lumbar fusion surgery preparation

I figured I'd finish a post I started two weeks before the first surgery, which I had on March 3. I started this post in mid-February and never finished. So I removed some of the references to time frames so as not to confuse anyone. I decided I'll write this as "here's all the stuff I had to do pre-op."

It seems like just yesterday I made the decision to have lumbar fusion surgery. But before I knew it, pre-op preparation was upon me. And now both surgeries are over and it's been almost seven weeks!

I started preparing probably about the second week of February:  everything from grocery shopping to cooking to blood work.

A couple weeks before surgery I headed out to the grocery store and the warehouse club to stock up on stuff like paper towels, toilet paper, and other stuff I hate spending money on; I'm so glad I did considering the COVID-19 pandemic that started taking off right around the time of the first surgery. Had I waited to get these items when we actually needed them, I'd be SOL on toilet paper. I also grabbed some ingredients so I could make up some casseroles and other meals to freeze. I'm made a Shepherd's pie; taco bowls (those are already made and are in the freezer); a ground beef base for sloppy Joes; and a huge batch of seasoned rice in the Instant Pot.

I also bought some items I figured I'd need after surgery:  a raised toilet seat attachment (turns out I didn't need this); a shower seat; a handheld shower head, which I installed myself; and two grabbers so I can pick up things from the floor and pull laundry out of the washer and dryer (these things are SO worth it--you'd be amazed how many things you drop after surgery!).

I had my first pre-op appointment mid-February. The nurse practitioner was really nice, and it turns out she's had back surgery, too, so it was helpful to hear about her own experience. She took my vitals (BP and lungs were good!), weighed me (I've gained 34 pounds in three year...not a surprise since my eating has been crap, but I still didn't like hearing it), and ran down a big list of medical questions. She answered some questions for me and really made sure I felt like I was being heard. She also went over pre-op prep, the hospital stay, and recovery afterwards. I have to say, although I knew going into this that recovery would be long--six months to a year before the bones are completely fused--it was tough hearing her say it out loud. I was told that my back will be my "newborn baby" for the next six moths to a year--no "BLT."  That means no bending. lifting, or twisting. She said I'll need to learn how to do everything from getting dressed and undressed, getting into and out of the car, picking things up, and pretty much anything else that would normally involve bending, lifting or twisting. In hindsight, it's really surprising how many things involve twisting and we don't even realize it at the time. She told me to bring clothes to the hospital so they can teach me how to dress and undress in this new way. She also said that once I get to my hospital room after surgery, the physical therapist will be coming later in the day to start PT...the SAME DAY AS SURGERY! I couldn't imagine how that was going to go, but it turned out that all I had to do was show that I can get in and out of bed without twisting (the "log roll"), walk, and do a few stairs.

The following week I had my blood work done. In the same appointment they did a nasal swab to test for staph, MRSA, and all the other nasty stuff that can run rampant in a hospital. They also blood-typed me since I'm new to that health network.  Then they took a urine sample. (That's always fun. I just love peeing all over my hand while I try to "do a clean catch midstream.") Then it was on to the EKG.

Next was the general surgeon. He's the one who works with the orthopedic surgeon to pave the way for access to the spine, as my surgeries involved placing a metal plate and screws on both the front and the back of the spine. He told me what he's going to do, which was basically, "I go in through the abdomen and move all your guts to the side, and you'll have a six- to seven-inch scar."  Pretty much in those exact words, too.

My last appointment was with the pain management doctor. I thought it would be to talk about post-op pain management, how they'll wean me off the meds, etc. Nope. It was just to say he's now handing me off to the orthopedic surgeon for pain management and hopefully I won't need to see him in the future, which obviously is the point of surgery. Normally I'd be thrilled with an appointment that literally lasted about three minutes, but I felt a bit let down, as the doctor was running about 45 minutes late.

So, that was it for doctor's appointments and lab work.

The remainder of my time was spent cleaning the house and preparing for my cousin to visit, which unfortunately didn't happen because the timing of the visit was right when Amtrak was cancelling train routes. That's OK. I'll see her at some point once COVID-19 is over and things start to return to normal. 

second surgery done! now, on to recovery.

It's been over three weeks since I've had the second surgery, which was March 17 (first one was March 3). Time to finally finish this post, which I started almost two weeks ago. (I can't sit for long periods of time yet.) And since it took me so long to get around to finishing it, it's going to be long! I also plan to do another post about recovery in general. Hopefully it doesn't take me quite so long to get it done!

Surgery

My surgery was again scheduled for 7:30 am, which meant being at the hospital by 6 am. No food after midnight, clear liquids only until 4:30 am, and then nothing, not even water, after that. I again missed having my homemade iced mocha latte.

