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??
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