in '00. But it put a permanent 15 pound weight restriction on what I can pick up and now 8 years and two major auto accidents later I am having more problems in the neck and the lumbar area (I have fusions in both).
I had a job requiring strenuous manual physical labor which is why my employer forced me into retirement 12 years sooner than I wanted. They just wanted to be free of the liability *shrug* I adapted.
The treatments now are way beyond what I ever could have imagined. In two days I am going to have some of the nerves in my left side neck burned apart. The the back of the neck then the right side, then the lumbar area may need a different type of treatment which is the installation of a battery pack to deliver a constant electro stimulation to mask the chronic pain.
Long story short, skip all the traction, get the fusion(s), save the nerve and move on, go back to work (unless you're a construction worker or other type career.)
The fusion is not a decision to be taken lightly but while you may get temporary relief from the current prolapses, I will tell you that the walls of the disc are weak and getting weaker now and they will continue to bulge when you move at the wrong time in the wrong way then the choice is made for you and you are stuck with more of an emergency type situation.
Best find a very good neurosurgeon (not an orthopedist!!!!!!!!!!) now and have it done rather than suffer off and on for years more.
*sigh* I will admit, that this has been one of the less pleasant paths my physical feet have traveled. Yet before the second accident (07) the lumbar pain was a simple ache (level 2-3) and bearable and the use of neurontin had been lessened to 600mg a day.
This is my story and I am sticking to it. You now can see a bit into the future and make what decisions now, you eventually are going to make later.
Peace
mark
I re-read my post before taking off for the day and while I got depressed a touch writing it, I just now look at it all as the path that One who walks beside me has saved me once again in (didn't die, wasn't paralyzed when I broke my neck in '02).
As to the future, though, I have mine, you will have yours but it is still the same One who loves Squirrels and Walking Men.
Peace
LGS, I'm glad to hear your mom is doing better. That must be such a worry for you, so soon after losing your dad. Gosh, things always seem to happen at the same time, don't they?
As far as being a spring chicken, heck, you're as young as you feel. My daughter slipped and fell on a newly waxed floor and broke her tail bone, and it was very painful. So I empathize with you completely. And I don't like to think of such a cute rascally little squirrel being in such pain!
Get better soon!
Oh I feel your pain brother! I had a discectomy/laminectomy about 14 years ago and I'm glad I did. Within 6 months I was free of pain, numbness and tingling. Darvocet is my favorite pain med. Occasionally I will overdo gardening or whatnot and it really does the trick. Glad your mom is progressing well. You know stress makes back problems worse, so hopefully you are over the worst of it.
Almost forgot to say, come over and check out Momma Squirrel!
Mark aka TWM,
Again thanks for the tip. I am sorry that you have had such an extensive experience with spinal pain. I really hope that the current treatment helps you and I believe you are right in acknowledging that you were spared worse consequences from your accidents.
Josie,
Thanks. Seems like a lot of people have injured their tail bones.
Claire,
Thanks for the kind words and info. Glad to know that stress contributes to this problem. I shall now blame stress for causing it. It sounds better than I fell on my behind! :)
You poor man! I can feel your pain pulsing through your typing.
EEEEK.
I'm going to keep going to Pilates and Yoga, for sure; thanks for the reminder of how important that is.
Ouch, ouch, ouch! You poor squirrel. Take good care of that bum of yours and I hope you get to have a good night sleep NOT sitting on a chair soon.
Oh, Lone Grey, I'm sorry to read this. I know you are trying to be humorous but nothing is funny about pain, whether in the head or in the hiney.
Get better soon, my friend.
LGS, your humor should be bottled and dispensed (with caution and only with a prescription of course) to many who need it. I am sorry that you are going through such hard times though. I just hope it doesn't hurt when you laugh. Good thoughts are being sent your way - and to your Mom as well, who I am sure, being a Mom, is still worried about you! You need to find yourself a good squirrel rehabber if you haven't already!
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