Well it's after 4:00 pm on a Tuesday and I just remembered that I hadn't written, or even started, a post for the WWU. That's unusual for me but I've been even more scattered than usual because, drumroll please...I'm scheduled to have surgery on Monday.
I guess from that announcement you deduced that my visit with the neurosurgeon last week went well. It did. Jeff went with me; we first met with the PA, who was super friendly and informative. Before he came in the room he went over the paperwork that I'd brought, checked my MRI, and said that all I needed was to have the disc fragment that is pressing on the nerve removed and I'd be back to my old self once I'd recovered from the surgery...with no nerve pain.
No. Nerve. Pain.
Of course Jeff and I had a lot of questions, starting with how successful is this surgery? The PA said very successful. We asked what would happen and learned about the procedure and how they would only work on the left side, with the actual operation taking about 30 minutes. It would be done on an outpatient level, at one of the local hospitals.
After more questions (what would the restrictions be, what is the recovery like, etc), I asked one last question: did I need to have the injections and pain management and physical therapy, then, if this surgery is so successful? Because I was wondering, what the hell, did I just waste five months with that when I could have had surgery right away and avoid being in pain all this time?
No. He said that even if I had presented to them back in April, with the MRI and extreme pain, they still would have had me go through pain management because sometimes the epidural steroid injections can give enough pain relief while the swelling is going down for the disc to shrink and/or move away from the nerve...and it might not be an issue after that. They don't do surgery unless other options to fix this have been exhausted.
Hearing that was confirmation that I hadn't been foolish in trying to get the herniated disc healed without jumping into surgery. It made me feel good, plus made me feel like I'd gone to the right neurosurgeon. He was recommended by pretty much everyone when I was asking who to see, from healthcare professionals to friends who had used him, but still, you don't know until you actually meet with the person.
When the surgeon came in, we liked him right away. And then peppered him with questions, LOL. Jeff the statistics person asked what percentage success rate did this particular operation have: 92 - 95% was the surgeon's response. Well, we were both leaning toward the surgical option, but hearing that was the final kicker toward doing it.
The thought of getting my life back is very appealing. Obviously I don't want to do anything impulsive just to have that, but after more than six months of hurting, I'm at the point of being willing to try something different.
Oh, speaking of being scattered, the other great news is that the surgeon said I can stop taking Gabapentin! Really happy about that - I might get my brain back to normal. Or at least normal for me.
Showing posts with label epidural steroid injection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label epidural steroid injection. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Monday, August 26, 2019
Herniated Disc Update #4
I had an appointment with the PA, Kristen, at my pain doctor's office last week. Jeff met me there and I am really glad he did because I'd forgotten a lot of the oddities that had happened in the seven weeks since my last visit.
He brought up my blue fingers and the auditory hallucinations, as he called them - I just said there was a party happening in my head. Off and on, I could hear the murmur of a group of people talking but couldn't really make out any words - it was like they were at a party in the distance. Yes I know that is weird but it only lasted for a few days and I think it probably was related to going off the Butrans pain patch.
I was nervous to tell Kristen about my decision to not get another epidural steroid injection since the last one didn't help at all - I stayed the same, pain-wise. Well, I didn't need to be worried; she listened to me and agreed that another injection wasn't in order, whew! I know everyone is really kind and caring at my pain management clinic, but I rarely challenge a doctor so this was hard for me to do.
Kristen was very thorough with going back through her notes, confirming pain levels over the last several months, and not only where I was hurting, but things like the pins and needles at my knee - did it wrap around the leg or was it only in the front? Although it happens constantly, I didn't know - isn't that funny? I got the answer a few minutes later when the pins and needles started again: it's only on the front. It happened off and on during the appointment and I was glad that Kristen could see the frequency and also how I wasn't doing anything when they began. We went over my prescriptions; I was only on Gabapentin at that point. Oh and four Aleve a day. Even with that, I still hurt.
That was the talking part of the appointment; next I sat on the exam table while she tested my leg strength. Then the fun began, with her pressing on my back to see where I hurt. My back was barely an ouch, but when she got down to my hip area, or the sacrum as I have learned, there were a lot of ouches, especially on the left side. Then there was more talking: she suspected that the reason why the last injection didn't help was because the previous one had done the trick and the herniated disc and fragment had moved off of the nerve root. So the injection did nothing because there was nothing to be done...in that area.
