Saturday, May 08, 2021

Removing a bit of the mystery from the back trouble,

I developed a sharp pain in lower back on one side.  Which got worse.  Standard stuff didn't help, so an MRI was ordered, which showed a bulging disc in my back, which was pressing on a nerve.

Bad enough, but treatable.  The fun was in the time between ordering the MRI and getting it, and then being referred to a specialist, and then deciding on treatment and doing it, it got a LOT worse.  Which included not only worse pain in the back, but affecting my hip as well.  Badly.  And a couple of other spots not directly connected.

I promise you, when you've fallen back into bed a couple of times because when you stood up it hurt too bad, and barely hobbled out of work, 'unpleasant' is an understatement.

The usual treatment nowadays is using an injection of steroid into the area of the disc to help the bulge, followed by physical therapy to help the muscles support things.  The injection was yesterday, the PT starts next week.  There's a little easing already, so I'm hopeful.

Kevin, during his narration of his liver deciding to kill him, spoke of the fact that, thanks to modern medical knowledge and tech, he's still alive.  In my case, not that long ago this would've probably meant some nasty surgery for me; not too many years ago, you were screwed: "Take these pills to help with the pain and we'll try to keep you from getting too dependent on them."  Now they prep the injection site, numb it, use a mobile x-ray with a head than can be moved through about 180 degrees of arc to make sure the needle is located properly, inject, put on a band-aid and you go home.

Sometimes the future really is stupid, but other times it's downright nice.

11 comments:

Amous said...

Ask your physical therapist about the psoaz muscle. My Chinese medicine practitioner would "release" my psoaz, and it was one of the few things that helped my L1 bulging disc.

Rich said...

That's rough. I hope the PT folks are good.
I have a bulging disc in my neck, like you back, that was pushing on a nerve. Cost me 3 months of work, but I was put under control by PT. That was over a decade ago and I still do the PT exercises every day. Stick with the PT. It might be a long road, but it will work.

Andy said...

Here's to hoping all works out very well for you.

Dan said...

What you had was most likely an "epidural steroid injection". The medications help diminish inflammation and swelling which is a major component of the pain. For a "bulging disc" they sometimes are a definitive treatement....if the disc has not actually ruptured the Annulus Fibrosus. If you have actually ruptured it then the injection generally only treats symptoms and that treatment is usually a temporary thing. You may need to have the injection repeated at intervals to maintain pain relief.

Justin_O_Guy said...

I want a machine I put a hand in and the doctor puts his in...
And he feels what I feel..

Steve said...

I have been going to a chiropractor since 1980. An old guy back then told me, "avoid surgery at all cost." So I use the chiropractor with great results, no surgery or injections.

Firehand said...

That was it. According to the MRI it's not ruptured, so we'll see.

They said after about 48 hours I should start noticing a difference. It's not as bad this morning, so hopefully.

Firehand said...

Guy I used to work with saw a chiro regularly and liked the results. Comes to that, I'll give him a try

Howard Brewi said...

I had a two level fusion about eleven years ago. What convinced me to do the surgery was the doctor the workmans comp insurance sent me to who urged me to do it. They used the approach thru the back and it laid me up badly for a couple months and left me retiring because I couldn’t go back to my job and I didn’t want to retrain for a desk job. Last year I started having more pain and the neurosurgeon wants to do another level. As badly as I was laid up last time no way. Steroid shots help some but between Covid and a wound on my foot that wouldn’t heal that’s not an option for me right now. Steroids apparently retard healing. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about your pain. My brother was dealing with sciatica and got the epidural steroid injection. It only helped temporarily and the procedure was kind of rough. He eventually got an inversion table and almost immediately his sciatica was better. Lo and behold I got sciatica. I go and pick up an inversion table off craigslist and within a week most of my pain was gone. The inversion table works for sciatica and compressed disks. Not trying to push any brand but that popular one with the infomercials is probably the best built one out there. Costco sells them or you can pick one up for a bargain on craigslist.

Firehand said...

I've wondered about those in the past, just for general aches and such. I'll keep it in mind.