Tag: Sciatica

My Answer Has Been Disappointing

Lots of phone calls today. People are calling to ask how I’m doing. My answer has been disappointing.

“Not great.”

Lots of phone calls today. People are calling to ask how I’m doing. My answer has been disappointing.

“Not great.”

I’ve been living with leg pain since late July. Nearly five weeks ago it became severe enough to keep me from working. Since then I’ve seen doctors, gotten an X-ray and MRI plus two epidurals–steroid injections directly into my spine. Ouch!

The first steroid injection made a big difference. I am significantly better today than two weeks ago when I got it!

The second injection totally eliminated my pain for 24 hours. The pain has gradually come back. I’m where I was.

It’s back to the neuro specialist tomorrow. He might recommend another epidural. He might recommend back surgery. There will be a serious discussion.

I know many of you are concerned about my condition. Thank you. I am gratified.

I can deal with the pain. It’s just time to get rid of it. It is frustrating to have this problem control me!

Every time I post an entry about my condition advice follows. I read them all.

Have surgery. Don’t have surgery. Chiropractic. Acupuncture. Massage therapy.

Some of you have endorsed doctors based on success in single cases which might or might not be like mine! This blog is not the place to get my medical advice!

None of this is easy. I won’t make any moves hastily. Helaine and I understand the consequences of our decisions.

The status quo is not acceptable.

Friday’s State Of The Geoff Report

Today ends my third week away from work with back problems. This sucks!

It all started in July when I began having leg pain for no apparent reason. With time it got worse. I visited my family doctor who told me it was actually a back problem. X-rays then an MRI confirmed the diagnosis of a herniated disk.

Today ends my third week away from work with back problems. This sucks!

It all started in July when I began having leg pain for no apparent reason. With time it got worse. I visited my family doctor who told me it was actually a back problem. X-rays then an MRI confirmed the diagnosis of a herniated disc.

Steve, my family doc, recommended a neurosurgeon who recommended an epidural delivering steroids directly to my disk. Ouch!

Within a few hours there was a change. The most severe pain was gone. I could sit or stand without feeling like I was being filleted with a hot knife!

I hoped recovery would continue at that pace. It has not.

Things are better than they were in the hours following the epidural, but just barely. The trend is in the right direction, but this will take time.

The scary part to me is, even at this reduced level of pain I am incapable of doing anything productive. Standing or walking for a minute or two puts me back in pain. You have no idea how much I wish I was at work.

I have more doctor appointments next week. I hope for positive news. I wait.

The Procedure

If you’re just tuning in, I’ve spent the last five weeks with pain in my leg. Like most people I thought pain in my leg meant a problem in my leg.

See–that’s why we’re not doctors!

If you’re just tuning in, I’ve spent the last five weeks with pain in my leg. Like most people I thought pain in my leg meant a problem in my leg.

See–that’s why we’re not doctors!

My pain is actually caused by a herniated disk pinching a nerve. The problem is in my spine!

For the last few weeks I’ve stayed home, mainly on the sofa on my side. This Friday will mark three weeks since I’ve worked.

Trust me, I wish I could work. I wish I could walk and sit without pain.

The first treatment for this ailment is no treatment! I stopped doing anything that might irritate it. In many cases the hernia retreats through benign neglect. It didn’t for me.

Today was step two. I went to the Shoreline Surgery Center in Guilford for a lumbar epidural steroid injection. The souvenir x-ray at the top of this entry shows the needle being inserted into my spine.

Sounds awful, doesn’t it? It was. For a moment the pain on a scale of one to ten was a sixteen!

What was very impressive was the staff I had contact with. They were confident in a way that implies competence! That was very reassuring–no small thing.

Just in case I was too loopy to say thanks while I was there, thanks. You guys were everything I could have hoped for.

It’s tough for me to go anywhere in Connecticut without being spotted. Today was no exception. A Facebook friend posted:

Just saw you in Guilford didn’t look to happy hope you are feeling better soon!!

She probably saw me on the way in, shuffling from side-to-side and trying to find a comfortable standing spot. I never did. I’m sure it wasn’t pretty to watch.

It will be a day or two before I know if the injection worked. If the hernia retreats (I’m sure this is a terrible way to describe what happens) I will be able to start physical therapy and try to prevent a recurrence. That’s the goal. Unfortunately this treatment only works around half the time.

I am hopeful.

Update From The Kvetch

I just sent a note to my boss telling her I’m not coming to work tomorrow or Friday. That’s tough for me. I enjoy going to work.

I cancelled a speaking engagement for Saturday. I was the keynote. Ouch! I can’t ever remember cancelling a speech.

If there’s sleep to catch up on, I’ve caught up! I did at least ten hours last night and another two naps during the day today. Maybe the drugs… maybe the boredom. Does it matter?

Sometime mid-afternoon Helaine said “enough” with political talk and news. Sorry Congressman Akin, you’re on our own.