Jeff and I got an anatomy lesson at that point, where Kristen showed on a skeleton model the area that was hurting on me. She explained that everything sort-of overlaps in the back and one issue can lead to another, and I was experiencing sacroiliac joint pain, or SI pain as it's commonly known. The areas where I was still hurting (glute, groin, leg) can be caused by the SI, and she was pretty confident that was where my lasting pain was coming from. Of course Jeff and I both said "wait, was there a herniated disc??" and she said yes, very much so, as shown on the MRI. So while the herniated disc is under control (fingers crossed, PLEASE BE SO), now we can see that the SI joint is inflamed.
The treatment for this? Taking Meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory drug, plus getting an injection in that joint. Yes. Another injection. Yippee. Obviously I am not thrilled about that because of how sick I got from my last steroid injection, but if this works I will be mostly pain free and that will be worth it. The good thing about this is that if the injection doesn't work, there are alternatives, such as a plasma-rich injection - but that isn't covered by insurance so we might as well start with the one that is. Hopefully the steroid injection will happen later this week; my doctor's schedule is pretty full plus he's on call at the hospital, so we'll see.
If it sounds like I'm throwing everything at this and hoping something sticks, I kind of am...with the advice of competent medical professionals, of course. But I'm tired of hurting, I'm tired of not getting to do much because of the pain, and I'm tired of this dominating my life.
I'm still going to go to the neurosurgeon consultation appointment in September. At this point I still want to hear what his take is on my injury and what he might recommend. I don't think I need surgery but I'm not a doctor and I could be wrong - shocking, I know.
He brought up my blue fingers and the auditory hallucinations, as he called them - I just said there was a party happening in my head. Off and on, I could hear the murmur of a group of people talking but couldn't really make out any words - it was like they were at a party in the distance. Yes I know that is weird but it only lasted for a few days and I think it probably was related to going off the Butrans pain patch.
I was nervous to tell Kristen about my decision to not get another epidural steroid injection since the last one didn't help at all - I stayed the same, pain-wise. Well, I didn't need to be worried; she listened to me and agreed that another injection wasn't in order, whew! I know everyone is really kind and caring at my pain management clinic, but I rarely challenge a doctor so this was hard for me to do.
Kristen was very thorough with going back through her notes, confirming pain levels over the last several months, and not only where I was hurting, but things like the pins and needles at my knee - did it wrap around the leg or was it only in the front? Although it happens constantly, I didn't know - isn't that funny? I got the answer a few minutes later when the pins and needles started again: it's only on the front. It happened off and on during the appointment and I was glad that Kristen could see the frequency and also how I wasn't doing anything when they began. We went over my prescriptions; I was only on Gabapentin at that point. Oh and four Aleve a day. Even with that, I still hurt.
That was the talking part of the appointment; next I sat on the exam table while she tested my leg strength. Then the fun began, with her pressing on my back to see where I hurt. My back was barely an ouch, but when she got down to my hip area, or the sacrum as I have learned, there were a lot of ouches, especially on the left side. Then there was more talking: she suspected that the reason why the last injection didn't help was because the previous one had done the trick and the herniated disc and fragment had moved off of the nerve root. So the injection did nothing because there was nothing to be done...in that area.
Jeff and I got an anatomy lesson at that point, where Kristen showed on a skeleton model the area that was hurting on me. She explained that everything sort-of overlaps in the back and one issue can lead to another, and I was experiencing sacroiliac joint pain, or SI pain as it's commonly known. The areas where I was still hurting (glute, groin, leg) can be caused by the SI, and she was pretty confident that was where my lasting pain was coming from. Of course Jeff and I both said "wait, was there a herniated disc??" and she said yes, very much so, as shown on the MRI. So while the herniated disc is under control (fingers crossed, PLEASE BE SO), now we can see that the SI joint is inflamed.