When I got there, admission was pretty fast and they called me into the pre-op area almost immediately after. (Last time they were on Day Two of a new computer system so it took a little longer.) They weighed me and had me give a urine sample to rule out pregnancy. Luckily I remembered not to use the bathroom again before I left the house, so giving a sample was easier this time. Then it was on to the pre-op prep room.

I wasn't nervous this time. I mean, I was on some level--surgery is a big thing after all--but I don't remember actually feeling nervous or being worried. My body would tell you different, though, if you were to look at me or hold my hand. As with the first surgery, I was visibly trembling quite a bit in the pre-op room. Kind of like when you're cold and you shiver uncontrollably. Same thing here, but you're hot and cold at the same time with a bit of nerves thrown in, and your hands are clammy. I seemed to have a little bit of control over it since, when I told myself to stop it, I was able to stop for about 10 seconds or so. Once I stopped actively telling myself to stop shaking, it would start up again. I just kept telling myself that surgery is going to happen at this point whether I want it to or not. I mean, I guess I could have backed out, but why do that? If I want my back to be fixed and I want to not have pain anymore, I need to have the surgery.  There's no other way to fix it; therefore, I have to go through with it.

The pre-op room is where you go to change into a gown (they pump it full of nice warm air!); have your vitals taken; give a rundown of your health, current meds, etc.; have your IVs started; talk to the doctor an everyone else on your surgical team; and generally just wait until it's time. I was in there for about an hour and half or so. With the first surgery it was time spent being nervous, but mostly upbeat. This time, while I wasn't as nervous, it was very uncomfortable physically having to recline on a stretcher with a thin mattress--not good for someone recovering from recent back surgery. Sciatica had set in the Saturday before and it was my whole left leg, from the buttock down to my foot. Since surgery was to take place the following Tuesday, they weren't able to give me an anti-inflammatory meds, which would have helped to calm the sciatic nerve.  Basically all I could do from Saturday to Tuesday is take my oxycodone and recline or lay down as much as possible. Most days it was so bad the oxy really only made it tolerable. (If you've ever had sciatica, you know how uncomfortable it can be. If you haven't had it, it REALLY SUCKS. The sensations range from pain, to throbbing, to burning, sometimes all at the same time, from you butt down to your foot and everything in between, and it can be really hard to get yourself into a comfortable position.) By Tuesday morning I was beyond ready to get into the OR and get the surgery over with just so the sciatica would stop. I told the doctor when he came in beforehand that I want to get to the OR and to knock me out ASAP. He laughed, but I was serious. Having to recline on that hard stretcher for over an hour when I was already uncomfortable felt like torture; I couldn't get comfortable at all, especially because I was still recovering from the first surgery, which made it hard to keep switching positions.

After talking to the surgical team--I had some of the same people I had last time, which was nice--I was brought to the OR. When I got there, it looked different than the last time, but also felt the same. It turned out it was the same room. (They brought me from the opposite direction and it was arranged differently due to the robotic arm and other machines they needed this time.) I remember telling the guy sitting near the OR door when they wheeled me in that the operating table looked like a carnival ride, as the table had curved rails on it. (I was wondering if they would put me under and then move me to the table, or if I had to get on the table myself.  These are the things I think about before surgery, not things like, oh, dying on the table. Turns out they put me under and then moved me. Thank God--I don't know how I would have managed to get on that thing!) While I waited, a nice male nurse talked to me for a bit. We talked about real estate of all things. I'm so glad I had someone to talk to, because the trembling had kicked up quite a bit as soon as they got me into the room. When I mentioned that I didn't really feel that nervous, but was trembling so much, they said it's a fear response: I may not have been actively feeling scared, but I was feeling it subconsciously and my body was reacting. They must have started the sedation soon after, because I remember it stopped quite abruptly without my mind telling it to stop. Pretty soon after that, I was out. In what felt like the blink of an eye, I was in Recovery.

Here's a picture of what the table looked like. Obviously I got this from the Internet. It's not exact, but it's pretty close. I don't remember seeing the black canvas at the bottom. I think it was just the rails on top of the table.

Thankfully I was in Recovery for less than two hours this time, versus the five hours I was there last time. Apparently they didn't have a lot of orthopedic surgeries scheduled that day and the orthopedic floor was nearly empty. Actually, the recovery room was empty, too--I was one of only two in Recovery when I got there. Last time the room was full.

The second surgery took about three hours. The doctor placed the bone grafts, which they took from my pelvis; removed the temporary metal plates, which were put in place during the first surgery to connect the two vertebrae (L4 and L5) and keep them stable; put in the remaining rods and screws (the first set was installed during the first surgery through the front of the abdomen); decompressed the nerve; and cleaned everything up.