I’m back on steroids. That started late this morning.

If yesterday’s pain was a 10, tonight I’m down to an 8.

I am smarter than I was last week. Anything that might irritate my disks (as it turns out my problem is) is being avoided. I haven’t sat all day. Driving is out of the question.

We have a whirlpool bath which hasn’t seen water in 15 years. I’d use it, but I’d have to sit.

Doppler has been especially nice. When I got into bed Monday and last night she came and cuddled up against me. Usually she’s on Helaine’s side. Dogs know.

This is all very frustrating. I’m used to being in-charge of my life and tonight I surely am not.

Now We Know Why I Hurt

The best way to describe my state of mind is “Ouch!” I am on a first name basis with pain. The simple term is sciatica, but today was the day I discovered the three herniated disks at the root of my problem.

I should have taken an MRI yesterday. I would have taken an MRI yesterday. Instead I panicked!

“You’re not claustrophobic,” I was asked by everyone involved in the MRI process. Originally I wasn’t, but their suggestion was enough. I bolted.

Today I came back well prepared. Along with the Vicodin I’d taken for pain I swallowed two Xanax for anxiety.

My appointment was 12:45. By 12:30 I no longer qualified as a fully functional member of society. My speech was slurred. My walk was wobbly. I looked like surveillance tape from a sobriety checkpoint!

The drugs and a sleeping mask Helaine found worked perfectly. I laid back and let the MRI proceed. Along with placing you in a slender tube an MRI subjects you to loud noise. The Xanax put it out of whatever functioning mind I had left.

The good news is we now have a better idea what’s causing the pain. The bad news it isn’t the right time for physical therapy yet.

For the next few days I’ll do everything possible to avoid irritating the problem. Sitting is out! My movements will be held to a minimal.

Hopefully I’ll soon be ready for physical therapy. This stuff’s getting old in a hurry!

The State Of The Leg Report

Two days on steroids now. I have not gotten into any barroom brawls. That’s good! My leg still hurts, but not as much. That’s very good.

If Tuesday was a 10 on the pain scale, Wednesday was a 4… until I drove home. I guess gas pedals and sciatica don’t mix.

When I got home I sat on the couch but stretched out my leg and rested it on the coffee table. Big mistake.

I’m not where I was, but this is a setback I didn’t expect this afternoon. Back to a 7 or 8.

I will be more careful Thursday, though I’ve got to drive and later stoop and bend for my garden segment. I’ll be damned if I’ll allow this getting old crap to get to me!

Expect Irritability And An Occasional Wail

It’s funny. I lived through the sixties. I inhaled. Yet the thought of taking an opioid scares me. Barring exceptional circumstances I follow Nancy Reagan and just say no! This is some stupid macho gesture from me, right?

My leg’s still killing me. This morning I went to see Dr. Steve.

“Take off your pants, the doctor will be here in a minute,” his nurse said as I settled into an examining room. This is not how you start a conversation on even footing!

Steve asked a few questions while I sat, then asked a few more as he had me twist and contort.

It’s interesting how this works. The moves you expect to be painful aren’t always. Unfortunately, the ones that are painful are very painful!

“L4,” he said.

This is the doctor’s equivalent of “vorticity,” a word I can throw in conversation to make sure you know I became a meteorologist by going to school for it.

Now it was explanation time. I have sciatica, a pinched nerve, probably the lumbar spinal nerve 4 (L4). It goes everywhere!

From Livestrong.com: The L4 nerve supplies many muscles in the lower back region, either directly or through an extension of nerves originating from L4.

So far only bad news, but there is good news. It can be treated! He showed me an exercise I can do while sitting then digitally pushed a prescription to my local pharmacy. I’m on prednisone, a steroid.

Being thorough Steve began to tell me the side effects prednisone could bring. “You might get irritable.” How would anyone notice?

He continued. Sometimes prednisone brings increased appetite, insomnia and a few others unrelated treats. I listened closely for oily discharge or an erection lasting more than four hours. Since prednisone is a steroid I’d already thought about its other well known side effects. I’m not interested in a bloated face or shrunken parts!

Damn! I won’t be able to pass the drug test to participate in the Olympics.

“Maybe I’d be better with the pain,” I said.

Dr. Steve didn’t think so and asked if I wanted anything for that part of the equation.

It’s funny. I lived through the sixties. I inhaled. Yet the thought of taking an opioid scares me. Barring exceptional circumstances I follow Nancy Reagan and just say no! This is some infantile macho gesture from me, right?

If you’ve never taken prednisone it’s more a project than prescription. The dosage is complex and varies by the day. I’m supposed to take one of the pills on one of the days before 9:00 AM. I’m guessing they don’t know when I go to sleep!

Steve is hopeful I’ll be fine sooner rather than later. Some people respond to the treatment within the first 48 hours. Others wait longer before feeling better. I’ll let you know.

Meanwhile expect a little visible irritability and an occasional painful wail.