The treatment for this? Taking Meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory drug, plus getting an injection in that joint. Yes. Another injection. Yippee. Obviously I am not thrilled about that because of how sick I got from my last steroid injection, but if this works I will be mostly pain free and that will be worth it. The good thing about this is that if the injection doesn't work, there are alternatives, such as a plasma-rich injection - but that isn't covered by insurance so we might as well start with the one that is. Hopefully the steroid injection will happen later this week; my doctor's schedule is pretty full plus he's on call at the hospital, so we'll see.
If it sounds like I'm throwing everything at this and hoping something sticks, I kind of am...with the advice of competent medical professionals, of course. But I'm tired of hurting, I'm tired of not getting to do much because of the pain, and I'm tired of this dominating my life.
I'm still going to go to the neurosurgeon consultation appointment in September. At this point I still want to hear what his take is on my injury and what he might recommend. I don't think I need surgery but I'm not a doctor and I could be wrong - shocking, I know.
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Herniated Disc Update #3
Another month, another update. Actually I was emailing my PT who had asked for my blog link and I was telling her how I started it in 2008 so I could have a place to go back and see how far I'd come and how much work I was putting into my diet and OH MY GOD I'm doing the same thing only for a herniated disc. Isn't that a kick in the pants.
Well then. It has only been three months since my saga of the disc began. It feels like a lot longer than that, but I suspect that's what being in immense pain for more than two months will do to a person - it warps the timeline because of how long a day is when you hurt so bad. I hope to NEVER hurt like that again.
My second epidural steroid injection gave me the pain relief I needed for about five weeks. It wasn't 100% but it was a lot. Then the nerve pain started to come back at the groin area and yes, you guessed it, I found that out when I sat down. At least it didn't get horrible, but I was looking forward to my next injection very much.
I had my third visit with my pain doctor a week ago yesterday. After listening to my list of issues he said he was encouraged at the news of the pins and needles that I have been feeling many many many times a day, from my just below my knee to the entire front of my shin. He said that the nerve was waking back up which meant all of this was working. I can put up with it; it's annoying as you might imagine, but it doesn't hurt, and if it means that I'm healing, then that's OK.
We went over my medications and I asked if I could stop using the Butrans patch, reason being that I'm feeling better - but am I feeling better because of the injection, or because of the pain meds, or both? He was good with that and also good with my request for a prescription of the lowest dosage of Butrans just in case I end up feeling more pain than I'd like after I stop using the higher dosage patches. I'd love to get by with just Aleve, and of course, the Gabapentin, which is the nerve medicine.
It looks like Gabapentin and I are going to be friends for quite a while. I wasn't sure it was doing anything until I missed my evening meds one night; the following day my leg felt like it had creepy crawlies going up and down from the inside. Which is different from the pins and needles, in case you were wondering. Anyway, yes, it's working. It's also giving me some lovely side effects in the form of brain fog, clumsiness, and shaking hands. We discussed cutting down the dose but for now I'm going to try taking the entire dose in the evening to see if it helps with the side effects.
I appreciated it so much when my doctor and the woman in the treatment room - I know her name but not what her medical title is - both said independently of each other that they wanted me to be an active participant in my pain management and gave me the option to change up when I took the Gabapentin, and how if I had a particularly bad flare of pain, I could take an additional tablet earlier in the day, and also to call them if I felt like something wasn't working and they'd work with me to get me something that would help. I don't have to wait six weeks between appointments to make a medicine change and that was good to hear. I feel a little more empowered as I go through this herniated disc recovery.
I had my third epidural steroid injection that day, done the same way as the previous one, which was transforaminal (going in through the side of the vertebrae instead in the middle). Everything went well, Jeff took me home to lay flat on the couch for the rest of the day, which I did like the model patient I am. I felt really good the following day and even got myself dressed decently to go pick up a prescription and then go audition new purses:
Based on how things went for the last two injections, I knew that I'd feel crummy the second day after the injection and was prepared for a day of nausea and misery. But it didn't happen, and I thought well hey, maybe my body is becoming accustomed to these steroid injections.
