I've been shot!

The pain in my back and left leg has been unbearable. My mom made a chart of the medicines that I have to take and when I take them so I don't miss anything. I was taking the pain medication that I received at the ER and I felt like I was taking a lot of it just to take the edge off the pain. Finally I called my primary care physician and begged them to let me come in so I could get another prescription. By the time the nurse called back for the 4th time I was crying in pain so she said okay. When I got the the doctor's office she said that the dosage was too low and that is why I was in so much pain. She made the dosage stronger and that has really helped. I still can't walk very far before my left leg is shaking and I have to sit down. I feel like I have been exercising because every time I attempt to walk I am huffing and puffing by the time I sit down. Even if it is only 5 feet.

I went to the orthopedic specialist on Tuesday and they took some more x-rays. While I was having the x-rays done I had to sit down in between each one. When the x-ray guy told me to arch my back and I did, he said, are you arching your back and I said yes. He put his hand on my shoulder and hand on my hip and arched it for me. I thought I was going to pass out from pain. He let me have a copy of the x-ray and you can really see where the disk is protruding and hitting the nerve. He said that it shows up on the x-ray so well because it is so bad. He had two "interns" in the room with me and when I stood up he was so surprised. I am still shaped like an "S" and he wanted the interns to look at me since I was such a good example of how you shouldn't be standing. Glad I can help in furthering their education. The doctor recommended that I get an epidural shot of cortisone in my back and that will really help with the pain. I couldn't get it the same day because my insurance had to approve it 24 hours ahead of time.

Today was the big day. I am scared to death to get an epidural shot in my back. I was really stressed out and the nurse kept tell me to take deep breaths because she could tell that I was so nervous. The doctor came in and talked about what was going to happen. He put my mind at ease. They do the injection by looking at an x-ray of my back so they can pinpoint exactly where they can give me the shot and they aren't just guessing. It is a pretty safe method. When I went into the room there were three doctors and a nurse. I won't go into details, but it didn't take as long as I thought and even though it was painful at the end when the medicine was injected, it wasn't that bad. I had to lay there for a while because I was looking a little pale. After a few minutes I asked the doctor if I was still pale and he said that you look the color of your arms. If anyone has seen my arms, they are pretty white. My mom had to help me out to the car, but already the pain in my lower leg was a lot less and that was probably the worst area of pain.

So, another day, another co-pay. I am down to only crying once a day so I must be getting a little better. I have received a lot of emails from my friends and co-workers. A few have even stopped by. This makes me feel so much better and I appreciate all of the support.

My advice: keep doing exercises to strengthen your core muscles and you will have a happy back!