Pain Levels

While I wasn't yet in much pain right after surgery, I was really happy they already had me in my bed while in Recovery, which meant they just wheeled my into the room and parked me. I didn't have to be transferred into bed like the last surgery. My pain increased over the course of the day, which they controlled with oxycodone again. I also got a dose of dilaudid at some point. I also got dilaudid the following morning, because it was time to get my out of bed and moving, which was definitely harder this time. Not terrible, but not quite as easy as last time. When I saw the doctor that morning I asked about my pain levels. He said the anestesia stays in my body for about 24 hours after surgery and then the pain spikes about six to eight hours after that. He was right:  my pain spiked that afternoon right about the time they were sending me home. Thankfully I got a dose of oxy before I left, because the ride home, while fairly unpleasant, would have been much worse. We picked up my pains meds on the way home and I was happy it was again time to take them by the time we got home.

I definitely had more pain from the incisions this time around and it was difficult turning over in bed while I was the hospital. I managed, but it wasn't fun. And I feel like a lot of the pain was also from laying in bed so long in one position, both because of being on the operating table for three hours and also not being able to get out of bed until the following morning. Unfortunately the pain meds really don't help that kind of pain, so I spent my whole stay wishing I could be up and moving around in order to take the pressure off my back and hips.

Sciatica once again set in after surgery (Tuesday, 03/17/20), though this time it happened within a couple days rather than almost two weeks later. It started Wednesday night and was getting worse Thursday. I contacted the doctor's office and they put me on a steroid taper pack (six days of pills totaling 21 pills, tapering down day to day from six pills to one) to control the inflammation, which is what was causing the nerve pain. The leg pain went away for the most part, though my legs and feet still ached from time to time depending on how much I was moving around. I still had the incision pain, though it improved over the course of the week.

I was doing OK until the following Monday, which was about a week after this surgery.  The sciatica started up again and was worse the next day. I suspected this would happen as I tapered down the steroids. Unfortunately I can't take NSAIDs because it will slow down the bone growth, and I need the bone to grow so it fuses together--the whole point of the surgery. I also can't take NSAIDs because I've had gastric bypass, so those will always be off limits to me anyway. I also can't take another steroid pack so soon. I contacted the doctor's office and they put me on gabapentin, which is supposed to help with nerve pain. The only down side is that it takes one to two weeks to be fully effective. I started with the lowest dose, but had to ask them to increase it since it didn't seem to be helping. The higher dose seemed to help.

I'm also using a cooling therapy machine, which is like an ice pack, but it's ice water instead. A cooler holds water and ice, which of course you need to refill every day, and it pumps ice water into the pouch. You just put the pouch wherever you want it to get pain relief. It has a power switch so you can turn it on and off.

It's now been almost four weeks since the second surgery and now I’m left with pain pretty much only when I sit in my desk chair for more than 10/15 minutes, or when I take a car ride.  The car tends to kick up the legs aches and burning sensations in my feet for a couple hours, which is annoying, but thankfully it’s nothing like what I was dealing with a few weeks ago.

They’re starting to taper down the oxycodone this week and it makes me nervous that, in a few weeks, I’ll really have nothing left for pain relief if I need it: Tylenol is useless, as I’ve taken SO MUCH over the last three years for my back pain that it doesn’t even really help a headache anymore, which means it’s not going to help nerve pain; I can’t take NSAIDs because it will slow bone growth, which I need to for the bones to fuse; and everything else is a narcotic as far as I know, which I assume they won’t give me since they’re tapering me off the oxy. The gabapentin I take isn’t fast-acting pain relief–it has to build up in the body and stay at a consistent level to work, and even with that I still get the sciatica.  So what's left if I need it? I have no idea. I emailed the doctor's office today and I expect I'll hear from them tomorrow.

one surgery down, one to go

Surgery #1 is done, and surgery #2 is tomorrow, March 17--I'm SO ready for it so I can get on with recovery.

Here's a rundown of what's been going on.

Surgery

The first surgery was Tuesday, March 3. I had to be at the hospital at 6:00 am that morning, with surgery scheduled for 7:30 am. That meant noting to eat after midnight, clear liquids only until 4:30 am, and then absolutely nothing after that except enough water to take any pills I needed to take. I thought I'd be hungry, but I wasn't. I was nervous, so I'm guessing that's why I wasn't hungry. I did, however, miss having my daily homemade iced mocha latte. I made one to have in the fridge for when I returned home.

Surgery was about two hours and 20 minutes, which is pretty fast in my opinion.  The doctor removed the affected disc; placed a spacer between the vertebrae; injected some of my own bone marrow, which was harvested from my pelvis; and installed temporary plates to hold everything in place.  According to my husband, the doctor said he "cleaned up" a lot of arthritic tissue in the area. I knew there was arthritis there and that it had progressed, which explains why I was feeling worse the last six to eight months, but it sounds like there was more than he expected.