Uh, that would be a no. Toward the evening I had the steroid flush - my cheeks got really red and I got hot. My head got hot. My hair got hot. Oh yeah, and I was nauseated. I went to bed with an ice pack on my head and a barf bag at my side, just in case. The next day shaking was added to the aforementioned side effects. And depression and despair because I was so freaking tired of feeling crappy. The flush would happen, I'd run a little fever for an hour or so while my head was hot, and then it would ease up for a bit. It was a rollercoaster of redness, hot hair, fever, shaking, depression, and despair (which are called 'mood swings' in the list of side effects...no, they are MOOD SWINGS) until Sunday morning. I might get a few hours' relief and think OK, it's over and then bam, it would happen again.
I can't wait to get another injection in six weeks. Said with some sarcasm. OK a lot. As long as I keep getting better and better I'll put up with the after effects, but I'm not looking forward to them...who would?
Well then. It has only been three months since my saga of the disc began. It feels like a lot longer than that, but I suspect that's what being in immense pain for more than two months will do to a person - it warps the timeline because of how long a day is when you hurt so bad. I hope to NEVER hurt like that again.
My second epidural steroid injection gave me the pain relief I needed for about five weeks. It wasn't 100% but it was a lot. Then the nerve pain started to come back at the groin area and yes, you guessed it, I found that out when I sat down. At least it didn't get horrible, but I was looking forward to my next injection very much.
I had my third visit with my pain doctor a week ago yesterday. After listening to my list of issues he said he was encouraged at the news of the pins and needles that I have been feeling many many many times a day, from my just below my knee to the entire front of my shin. He said that the nerve was waking back up which meant all of this was working. I can put up with it; it's annoying as you might imagine, but it doesn't hurt, and if it means that I'm healing, then that's OK.
We went over my medications and I asked if I could stop using the Butrans patch, reason being that I'm feeling better - but am I feeling better because of the injection, or because of the pain meds, or both? He was good with that and also good with my request for a prescription of the lowest dosage of Butrans just in case I end up feeling more pain than I'd like after I stop using the higher dosage patches. I'd love to get by with just Aleve, and of course, the Gabapentin, which is the nerve medicine.
It looks like Gabapentin and I are going to be friends for quite a while. I wasn't sure it was doing anything until I missed my evening meds one night; the following day my leg felt like it had creepy crawlies going up and down from the inside. Which is different from the pins and needles, in case you were wondering. Anyway, yes, it's working. It's also giving me some lovely side effects in the form of brain fog, clumsiness, and shaking hands. We discussed cutting down the dose but for now I'm going to try taking the entire dose in the evening to see if it helps with the side effects.
I appreciated it so much when my doctor and the woman in the treatment room - I know her name but not what her medical title is - both said independently of each other that they wanted me to be an active participant in my pain management and gave me the option to change up when I took the Gabapentin, and how if I had a particularly bad flare of pain, I could take an additional tablet earlier in the day, and also to call them if I felt like something wasn't working and they'd work with me to get me something that would help. I don't have to wait six weeks between appointments to make a medicine change and that was good to hear. I feel a little more empowered as I go through this herniated disc recovery.
I had my third epidural steroid injection that day, done the same way as the previous one, which was transforaminal (going in through the side of the vertebrae instead in the middle). Everything went well, Jeff took me home to lay flat on the couch for the rest of the day, which I did like the model patient I am. I felt really good the following day and even got myself dressed decently to go pick up a prescription and then go audition new purses:
Doesn't everybody empty out the paper stuffing from store purses and put the contents of their current purse inside to see if it's a good fit? And then take some pictures so you can go home and ponder the finalists? Also, ya think I like blue? I didn't realize how much blue I had going on there, with my dress, phone case, and purse.
Based on how things went for the last two injections, I knew that I'd feel crummy the second day after the injection and was prepared for a day of nausea and misery. But it didn't happen, and I thought well hey, maybe my body is becoming accustomed to these steroid injections.
Uh, that would be a no. Toward the evening I had the steroid flush - my cheeks got really red and I got hot. My head got hot. My hair got hot. Oh yeah, and I was nauseated. I went to bed with an ice pack on my head and a barf bag at my side, just in case. The next day shaking was added to the aforementioned side effects. And depression and despair because I was so freaking tired of feeling crappy. The flush would happen, I'd run a little fever for an hour or so while my head was hot, and then it would ease up for a bit. It was a rollercoaster of redness, hot hair, fever, shaking, depression, and despair (which are called 'mood swings' in the list of side effects...no, they are MOOD SWINGS) until Sunday morning. I might get a few hours' relief and think OK, it's over and then bam, it would happen again.
