On Pills and Needles

I'm quickly closing in on the 6-week mark of ridiculous pain in my right buttock and down my right leg - especially during the night and first thing in the morning. I eventually had a CT scan and was told that I have a "slightly" herniated disc. I was prescribed more drugs and assigned to physical therapy. After a few sessions of PT, the therapist was surprised I wasn't making any progress and suggested I go back to the doctor or see a specialist to confirm that it is definitely a back issue and not something around my hip.

As the doctor I had seen previously had not impressed me, I went to a clinic to be re-examined, in the hopes that they would call in a specialist - thereby avoiding a 6-week wait for an appointment at the specialist. I went first thing in the morning and only had to wait 30 minutes to see a doctor and he quickly confirmed that I had a "large" hernia (keep in mind he was looking at the same CT scan as the other doctor). He wanted me to see a neurologist, but there was unfortunately not one available that day. It was a Friday so I would have to wait until Monday to see him. He looked at the box of drugs I had brought with me and instructed me on which ones to take to manage my pain over the weekend. He suggested I not work on Friday or Monday and to instead do "anything that doesn't cause pain." As the pain is not so bad when sitting at work, I didn't follow his advice and instead went straight to the office.

The appointment with the neurologist went well - he seemed to be very good and walked me through the images from the CT scan. He showed me where the herniated disc was and also told me I appeared to have had problems for years. There was an osteophyte (bone spur) that had formed on the same vertebra that has the herniated disc. He said another disc also looked "dried out" as if I had problems with it in the past as well. Thankfully, he did not suggest an operation (yet), but instead preferred (as did I) to take a more conservative approach - more PT and a cortisone shot in the affected area. I also showed him a book Josh had recommended (Treating Your Own Back) and he said some of the exercises in it would be good for me.

I received my cortisone shot this morning and it was not nearly as painful as I had imagined. It took less than 5 minutes and I was on my way home (as I decided to take this opportunity to stay home and rest in the afternoon). I wasn't expecting immediate relief and I haven't gotten it yet. But hopefully this will at least get me to a place where I can function normally, do more PT and other exercises to correct the underlying cause of the problem/pain and go back to sleeping in my bed rather than on the floor...

And in the meantime, I have a trip planned to Ireland where I am scheduled to play 6 rounds of golf. This trip has weighed heavily on my mind during the past 6 weeks and I am still not sure whether I will be able (or whether I should if I am physically able) to play.

As Garth Brooks would say, "I'm much too young to feel this damn old."