I spent about five hours in Recovery, as did many people. They were waiting on an available bed. Plus they were on Day Two of a new computer system. They wouldn't allow me to get up for the bathroom, so I had my first experience with a bed pan--that was fun. But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! And I had a busting-full bladder, so it's not like I could just hold it. The down side to being in Recovery that long was that they don't allow visitors like other hospitals do, so Bob spent many hours in the hospital just waiting to hear something.

The hospital stay was fine, but uncomfortable. The discomfort I had really wasn't post-op pain. It was pain and stiffness in my hips and back muscles due to laying on the operating table, followed by hours in bed. (Unfortunately I never got rid of that pain until I got home--pain meds didn't help with that at all.) They brought me for a CT scan that night, which was so the doctor could see what the bones look like and help him prepare for the next surgery. The next day the occupational therapist and physical therapist made visits to make sure I can walk, get dressed, do stairs, and just function in general.

I spent one night in the hospital, which is good for several reasons:  it means I'm doing well, it means I can get home to my own bed, and it means no more being woken up every couple hours for medications, check on vitals, etc. Everyone was very nice, but it was nice to get home. The only issue we had was that they couldn't find my back brace. I was advised to bring it with me to the hospital since I would need it for the ride home and possibly while I was there. The morning of surgery they put in on the stretcher with me and wheeled me to the OR. They weren't sure if the doctor would put me in it right away, so they wanted to have it available if needed. I didn't realize until the following morning that it wasn't in my room. They searched for it without success. They called my doctor, who apparently made it Abundantly Clear, based on the the nurse's tone and the look on her face, that the brace must be found. Coincidentally, they found it while I was being discharged. It turned out they put it on the shelf under the stretcher since it wasn't needed, and then they forgot about it.

This is supposed to be my special recliner, but it's
impossible to get a seat with these guys around!

Pain Levels

Thursday after surgery was a good day. I was able to get around quite a bit. I did a little laundry, cleaned up, etc., all with the help of a grabber I'd bought before surgery (no bending!).  Friday I started to feel pretty sore, mostly sciatica. This continued through Monday. Then Tuesday...Tuesday was awful. I woke up about 2:30 am (I thought it was 1:30 am; however, I'd forgotten to change my bedside alarm clock for Daylight Saving Time) with awful pain in my back.  The only way to describe the pain is that it was like when you sit with your back against a hard surface and there's something protruding from it that pokes into your pack and creates a really uncomfortable pressure point. I took my first dose of oxycodone (2 tablets) along with some Tylenol and tried to get back to sleep. No luck. I took another tablet about an hour later, as the first dose did nothing for me. This additional tablet made it bearable, but it was still very uncomfortable. About an hour later, the pain level increased again so I took another tablet. Same thing. I ended up taking my entire day's worth of oxy (eight tablets) between 2:30 am and about 9:30 am and all it really did was make the pain tolerable. I eventually went down to the couch and slept for a bit, which seemed to help. I found that if I stayed on the couch in one position, the pain eventually went away. So I spent the whole day sleeping either on the couch or in bed, moving as little as humanly possible, so as not to aggravate my back again. (There may have been some crying mixed in there...)

Wednesday I felt much better and the rest of the week was pretty good with the help of the pain meds. I was able to do some things. With Bob driving and the support of my back brace, I ventured out to the drugstore for a prescription refill and a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg. Priorities, you know.

Saturday night into Sunday (this past weekend) wasn't great.  My left leg was killing me. It started out as occasional aches near my knee and in my calf, and then by Saturday night it was a near-constant ache from the back of my upper thigh down to my foot. When I went to bed, I found it impossible to fall asleep, even with the sleep aid I'd taken. I couldn't take it anymore and had to take an oxy to get to sleep. I woke up at 3:00 am and the whole-leg ache was back. I couldn't fall back asleep so I got up and took two oxys along with three Tylenol, which helped immensely. It didn't completely eliminate it, but it at least made me much more comfortable. I spent yesterday relaxing as much as I could, though I still made sure to get up and move around, take a shower, etc. Last night I took both the sleep aid and an oxy, plus two Tylenol and slept until about 1:30 am. Due to the return of the whole-leg pain, I really wanted to get up and take another dose of pain meds, but I didn't since I knew that would leave me short on my prescription. I made an effort to just lay there and deal with it, trying to fall back asleep. I somehow managed to do so, and woke up for good at 4:00 am. I took my pain meds and while the pain is still there and it's really annoying, it's at least tolerable. I find myself wishing today was surgery day so I wouldn't have to deal with this anymore--it's SO uncomfortable.  I really hope this doesn't happen again after this next surgery.