I can't wait to get another injection in six weeks. Said with some sarcasm. OK a lot. As long as I keep getting better and better I'll put up with the after effects, but I'm not looking forward to them...who would?
Monday, June 10, 2019
Herniated Disc Update #2
It's been a while since my last post about my herniated disc, so I thought I'd update you guys with what's been happening. When I last left you, I had been given my first epidural steroid injection and was waiting for the steroid to kick in and relieve me of some of the nerve pain. It never did, which was incredibly disheartening. So except for the change in pain meds to a Butrans patch that I wore on my arm for a week at a time, nothing was different, including my pain levels. We went to North Carolina as planned because I was tired of this injury stopping me from doing everything, and while I had some good distraction by being with Sam and my parents, I was hurting really bad and was taking Motrin all the time.
On the drive back, I was at a 9.5 on the pain scale, and feeling despair at ever getting better because the first epidural injection didn't work, the pain meds were barely helping, and I'd read a lot of stories online about other people living like this for years. YEARS. In tears (there's been a lot of tears since this happened), I called my pain management doctor's office and asked if I could get some prescription-strength ibuprofen. Kristen, the PA, called me back said if I was needing to take that much Motrin, we needed to change the pain meds. Luckily it was only changing the Butrans patch from 5mg to 10mg - nothing new since all of the previous pain meds I'd tried had made me incredibly nauseous, and increasing the dosage on Gabapentin, which is my nerve pain medicine. Plus she told me to stop taking the Motrin altogether and take Aleve instead - two tablets every twelve hours. I'm not sure what helped, or maybe it was everything, but I did get some relief and stopped wanting to throw myself out of the moving car.
While I was on the phone with Kristen I told her that I was worried about getting another epidural since the first one didn't work. She went over my MRI again while talking to me, and said that there was more than one way to do the injection to get the steroid in the right spot, and she'd get with the doctor about me. She was very reassuring and I had a glimmer of hope after talking with her, like maybe, just maybe, I might stop hurting so bad...most days my pain seesawed between a 7 - 8 on a scale of 10, with jabs of 9+ occasionally.
I still had about two and a half weeks to go until my second injection, so back to the couch for me for most of my day. I still couldn't sit in a chair for more than a few minutes, if at all - there were many times when I'd sit down for dinner only to immediately stand up and I would have to eat my dinner while standing. I also couldn't really drive because I couldn't sit upright in a car seat. Oh and there was that whole brain fog from the pain meds thing, too - I couldn't concentrate enough to read a page from a book, or knit, or watch a movie. I could make it through a short sitcom sometimes, but that was about it. So mostly I was doing nothing.
This is a very isolating injury. I went from going to BCS Fitness three times a week, and running three times a week - always with either a group at my workouts or with Jeff, Diane, and the Renegades - to nothing. I was hurting too much to go out, and I couldn't drive, so I was home alone, miserable, and alternating between losing hope that I'd ever be without this excruciating pain to being optimistic that maybe my upcoming injection would work. But mostly I was depressed. I have gone through a lot of Kleenex since this happened. Thankfully Diane came over just about every day after work and sat with me for a couple of hours, otherwise the only person I would see was Jeff. I have a couple friends who check on me via text which is really nice. But being cut off from about 98% of my social group contributed to my feeling of depression.
I'm not saying all of this to make you guys feel bad for me. I'm documenting my experience with a herniated disc in case another sufferer comes across my blog; maybe they will feel a kinship with what I'm going through and maybe they won't feel so alone. And maybe they'll get some hope from my treatment plan.
So. That was the dark side of having a herniated disc. I am now standing - no wait...SITTING - on the sunny side. I had my second steroid epidural 11 days ago as of today and it has helped tremendously. My team (PA and doctor) were hoping for 60% reduction in pain. I would say I've gotten more like 80% and I am so relieved! Not only for the pain mostly being gone, but because my doctor said that the MRI showed a fragment of the herniated disc had broken off and was pressing against the nerve right at L3, and if that injection didn't work, we would need to discuss getting with a neurosurgeon to remove the fragment and part of the disc.
