In all the medical, doctor, talk, I understood " . . . injection at L4, L5, and S1 for the left side and mark down L5 and S1 for injections on the right side. . . sedated . . . you won't even remember . . . if it works, it will keep you from needing back surgery..." This kind of very quick spoken mumble-jumble went on for about 3 minutes. Before these 3 minutes, the doc entered the room, introduced himself, asked me questions concerning my pain —what makes it worse (everything) and what makes it better (nothing). He showed me some very good diagrams that made everything about my pain make sense. He told me about the procedure 'Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection' and that he only recommends two of those procedures before recommending a surgery, instead of the usual 3 procedure recommendation. He says that if the first two don't do the trick of relieving the pain and giving me my life back that there is no point in undergoing the procedure a third time.
It all seemed to have happened so quickly. I was overwhelmed with questions, words, and explanations --but I wasn't lacking any information. My questions were answered without me even having to ask. It's like he knew what he was doing or something ;P He says that he likes to think they have it down like a "science". He seems really confident about what he does and how he chooses to tackle each patient's situation . . . he some how managed to convince me to trust his judgement. Maybe it's the amount of pain I've been in since November 9, 2011. Or maybe it's the fact that I can't do anything "normal" anymore. I'm sure it's a combination of everything I've been going through since November! But whatever the reason is, I walked out of there in a state of shock. Shocked with how quickly he got straight to the point and to the source of my pain. Shocked with the information I had just received about what was planned for my spine and surrounding nerves. I'm still a little shocked... "I'm going to have what done to my what?!" It's a bit scary --but I'm just so exhausted from pain that I'm willing to try whatever right now!! I need relief As Soon As Possible!!
My first procedure is scheduled for February 10th, 2012. The second one is scheduled for March 2, 2012. I'm praying that I won't need anything more after that. I'm praying that I will be able to get some comfort and relief. I look forward to sleeping well, sitting on the floor, getting dressed normally, brushing my teeth without needing extra support, sitting and getting up normally...the list goes on.
I am currently on Lyrica. It's supposed to relieve my pain. I've been on it since my appointment, January 12. I don't feel that it does anything for me --however, I wonder how much more pain I might be in without it. I'm always in pain, even when I take Norco. My pain scale right now goes as follows: in pain, in a lot of pain, in so much pain it hurts to breath. So, it's really hard to feel a difference with the Lyrica.
My loves and friends have been taking wonderful care of me! I am so blessed to have such wonderful people around me. I know that I would be stuck, literally, without them. From the back rubs, to getting up to get what I need (up the stairs and down the stairs), to walking as slow as a snail most of the time, to driving carefully (avoiding bumps, pot holes, taking turns slowly, etc), to excusing my crazy mood swings brought on by the stupid pain and sometimes even the pain meds, to even lovingly taking care of the household while I lay and/or sleep. I'm so very grateful.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. :) xoxx
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