Other Stuff

I haven't had any issues with getting up and down, using the bathroom, and using the shower. It's hard to get used to "no bending, lifting or twisting," but I'm managing just fine. We put a garbage bag on the passenger seat in the car so I can easily get in and turn myself.

The incision in my abdomen is quite big (see picture--sorry if you're squeamish!)--about seven inches--and was closed with staples and stitches. I'm not thrilled about that, as it's not nearly as pretty as what the plastic surgeon did a few years ago, but it's just a scar. It's worth it, because it means my back has been fixed and I'm on my way to being pain-free.  I had a reaction to the bandage, which I've never had before. I broke out in red, itchy bumps. I've been using hydrocortisone cream and it's almost gone. though I'm still a little itchy once in awhile. The incision was sore for over a week, but that's feeling good now. though the staples are starting to annoy me.

In summary, I'm getting around really well, much better that I thought I would be. I was surprised that my pain levels weren't as high as I thought they would be, which is good. Most of the pain I've had has been more around the sciatica and leg pain, and the episode I had last Tuesday, which I'm guessing is from inflammation. I'm surprised that it took almost two weeks for that to set in.

And now it's on to surgery #2, which is tomorrow morning!

tomorrow is the day!

Got my hair cut recently, so I'll be looking good while I'm on the operating table! LOL
Calvin's Hair Studio in Middletown.

Obviously I haven't followed through on posting here more! I started this post several weeks ago, so I've updated it and here it is.

Tomorrow is the day:  anterior (from the front) L4-L5 fusion. I have to be at the hospital by 6 am.  No solid food after midnight, clear liquids up until 4:30 am, and nothing at all--not even water--after 4:30 am. I can handle the food part, but I'm really sad that I won't be able to have my daily iced mocha latter, which I have every morning while I read my favorite advice columns. Also no hair gel, which means I'll look absolutely fabulous when I show up at the hospital tomorrow. Yes, of course I don't need to look good for surgery, but I feel so frumpy without my hair done. I can handle going without makeup, but the hair HAS to be done. But such is life. Hair products are flammable and I really don't want the OR to burn down.

These guys don't realize this is MY seat, not theirs.
Come tomorrow, they're being evicted!

I've been thinking a lot about life after surgery. I know the next six months or so will be hard, but if I want to (hopefully) be pain-free in the coming years, I need to do it. I'll get through it--the post-op pain, physical limitations, and emotional struggle are only temporary. Time will inevitably pass whether I have surgery or not. I can either spend it in pain, living on narcotic pain meds and trying to put off surgery longer, or I can suck it up and get it over with, deal with the post-op pain, and then move on with my life. I'm opting to suck it up and just do it.

I've been thinking about the things I'm looking forward to after all is said and done:

• No longer saying, "My back hurts." 
• No longer saying, "I can't lift this." Or going ahead and lifting it anyway and paying for it later.
• No longer having to go to a meeting or event and looking for the chair that seems as though it will torture me the least.
• No longer being the person with the bad back.
• No longer dreading long meetings due to having to sit for so long. Instead, I'll be able to dread them for the simple fact that I could be doing something better than sitting in a meeting.
• No longer dreading sitting down to watch TV in my own home.
• No longer needing narcotic pain medication. While it's great pain relief, I've built some tolerance and it usually gives me a headache; I feel like I've constantly had a headache for the last eight months.
• Being able to once again sleep through the night. At the moment, I'm waking up around 1 am due to back pain. At that point, the pain meds are starting to wear off. I then spend hours tossing and turning, and sleeping fitfully. 
• No longer feeling like a train wreck in the morning. Part of this is the pain medication and part of it is back pain ans stiffness.

So, I'm looking forward to NOT doing, feeling, or saying a lot of things.  And tomorrow is the day it all changes for the better.

(As you can see, I got my hair cut. I finally found someone who is very close by so I don't have to drive an hour anymore. If you're in mid-state CT, try Calvin's Hair Studio in Middletown. Very reasonable prices, very friendly, and he does a great job.)

life lately

It's been a few months since I've done one of these posts, so I guess it's time. (I've also been sitting on this post for two months, editing here and there, so time to finally post it.)

Family

Unfortunately my in-laws' house burned down last month.   Thankfully everyone, including the dog, got out in time, so no one was hurt.  I can't even imagine how it feels to lose the house you've been living in for most of your life, as well as nearly all your belongings. Family pictures, memorabilia, clothing, appliances, everything.

