Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I was going to write a nice post, reflecting on the past year, but I just don't feel like it. Maybe that should be a New Year's resolution:  get better at blogging more often. Or at least putting more effort into some things. Actually, I'm serious when I say I want to get better at blogging more often. I also want to resume cooking one recipe a week from my cookbooks. I started it last year, but life got in the way.

Anyway, tonight I'm busy making rum balls for my upcoming family Christmas get-together. These things are literally 90 proof! The recipe says they need to mellow out in the fridge for a few days. I agree, as they are quite strong at the moment.

I'm also burning a real bayberry candle. The folklore goes that if you burn a bayberry candle on either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve (or both), it will bring you good luck, health and prosperity in the new year. Hopefully that's true, as 2018 really needs to be better than 2017. It was a mixed bag, but definitely more bad than good. This year brought lots of loss, both expected and unexpected; sickness, although nothing grave; fulfillment of a longtime goal (tummy tuck); and new little ones (kittens, not kids!) in the house.

Here's to hoping that 2018 holds more of the good things!

update #4: the war on back pain (and some fun mixed in)

Yes, another update!  I had my cortisone shots last Thursday, finally.

I was busy this past weekend attending the Christmas by Candlelight program at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, so I didn't get a chance to post. Plus, I wanted to wait a few days before posting so I can figure out if they're working or not. And, of course, I've been busy getting ready for Christmas. So hectic!

Here are some pictures from Christmas by Candlelight. Most pictures are a bit dark, but that's because they're mostly lit by candlelight. 😉

I love how this room looks, but I'm sure the cats would destroy it! Actually, if I wanted to be historically accurate at Christmastime, there wouldn't be any Christmas decorations in my house. Well, not like the ones above, anyway, which are representative of the 19th century. At the time my house was built, 1735 (18th century), they didn't decorate like above. If you want to read about it, go here.  

This is the Village green. Not quite dark yet, but it's pretty. It was so nice to be there when there was snow on the ground. It made it feel a lot more like Christmas in New England.

These trees are so pretty and look like they would be a real space-saver! And I want that flooring! Actually, we do have that flooring underneath all the cheap carpeting the sellers installed, which is on top of 1920s hardwood, which is on top pf wide-plank flooring like above. Someday we will tear away the layers to reveal the original flooring.

We put white pine garland on our front door this year. It was inspired by this house in the village. It looks so nice and is more historically accurate.

This is my favorite part of the event:  mulled cider made in the hearth. So delicious!! So much sugar, though! I have to sip slowly, even though the cup is small. I bought the spices to make the cider, and I have the Sturbridge Village recipe, so I'm going to try it when the family comes down in January for our annual Christmas get-together. It will be sad to not have my dad and my brother there, but they will be there in spirit. And since my house is so old, they may literally be there in spirit!

Anyway, on to the cortisone shots...

So far I would say they're working somewhat. I'm not feeling total relief; however, I'm not waking up during the night or in the morning with pain, which is really nice.  And that's probably the most important thing to me at the moment. (There's nothing like starting off your day at 3 am already in pain, and then tossing and turning for a few hours until it's time to get up.) I still have pain when I sit or stand too long, but I'm guessing that will improve with time as the annular tear heals.

I'm sure some people want to know if the shots hurt.  Cortisone shots burn, and everyone has a different pain tolerance. Mine is somewhere around low to medium. I'd say the shots were a little uncomfortable, but it was over quickly. The whole procedure took about five minutes. I had two shots, both of which were to the left of my spine, in the lumbar area. Here's how it went:

