What's up with my back?

Welcome to the newly named "L Word" blog. I'm not sure why I felt inspired to make the change except that during a brainstorm one night I found it to be particularly clever - that and I had been a little disenchanted with the name "Catboogie's Dream."

As most of you know, I have been experiencing leg/back issues for the last several months. Now that I have some answers about what is really going on, I wanted to fill you in more in-depth.

A herniated disc happens when part of the disc (in most cases already degenerated to some degree) pushes through the lining and, in my case, pushes on the sciatic nerve

First, to review, how the issue of how my herniated disc came to be:

• I have experienced lower back pain, with occasional flareups, for years (we're talking possibly since high school)
  
• For several years, I noticed what I thought was just a "tight hamstring" in my right leg, but really only during yoga was it noticeable.
  
• Last year, the issue became concerning enough for me to go to the doctor and pursue physical therapy (PT), but that fell through with a trip I had planned and other life stuff - and it eventually got better.
  
• April of 2011 - major flare-up; I wake up one morning and can barely walk, can't stand up straight for several days; eventually right foot becomes partially numb which prompts me to return to the doctor.
  
• Doctor does an xray, which is basically fine, and says my symptoms should go away with chiro and PT. I am loosely diagnosed as having "sciatica." I ask for an MRI but they say insurance won't approve it until I've tried the other things.
  
• My first step in recovery is to ice frequently, not exercise (which kills me), and I am officially banned from yoga for the forseeable future. Unfortunately, I can't take Advil or any NSAIDs because I am still on coumadin for my blood clot. I am finally cleared to start PT after a couple of months.
  
• After starting PT, I am improving. Yay!
  
• 3-4 weeks ago, I am standing at the sink and cough, and feel something happen in my lower back. At first it doesn't seem bad, but I now point to this as the straw that broke the camel's back.
• Things have been getting steadily worse since then. First back pain, then more leg pain: Now it hurts to stand for very long and sitting is also often uncomfortable. I am icing and taking Aleve like crazy.
• Finally return to my primary care doc and we decide to pursue the neurosurgical route, if nothing else than just to get a diagnosis.
• Neurosurgeon has me get an MRI, shows a large herniation. Brings me in and recommends trying local cortisone shots (also called epidural spinal injections) and then a revisit; says I am borderline for surgery. Gives me pain medicine. Tells me to stop PT, chiro, take it easy.

This is pretty much what my MRI looked like; a black disc means degeneration, lowest area (arrow) has a protrusion

That brings us up to now.

I liked the surgeon I went to see, who was recommended to me by my physical therapist (who I love, by the way) as the best guy in town. I was very glad that he wasn't trying to rush me into surgery. He understands it is a last resort, and that general anesthesia is especially hard on people with lung problems.

However, I am not feeling completely confident about the current plan because from what I have read about the steroid shots, there is such a varying degree of success. And sometimes they don't help at all! Not that I have anything better to suggest. [ I am so willied-out by the idea of a a spinal injection I haven't even been able to think about it, by the way. It's like flying. I just schedule it, then show up, and that is when I can start worrying. In this case, it will be Wednesday at about 2:30pm. :)]

There is a bit of a bright side here. I realized this week that this is really just a quality-of-life issue. I mean, sort of just. With my gallbladder issue, when I was facing surgery, there was a real risk to not doing anything. There was an added fear factor on top of the medical issue itself. However, there is no real danger that can come of this not being treated or getting worse besides pain and discomfort (as far as I know). This thing is going to heal on its own eventually, it just depends on how much time I can give it and how much help it needs.

Now, given that, with my CF, I need to be able to exercise (and, please universe, one day get back to yoga) and I will always be coughing, etc. And the fact that I don't like taking pain meds around the clock and being attached to an ice pack, there is an interest there to get this cleared up asap. I want to give this time, but it is hard to be patient when you are in pain.

Lastly, another bright spot. My lungs continue to be doing really awesome right now! (I actually have still been exercising a couple of days a week.) Possibly because of the new inhaled drug study I am participating in. Although that actually brings up another issue: in order to finish this drug study, I will need to hold off on surgery (I would think) until after it is completed, which is five weeks away. Hard to think of hobbling along like this for that much longer.

One step at a time. I go Wednesday for my injection, if that goes ok, I will get another one in two weeks and then go back to talk to the neurosurgeon. In the meantime, I am making a concerted effort to heal myself, and plan to read up a lot on all this stuff, and possibly pursue alternative treatments before surgery will really even be an option.

Photo 1: Herniated disc from Squidoo website
Photo 2: MRI of herniated disc from Peak Performance website