So, they're having to live in a hotel until they can move into my old house. (Luckily the insurance company found a hotel that will take the dog.) That will happen the first week of October. It's going to take about six to nine months to rehab the house, so they'll likely be in our old house until Spring. Once they leave, that house is being sold come Hell or high water! Although, they've talked about selling their house once it's completed and buying ours. That would be absolutely fabulous and I pray it happens. That house needs to go!

My niece, Ashley, is getting married next month. I can't believe another one is getting married. I feel old!! It seems like only yesterday my sister was pregnant with her. In fact, she was pregnant with her when I got married! I was married February 10, 1996, and Ashley was born on February 27. I wish her all the love and luck in the world!

Back Pain

I still have back pain, and it's gotten worse.

Although the nerve ablation I had in January for the facet joints helped a lot, it doesn't help the sciatica I get from the bulging discs, and that's what's still bothering me. Also, the ablation has worn off. I was told the pain relief could last anywhere from six months to two years. I'd say it lasted about six months, then started creeping back again.

My back started hurting more somewhere around June, though it was mostly while working. I have a desk job and a majority of my job requires me to actually be at my desk. Even though I have a sit/stand desk and a decent chair, and I try to switch positions at least once per hour, it's not enough. If I stand for more than 10-15 minutes, the bulging disc starts pressing on my sciatic nerve and it's time to sit down. Then my lower back starts hurting after about 20 minutes and I need to either stand up to work or go walk around a bit.  Then the leg pain kicks in. So, I finally figured out that I need to take Percocet at work, as my back pain is at it's worst when I'm working. I asked for a refillable prescription about three months ago, and I'm SO thankful I've had that, as it's helped me stay focused on my work and not on the back pain.  I also finally connected the dots about the ablation having worn off when I started having sleeping problems again, which was about a month ago. The Percocet has also helped me to sleep longer. By "longer" I mean that instead of waking up a midnight or 1:00 am with back pain, I can sleep until about 4:00/4:30 am. Then I start the tossing and turning and am generally in pain. Prior to the ablation wearing off, it wasn't this bad.

So, I'm going next Monday to have another ablation. I'll get the right side done that day, and then the following week the other side. Hopefully that will get me through my upcoming business trip--a five hour train ride--and carry me into Spring, which is when I'll make a decision about fusion. I could continue to take Percocet and have ablations, but why cover up the problem? I'd rather just fix it.

Elbow Pain

I'm also dealing with really bad tendinitis in my left elbow, which is also now in my right elbow, too. I've been dealing with this since February. I went to physical therapy, but that didn't help. It also aggravated the pulled bicep muscle from a few months ago. I had a cortisone shot, and that didn't help either. Apparently the solution was water-soluble, which may be why it didn't work. I'm going to make an appointment to get more shots next week, this time with a non-water-soluble solution, and hopefully that solves the problem.

Work

I've been in my new job for about six months now and I like it. It was tough at first, since I hadn't wanted to go back to a bank at all and definitely not in the same capacity; I didn't want to job search (previous bank was sold); and I was walking into a tough situation. Thankfully that situation resolved itself, so things are looking up. I really like my team--they're awesome!--; I love my boss; and I like the people and culture. Onward and upward!

life lately

I haven't done one of these posts in a while, so I guess it's time. Actually, it's time for ANY post. I'm getting worse with posting. I often just don't feel like writing anymore.  Anyway...

Back Pain

This has improved. Last time I posted I had just had radio frequency ablation on the left side of my lumbar spine. I saw some good pain relief. I had the right side done a few weeks ago, and that went well, too. I haven't seen quite as much improvement on that side; however, I'm told that it can take up to six weeks to feel the full effects of the ablation.

I will say that other areas are bothering me at the moment, such as the sciatic nerves on both sides, as well as my elbows and one knee. That said, I'm in between jobs at the moment--even though I'm working out consistently, I'm doing WAY more sitting around than I did when I was working at a desk all day. I'm confident that once I go back to work next week, things will improve.

Work

I mentioned in my last post that I'm starting a new job soon. That's because the bank I worked for was sold to another bank and I didn't get a job offer from the acquiring bank. No big deal. I really didn't want to work for that bank, or commute that far, anyway. I do have another job lined up at another bank, which starts next week.

Everyone asks me, "Are you excited about the new job?" Hmm. I'm not sure, really. I wouldn't really say I'm "excited" the way I would be if I was willingly leaving my last job for greener pastures. I mean, I'm glad I got another job quickly so I won't have to worry about being able to pay my bills; however, I didn't move on to another job by choice. Also, I didn't really want to go back into a bank. Instead, I wanted to work for a vendor that has banks as its clients, but that didn't pan out. I guess I could say the part I'm "excited" about is that one of my responsibilities is to affect change within the department. Not in terms of people, but in terms of policy and procedure. I like trying to figure out those types of things. I think it will be challenging, which is something I can be excited about.

