About a month ago I got an MRI and went to see a back specialist. The MRI revealed a bulging disc and a pinched nerve. The DO, Dr. P. with the Many Students, who really is great, said I would be completely out of pain and fully corrected after four manipulations and a course of physical therapy.
Three manipulations and six weeks of physical therapy later he reviewed my case again and said that I would probably remain in chronic pain. He extended the physical therapy for another four weeks and ordered a muscle stimulator (for improving muscle tone in my back and doing other good things of which I am not entirely certain, but it does help so that’s good enough for me) , a nerve stimulator called a TENS unit (that instantly stops pain – better than Vicodin – and you can wear it under your clothes) and a back brace for heavy activity (not for wearing all the time). I still take an anti-inflammatory similar to motrin and occasionally some Tylenol. I keep Vicodin for emergencies. I keep a few Valium for reasons that require no explanation. We’re also talking about other non-addictive pain relief medications and the words “pain clinic” have come up.
I’m in the last two weeks of the “good insurance” which is picking up the tab on the medical devices after no less than 15 hours on the phone. We’re switching to a less expensive insurance that, at first look, will save us $3,500 a year. It wouldn’t cover any part of purchasing those devices.
(Can I note that as I blog I’m totally jamming to Garth Brooks who is playing at top strength off of Pandora on the sound system connected to my computer that Hubby bought me for Christmas a few years ago? Love Garth Brooks. And men with Southern accents still make me swoon like Scarlett O’Hara. It’s cultural. You wouldn’t understand. Please shut up now.)
My favorite physical therapists are J and C. J teaches me about body mechanics and shows me both common and odd looking movements I can do to promote spinal health and relieve pain. She talks to me about specific muscle groups that support L4-5 which is where my disc bulges and how to strengthen them. C puts me on the quad buster for 12 minutes and then tells me about the cooking contest he just won and the new lighting he put in his living room to showcase the two paintings he bought when he won big in Vegas earlier this year while I’m dying on the quad buster. He has me walk backward on a treadmill. He also talks about how to move in ways and bend and lift and carry and push and pull so I don’t throw out my back. He tells me what to do when I do throw out my back. C is big on strength training. I really feel like I’m getting the best of both worlds with them. I did finally “graduate” from the pool when I looked J calmly in the eye and said I was strong enough that I didn’t need the pool any longer. The pool dropped from my regimin. Physical therapy has been some of the best money my insurance company has ever spent on me.
But the pool was helpful and I also made a new friend there, P with the Two Daughters.
P with the Two Daughters is thin and has serious back problems, which for her finally landed her in surgery. I know someone else who is also thin and has two bulging discs and has chronic pain as a result. Myself of the Hot Pocket Sandwiches and French Fries Who Didn’t Have Enough Sense to Go Out for Pole Dancing in High School (pole dancing promotes excellent core strength=excellent muscles to support your spine) has not done all I could to support spinal health, I’m not feeling real good about that. But pain is an excellent motivator and I’m determined in my strength-building exercise routine and in my weight loss.
So yeah, I’m still in pain every day. Some days are good, some days not so much. I feel like I “got old” this year.
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