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Well, guys. I knew it was inevitable, but I'm still a little bummed that the pain relief that I have obtained from my most recent epidural steroid injection for spinal stenosis has worn off. But it has. So I dutifully appeared at my physiatrist's office for a follow up appointment yesterday.
At my visit, my doctor told me a few things: that we can repeat the epidural, that I need to lose weight, that he would like to see another MRI to assess if there have been any new changes in my back, and.......that surgery may be an option eventually. Ew.
I'll be getting my epidural in two weeks and I can't wait. Love that pain relief... The MRI will be scheduled soon and the surgical consult will be made depending on the results of my tests. Which will almost certainly show that my insides are full of "blood and bones and organs". Disgusting, yes.
2 comments:
I know the pain is horrendous, but think really hard on the surgery before you make a decision. I'm doing quite well without it, but the body needs lots of time to heal on its own. You're doing everything right..seeing MD's, taking pain meds, etc. Are you going for physiotherapy or osteopathy, or even acupuncture? It took me over a year with these modalities to get somewhat better and the body did the rest on its own. Good luck Julia.
I agree with Annie...avoiding back surgery if possible. I also have spinal stenosis, degen. disc disease, and 3 herniated discs.
I'm glad you are having success with the epidural injections. They did not help me, as I wish they would have. Physical Therapy decompression/ traction really helped. Have you tried that? There is something about feeling like you're being pulled apart at both ends that actually feels good! :) Interesting fact I wasn't aware of...my neurosurgeon told me it can take roughly 1 month per inch of damaged nerves to heal. Some nerves are permanently damaged and won't fully heal. I've had this problem for 10-12 years, but really did a number last Summer. I spent 2 months in severe pain with pain killers hoping it would 'settle down'. Then tried epidural injections. Then gave in and went to my Neurosurgeon and a PT. Also had an EMG showing definite differences in my left side. It is almost a year later and my left leg is still pretty numb and only partial feeling in the top of my foot. Tingling comes and goes. I can tell when I overdo it and my back is very stiff and sore. However, I choose to avoid surgery as long as humanly possible. Luckily, I have a Neurosurgeon who thinks surgery is a last resort. As he said, with my back surgery we'd be talking about a 12-18 months of therapy and recovery. Throw in all of the other Sjoggie, Fibro, Raynaud's, heart, and Thrombocytopenia problems and we've got quite a mess on our hands. I know how miserable it is. I'm wishing you the best and much needed relief. The last thing we need is to add something to our list of ailments!!
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