Oh, and I took and passed a certification exam for my area of expertise. The picture up top is of Tiffany. She was "helping" me study, as were these clowns, Arlo and Emily.

Diet and Exercise

This is a mixed bag, as always. While my workouts are on point--five days a week without fail--my eating is...not.  Still. My last job ended very recently and I told myself I'd use the little time I have in between jobs to get my diet straightened out. Guess what?  I didn't. I've probably been eating worse than usual since my days now have no routine at all, other than going to the gym or the occasional errand. I'm looking forward to going back to work next week, if only to get myself back into a routine and away from the kitchen.

During my time off I've been using the gym in town, which is only $10.00 per month--can't beat that! I could do most of my workout at home and improvise the exercises that require a machine, but I chose to go to the gym so I at least get myself out of the house for a couple hours each day. Plus I have a membership so I might as well use it!

My trainer uses the same gym and I've run into him several times. We talk for a few minutes and then go our separate ways usually. A couple times, though, he used it as an opportunity to say, "Here, let's try this machine!" Which is fine because it gave me another thing to incorporate when I get bored of doing the same thing. But it's a new exercise I haven't done before, which means I'm SORE the next two days and that runs right into my next session with him and he decides to work those same muscles. Of course he does! Very sore!!  I have to say, though, I really enjoyed seeing him work as hard as he makes me work. He was sweating and sometimes struggling just as much, which was really satisfying!

One thing I'm not thrilled about at the new job is that they don't have an in-house gym. I know I was quite lucky that my last company had one and it was literally about 20 feet from my office, but it still stinks. I used that gym four days per week. I would go in there at 4 pm, do my workout, and then go home for the day. And it had all the equipment I needed. I know I could just go to the regular gym, but I really hate having to go after work when there's four times as many people and they all want the same machines. There's a gym down the road from work, but I'd have the same issue there. For the time being I plan to do my workout in the house. Once it warms up, I can go outside on the patio.

Wrap-Up

I'll wrap this post up by saying that I'm really disappointed in myself that I didn't do more with my time off. I thought that having free time would make me want to do All The Things, including writing more blog posts and just doing some writing in general. Nope. It made me not want to do Any Of The Things. Well, I accomplished a few things, but definitely not as much as I'd hoped. But I think things will get back to normal once I'm back at work. Let's hope!

update #9: the war on back pain

I just realized it's been two months since I last wrote an update, but I wanted to wait until I had some news. Well, I do now.

I mentioned in my last update that I'd had a medial branch block, which was a diagnostic procedure to determine if there was pain coming from the facet joints in my lumbar area--there was.  I had it done again to confirm and got the same results, so I was scheduled for the radio frequency ablation ("RFA").

Emily

I had the first half of the RFA this past Thursday. They did four levels of the lumbar area on the left side, L1 through L4. The right side will be done on February 4.

In the days leading up to the procedure I was very nervous. The doctor's assistant described the procedure to me during my last follow-up appointment. He said that it was just like the medial branch blocks, but the needles would be hollow. The needle would vibrate with electricity, which would burn a lesion into each nerve, the purpose being to interrupt the pain signal to the brain, which results in not feeling the pain. He said that I wouldn't feel anything more than what I felt with the branch blocks. Those weren't as painful as the cortisone shots I'd had, but there was discomfort. And he said I wouldn't feeling the part where they burn a lesion onto the nerve at all. Yeah right! I didn't believe him for a second--I'm a total baby when it comes to pain from procedures.   All day Thursday I was trying to decide if I should take a half a Percocet, which I hoard so I don't have to ask for more; or just Tylenol, which is almost useless on me these days; or take nothing at all, which is what some people advised since they'd be stimulating the nerve and I'd need to be able to feel it. I opted to take some Tylenol about a half hour beforehand.

They starting by rubbing my back down with iodine and then placed a grounding pad on my right side so I don’t get electrocuted. They do use electricity after all! The doctor injected a little Novocaine (or whatever they use) to numb up the four insertion points a bit. Yeah, that doesn't really work. After needle insertion the doctor then stimulated each nerve to make sure the needle was placed in the right spot. First he made the nerve vibrate and then made it twitch, which felt weird. No pain at all, though. Then he started burning the lesion on the nerve. I didn’t feel that at all on the first two nerves and had no idea he had even done it until he said, “OK, same thing. Tell me when you feel the nerve vibrating,” which meant he’d moved onto the next one. The third one I felt a little, but it was hardly anything. The fourth, which was at the L1, felt like pressure. It wasn’t painful, though. Overall, I’d say it was 20 minutes from the time I got on the table to the time I got up. After I got up I lost my balance for a couple seconds, but it might have been the head rush after laying on my stomach.  Afterwards, my toes tingled for about 15 minutes, kind of like my foot had fallen asleep slightly.