The reason why this injection worked is because my doctor went in lower than the previous time. This go-round he was right at the bottom of the L3 area, and kind of curved the needle around to right where the disc fragment was. He touched the nerve a few times while making sure he was getting to the right spot and my leg zinged when that happened. This took a little longer than the first injection but I didn't care as long as it worked. And it did! He does this under a live X-ray so he can see the needle and move it into position, injecting dye to check. This is a picture of my spine with the needle in place, with the dye:
And now, I'm paranoid. So many people have said that their injection only worked for a week, or two, or three, and then the pain came back. Every time I sit down I wait for the familiar sharp pain to hit. So far it's been good - none of that pain. My thigh will still throb at times and my knee hurts, but nothing like before. The only addition I've had is that when I stand up after I've been sitting, I get pins and needles from my knee down for a few minutes. This happens every time I sit. It's annoying but I'm used to it.
When an injection works, the next one will help even more - it's a cumulative effect. I am scheduled for another injection in early July and am hoping to get one more before September 1, when our year begins again with insurance. And then I don't think I will need any more injections for a while, which would be fine with me.
I have to be very careful with my spine, even though it never hurt and still doesn't. But the point of these injections is to get some of the swelling down from the herniated disc to take the pressure off the nerve root. I'm not to lift anything above my head, or bend forward too much, or lift much of anything at all. It's hard to remember to be cautious sometimes because it's automatic with me to do normal things like bending down to unload the dishwasher and taking out several heavy Fiestaware plates to put in the cupboard. So even though I'm feeling better, most of the housework is still on Jeff.
I had my first physical therapy appointment last week and my second one is later on this morning. I'll write more about that on Wednesday.
So...after two and a half months of pure hell, I finally got some relief from the pain. I credit having a doctor who is a working anesthesiologist and has the knowledge to do the injection a different way, and for the skill to move that needle around to just the right spot. This is why I chose him when I was first diagnosed with a herniated disc - I checked out all of the pain management places in town and I liked the idea that he was still working at hospitals, helping patients with different needs, and not just running a pain clinic.
Thanks for sticking with me over the last few months - I am hoping SO MUCH that the second injection is signaling the beginning of the end of this nightmare. Nerve pain is unbearable and I would not wish it on anyone. Now, please keep your fingers crossed for me that the injection lasts for the entire six weeks.
On the drive back, I was at a 9.5 on the pain scale, and feeling despair at ever getting better because the first epidural injection didn't work, the pain meds were barely helping, and I'd read a lot of stories online about other people living like this for years. YEARS. In tears (there's been a lot of tears since this happened), I called my pain management doctor's office and asked if I could get some prescription-strength ibuprofen. Kristen, the PA, called me back said if I was needing to take that much Motrin, we needed to change the pain meds. Luckily it was only changing the Butrans patch from 5mg to 10mg - nothing new since all of the previous pain meds I'd tried had made me incredibly nauseous, and increasing the dosage on Gabapentin, which is my nerve pain medicine. Plus she told me to stop taking the Motrin altogether and take Aleve instead - two tablets every twelve hours. I'm not sure what helped, or maybe it was everything, but I did get some relief and stopped wanting to throw myself out of the moving car.
While I was on the phone with Kristen I told her that I was worried about getting another epidural since the first one didn't work. She went over my MRI again while talking to me, and said that there was more than one way to do the injection to get the steroid in the right spot, and she'd get with the doctor about me. She was very reassuring and I had a glimmer of hope after talking with her, like maybe, just maybe, I might stop hurting so bad...most days my pain seesawed between a 7 - 8 on a scale of 10, with jabs of 9+ occasionally.
