Saturday, October 27, 2007
Roids
Went on Thursday to a pain doctor to determine if being put on steroids was the right decision to take. My physical therapist recommended that taking this course of action was the smart thing to do (and the only way to be approved for a steroid is by getting an MRI). Overall I'm approving even though I was having sciatic nerve flare ups in the middle of the night. It's like a burning sensation in my hamstring down to my calf. Having this pain was something I thought that if being put on steroids would decrease the inflammation, then this would take the hernated disc gel off that S1 nerve and that would decrease or remove the pinched nerve. So after reviewing my condition, the doctor felt getting a lumbar epidural steroid shot would be the right course (non-evasive) action. So I layed down on a table and they took X-rays of my lumbar area to determine where to place the needle. The whole process was pretty easy minus one millisecond. That millisecond was went the fluid enter the inflammed area near the nerve. It was a horrible pain that made me shake and then I was fine.
So how am I feeling since the shot? Well the shot helped ALOT. All the sciatic pain went away completely. The steroid is a massive inflammatory course of action that hopefully will keep the disc off the nerve until my body naturally heals on it's own. My herniated disc could take anywhere from 1-6 months to heal, so until then I really have to watch out. I feel good today and moving around quite well. The area near the herniation (just above my tailbone) is obviously touchy and I must keep my back straight with only bending it backward, not forward. My limp is almost gone minus some numbness still on the right side of my right foot. Sometimes I fell my sciatic nerve at night, but it's doable. I have to be picky on where I sit and need lots of lumbar support at home. I have a great office chair at work, but the commute on the train is rough so I've been wearing a lumbar support belt, which helps. I work out 2x a day -- all stretching for a total of an hour. I also realign my pelvis and stretch my sciatic nerve.
So you might ask, did Julian in his carseat break my back? No, he was just the straw that broke my back. My condition hadn't been great since July when I pulled muscles in my back which then hit my sciatic nerve. The back muscles are the key to the entire condition of the spine. I failed over basically the last 10 years to really strengthen my back muscles by stretching. Weightlifting alone doesn't mean I was strengthening these muscles -- only by stretching paired with my personal state of mind. All the factors of my back going out was the stress of the birth of Julian matched with an injury in July and lack of taking the correct measures to insure a healthy body.
I'm currently reading a book that might have just saved me. It's called "Healing Back Pain Naturally: The Mind-Body Program Proven to Work". The guy's story is incredible. He was a total exercise freak like me that went down a serious black hole. He talks about how back troubles aren't just about injuring it, but also stress that we carry around with us. This stress causes the muscles to be tense which amps up the possibility of pulling the muscles. Stretching/yoga/pilates type of daily exercise is fundamental to a healthy mind and body. I'm only 1/4th through it, but his message is something that anyone with back trouble should check out. Even ole' Andrew Weil gives it a thumbs up.
So it's Saturday, we just gave Julian a bath, I have a full week off, and I hope to enjoy it as mellow as possible.
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