The Saga of My Back

Warning...this post will contain some whining.
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There are some people in my life, who upon reading the following statement would remark "seriously? you're kidding, right?"

I try not to complain too much about my back pain.  

I know people with really serious life-threatening issues.  I know that my problems won't kill me. I know that too much navel-gazing can be a bad thing.

Except to certain people in my life who get the full glory of my whining. Just to give you a little taste of where I'm coming from, I have been in pain every day for more than 5 years...and no, not because of a certain 5 yr old in the house (har har har).  Soon after her birth (which I theorize led to the screwed-upness of my back what with post-natal hormones surging through my body) I moved some furniture...and thus began The Saga of My Back.

I did physical therapy. I went to the chiropractor. I started having what I called my bone pain (later on realizing it was actually my nerves not my bones) which led me to a rheumatologist who basically CAT-scanned my whole body (here's to overexposure! radiation!) and determined (after almost 2 years of pain) that I had a herniated disc in my lower back.

At last! Vindication! See, my whining is based in fact and not just attention-getting or being lazy or whatever it was you might have been thinking! (the general "you", not directed at any one person)

So...what makes my back hurt? Everything. Sitting. Standing. Walking. Laying down. Exercise. Bla bla bla.

I've also tried massage therapy, muscle relaxers, pain pills (in limited amounts, don't worry)..you name it..

My back always hurts. It's my normal pain - to me, it's a 7 on a 1-10 scale. Then, on special days, my legs and feet hurt, tingle, go numb.  I assumed it was because of a pinched nerve.

Nope.

After meeting my insurance deductible with my gallbladder issues (or potential gallbladder issues, but that's another post), I decided to treat myself after more than 3 years since that visit to the rheumatologist, to seeing a "back doctor". I'm sure they have a fancy name, but that's how I refer to it. Go with me here.

Called my regular dr. to get a recommendation, they give me a name. I google the guy, and he's younger than me. (rolling eyes)

Now, I realize that doesn't mean stupid. I'm not stupid. I'm just old enough to have a competent doctor who is younger than me. Ok.

That first visit to the back dr., I was, shall we say, a bit crabby and trying not to cry. At one point, I even rolled my eyes at the doctor. I think my ending words were "cut me open and fix me".

Thankfully he didn't listen to me ;)  First step, get an MRI. So I did. No sweat. I was not bothered by the machine, and had the woman administering the MRI not kept checking in on me to make sure I was ok with the MRI, I might have napped.

Then back to the back dr.   You'll be happy to know I apologized to the nurse and the Dr. for being so crabby. The nurse said "honey, you're in pain. people in pain can be crabby. we need to get you out of pain."

I almost cried. (ok, I almost cried several times in those first 2 visits)

He went over the MRI extensively with me - as if I know what he's talking about. I had to google the words when I got home.  In a nutshell:

1. I don't have a pinched nerve anywhere. This was a big shock to me. The pain I have in my legs, etc... is referred pain - similar to how your arm or jaw hurts when you're having a heart attack.

2. I have arthritis at 3 vertebrae. This was new. I don't think my CAT-scans showed any 5+ years ago.

3. At the lowest point in the back, I have a slight herniated disc and also degenerative disc disease, also foraminal stenosis.

So. Today was the first step. I went in for a "test block". Didn't really know what I was getting into, other than he was going to stick needles in my back.

First, I got to lay face down on an exam table. The nurse pulled my pants halfway down my rear. Then, the dr. walks in and says "so, how's your week going?"

Really? Right now? Um, thumbs up was what I mustered in my moment of slight humiliation.

Then, he stuck me in 6 places with a needle and injected contrast dye.  Then went back and pushed numbing medication at those 6 points (to numb the nerves). The needles were ok. The injection part was HORRIBLE. I did not cry or scream, but I did a lot of deep breathing. and squeezing the table with claw like hands in agony. You know, just another Wednesday.

I'm supposed to call back in 48 hours to let them know how I feel. He said I might feel better on the drive home, to go home and move around and do stuff and see how I feel.

The jury's still out. I can't tell if I'm sore from the stuff, or still in pain, or feeling better. We'll see. I know it wouldn't help all my pain, but some of it.

I think the next step, if all goes well, is rhizotomy (or radio frequency ablation).(under pain management) As I understand it, he'd inject a needle into the nerve (or something), heat it up, and kill it...therefore, the nerves couldn't send their pain signals around.  I'm excited to try it if it turns out I'm a candidate for it.  We will see.

So...that is the VERY long version of what I've been up to the last few weeks (and that doesn't count the fun I've been having with the gastroenterologist over my "abdomen" issues, which may or may not be gall bladder.)

If you're still with me at the end of this long thing, feel free to pray :) That always helps.