• I waited in the exam room for the doctor to come and get me. I didn't need to change out of my clothes or anything.  While I was waiting, I heard a man yelling. Not continuously. At first I thought he was yelling. Maybe he had a broken bone and was having it set or something. Then I heard some shorter yells. I then figured maybe he was sneezing or coughing, since some people sound as though they're yelling when they do that. But then I realized that, yes, he was actually yelling. In pain. I then started to get even more nervous and was freaking out a bit, wondering if the yelling was coming from the room I was going into. Yup, turns out it was.
• Doctor opened the door to call me into the procedure room and...he was wearing a big blue lead apron, goggles and gloves (they use flouroscopy--live xray--to help guide the needle). And he's bald. All I could think of was a villain in an action movie. I asked him if the yelling was coming from the room I was going into and he said yes. Wonderful.
• I laid face-down on the table with my arms hanging down towards the floor. I didn't move a muscle, since I knew the needle would be close to, if not in, my spine. I definitely had it in the back of my mind that if the needle went somewhere it shouldn't, I could be paralyzed. Maybe that's irrational, but I worried about in nonetheless. 
• The doctor applied iodine and then gave me four shots of Novocaine in the area where the catheters would be inserted to administer the cortisone. It stung, but that's normal. Next he inserted two catheters:  one next to each affected disc.  Insertion of the catheters wasn't painful. Maybe a little uncomfortable, but not pain. I thought the shots would go directly into a disc or the spine, but I guess they go in from the side. I just wanted to get it over with so I didn't ask.
• Then he administered the cortisone. He told me I'd feel some pressure and maybe a burning sensation. Umm...yes. It wasn't truly pain, but it was definitely discomfort. I felt the lower shot more and I felt the cortisone rushing through the muscles in my left butt cheek and down the back of my upper thigh. It didn't last long, but I was glad it was over. The second shot above it wasn't as uncomfortable.
• And then it was over! He removed the catheters, put some bandages on and that was it. I got up and went back to the exam room to get my post-procedure instructions, which were to wait until the following day to shower, no strenuous activity for 48 hours, and schedule a follow-up in two weeks.

I go back for a follow-up with the doctor next week. I have the option of having the shots again, although I don't know the time frame for that. Also, my HSA account is wiped out at the moment due to having to pay for my MRI, my husband's MRI, both our physical therapy sessions, and other medical expenses. It's my first year in the plan so I didn't have much built up when all this came about. I'm thinking if I need another round of shots I will wait a few months.

I wish I could say the shots worked and I feel fabulous. But at least I do have some relief. The fact that I don't have pain in bed is enough for me right now.

Stay tuned!

update #3: the war on back pain

This is a good representation of how I'm feeling about my back pain lately. I really just want to be done with it already; it's frustrating, and physically and mentally exhausting.

It's been about a month since I last updated you on my war on back pain. Where am I now? Well, I'm not there yet, but I'm feeling a bit better than I was a few months ago.

I just completed 12 sessions of physical therapy (PT). I'd say on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being always in pain and 10 being I'm feeling no pain), I'm feeling somewhere around 5 most of the time. I was hoping PT would help me more, but it hasn't. I saw a bit of an improvement a few weeks ago, in that I wasn't waking up in pain in the middle of the night, but then I plateaued and now I seem to be regressing back to waking up in pain.

The next step is to get a spinal injection of cortisone, which I will be having on December 14. I went to see that doctor this week. I was nervous, because I'd read many not-so-good reviews about him online. Most of them said he's arrogant, has a bad bedside manner, minimizes people's pain, and is a know-it-all. In the end I decided that it would be great to have an obviously nice, caring doctor, but ultimately what matters is whether he's good at what he does, and if he has good aim with that needle. Turned out I was worried for nothing. He was a nice guy. He chatted and laughed with me. He explained the procedure and what I can expect without me having to ask a million questions. He said they'll use the MRI scans to determine where exactly the injection needs to go, and they'll use live fluoroscopy to help him guide the needle. I may or may not have a temporary increase in pain for a few hours up to two days; it happens to some people and not others. This injection should decrease the inflammation and help alleviate the pain over the longer term. I'm hoping I'll only need one injection, but the doctor said it's pretty common to need a second injection. Afterwards, I may be sent back to PT for a little while longer.

So, that's where I'm at. I'm still using my back brace when I sit for long periods, such as taking longer car rides, sitting in seminars, and at my desk; I have a standing desk at work, which I love; I use a knee pillow at night since I'm a side sleeper; and I try to stay active.

Speaking of being active, my workout routine has suffered quite a bit the last month. My trainer was on medical leave starting at the beginning of October, then I went on my business trip, then I started PT. Also, my workouts were very limited due to not being able to do anything that's considered high impact, like jump squats and burpees, and no lifting weights over my head. Around Halloween time, I developed neck and shoulder blade pain, which may have been from the PT, and it gave me headaches; I was miserable for most of my relaxing "staycation" because of it. That lingered for three weeks until I finally took the advice of a few people and got my very first massage, which was fabulous BTW. That seemed to help a lot. And now my back is hurting again, so I'm taking it easy with my workouts.

Eventually I'll feel normal again. I have to, right??