I still had about two and a half weeks to go until my second injection, so back to the couch for me for most of my day. I still couldn't sit in a chair for more than a few minutes, if at all - there were many times when I'd sit down for dinner only to immediately stand up and I would have to eat my dinner while standing. I also couldn't really drive because I couldn't sit upright in a car seat. Oh and there was that whole brain fog from the pain meds thing, too - I couldn't concentrate enough to read a page from a book, or knit, or watch a movie. I could make it through a short sitcom sometimes, but that was about it. So mostly I was doing nothing.
This is a very isolating injury. I went from going to BCS Fitness three times a week, and running three times a week - always with either a group at my workouts or with Jeff, Diane, and the Renegades - to nothing. I was hurting too much to go out, and I couldn't drive, so I was home alone, miserable, and alternating between losing hope that I'd ever be without this excruciating pain to being optimistic that maybe my upcoming injection would work. But mostly I was depressed. I have gone through a lot of Kleenex since this happened. Thankfully Diane came over just about every day after work and sat with me for a couple of hours, otherwise the only person I would see was Jeff. I have a couple friends who check on me via text which is really nice. But being cut off from about 98% of my social group contributed to my feeling of depression.
I'm not saying all of this to make you guys feel bad for me. I'm documenting my experience with a herniated disc in case another sufferer comes across my blog; maybe they will feel a kinship with what I'm going through and maybe they won't feel so alone. And maybe they'll get some hope from my treatment plan.
So. That was the dark side of having a herniated disc. I am now standing - no wait...SITTING - on the sunny side. I had my second steroid epidural 11 days ago as of today and it has helped tremendously. My team (PA and doctor) were hoping for 60% reduction in pain. I would say I've gotten more like 80% and I am so relieved! Not only for the pain mostly being gone, but because my doctor said that the MRI showed a fragment of the herniated disc had broken off and was pressing against the nerve right at L3, and if that injection didn't work, we would need to discuss getting with a neurosurgeon to remove the fragment and part of the disc.
The reason why this injection worked is because my doctor went in lower than the previous time. This go-round he was right at the bottom of the L3 area, and kind of curved the needle around to right where the disc fragment was. He touched the nerve a few times while making sure he was getting to the right spot and my leg zinged when that happened. This took a little longer than the first injection but I didn't care as long as it worked. And it did! He does this under a live X-ray so he can see the needle and move it into position, injecting dye to check. This is a picture of my spine with the needle in place, with the dye:
The injection sweet spot!
And now, I'm paranoid. So many people have said that their injection only worked for a week, or two, or three, and then the pain came back. Every time I sit down I wait for the familiar sharp pain to hit. So far it's been good - none of that pain. My thigh will still throb at times and my knee hurts, but nothing like before. The only addition I've had is that when I stand up after I've been sitting, I get pins and needles from my knee down for a few minutes. This happens every time I sit. It's annoying but I'm used to it.
When an injection works, the next one will help even more - it's a cumulative effect. I am scheduled for another injection in early July and am hoping to get one more before September 1, when our year begins again with insurance. And then I don't think I will need any more injections for a while, which would be fine with me.
I have to be very careful with my spine, even though it never hurt and still doesn't. But the point of these injections is to get some of the swelling down from the herniated disc to take the pressure off the nerve root. I'm not to lift anything above my head, or bend forward too much, or lift much of anything at all. It's hard to remember to be cautious sometimes because it's automatic with me to do normal things like bending down to unload the dishwasher and taking out several heavy Fiestaware plates to put in the cupboard. So even though I'm feeling better, most of the housework is still on Jeff.
I had my first physical therapy appointment last week and my second one is later on this morning. I'll write more about that on Wednesday.
So...after two and a half months of pure hell, I finally got some relief from the pain. I credit having a doctor who is a working anesthesiologist and has the knowledge to do the injection a different way, and for the skill to move that needle around to just the right spot. This is why I chose him when I was first diagnosed with a herniated disc - I checked out all of the pain management places in town and I liked the idea that he was still working at hospitals, helping patients with different needs, and not just running a pain clinic.
Thanks for sticking with me over the last few months - I am hoping SO MUCH that the second injection is signaling the beginning of the end of this nightmare. Nerve pain is unbearable and I would not wish it on anyone. Now, please keep your fingers crossed for me that the injection lasts for the entire six weeks.
Look at me, sitting and blogging like a normal person!
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