So all in all, it was not horrible at all! Honestly, the most pain was from the needle insertion and that was basically like getting a regular shot or blood drawn. I'm not nervous at all about the next one.

We left and went to get food–I couldn’t eat for four hours beforehand so food was my first priority. Well, that’s when the pain set in. If anyone has had cortisone shots, you know the pain I mean. It was mostly my left butt cheek and the upper thigh in back, but oh man! I had a hard time sitting through dinner.  When we got home and I was just counting the hours until I could legitimately go up to bed (being in bed too long makes my back hurt more). I spent my time going down a rabbit hole on You Tube, looking to discover music I like. At 9 pm I took a half a Percocet (that's all I can handle at once), some Tylenol and went to bed.

Oscar

I felt much better yesterday. I was able to sit at my desk at work ALL DAY with minimal pain! Actually, the pain last night was in my legs, because I sat much longer than usual. I feel pretty good today and was able to lay in bed longer than usual. Normally I need to get up within about 10-15 minutes of waking up, otherwise the pain starts. Today I was laying there for about an hour and then had to get up because the sciatica was starting. Of course, my mind was racing about an upcoming phone interview (woo hoo!) so that helped me to not think about my back.

They'll do the RFA on my right side on Monday, February 4, so I'll report back after that. In the meantime, it's nice to not feel like Death warmed over by the end of the day.

update #8: the war on back pain

Time for another back pain update (and another cute cat picture). This time it's good news.

This week I went for a diagnostic procedure called lumbar medial branch block. The purpose is to determine if my pain is coming from any of the nerve branches coming off the facet joints in my spine. They inject an anesthetic around the nerve branches at several vertebra levels. If the pain stops, then my pain is coming from those joints and I'd be a candidate for radio frequency nerve ablation, which basically kills or "fries" the nerve. If the pain doesn't stop after the branch blocks, then that's not where it's coming from and there's no sense in trying the ablation.

So I went in for the procedure on Monday. It was pretty much the same as when I went for the epidural cortison injections: no NSAIDs for five days before the procedure and nothing to eat or drink four hours beforehand. I had to lay face-down on the table and they used fluoroscopy to guide the needles to the injection sites in real-time. A numbing agent was injected at each site and then they did eight injections–four on each side of the spine (L2 through L5). There was some discomfort, but it didn’t hurt anywhere near as much as the epidural cortisone injections I had earlier in the year. I was instructed to do home and do all the things that would normally aggravate my pain, which is easy since sitting is what causes it for me. That, and standing in one spot for more than 10 minutes or so. I was out of the office in 20 minutes, measured from the time they called me from the lobby to the time I left. I had to keep a pain log for five hours and report the level of pain and the percentage of improvement.

I sat at my home desk for FOUR HOURS mostly without back pain. That’s huge for me, because normally I'm starting to hurt after about 10 minutes or so. My hips and upper legs ached from sitting from so long, but there was almost no back pain. When I got up from my desk for the bathroom and a few other things, I actually felt the sciatic nerve pinching every time I took a step with my left leg, but didn’t feel all the other pain I normally feel. I guess the pain coming from the joints (and not knowing it) kind of skewed how I was feeling and I just assumed it was all from the pinched sciatic nerve. The anesthetic wore off by Tuesday night, which is what is supposed to happen, but it was a somewhat blissful couple of days!

I went into this without really any hope that it work since other things haven’t worked very well up until now. Well, it DID work! It also made me realize that I have pain not only from that sciatic nerve, but from the joints as well. Overall, I would estimate I got about a 75% reduction in pain.

I go back for my follow-up in a couple weeks, so I plan to tell them I want the ablation. I'm wondering, though:  how do they know which nerve to kill? They did eight injections spanning the L2 through L5, so how would they know which one to kill? Do they do another branch block procedure for only certain areas? Guess I'll find out in a couple weeks!

life lately

Time for another update on life since I couldn't come up with anything interesting to post about.  I lasted posted a life update in July.

Cats

Leia had to go to the vet this week. She started showing signs of a urinary tract infection:  frequent litter box usage, only peeing a little each time, taking a long time in the box, licking. I brought her in and it turns out it's not a UTI. They think it's stress-related, but took a urine culture just in case. She has to have prescription food for awhile and we'll see how that goes. They're a little concerned because the original sample, the one they tested for infection, shows that her urine is a bit diluted. I'm hoping they don't say she has kidney disease. They gave her subcutaneous fluids and sent her home with pain medication. She stayed in the bedroom for awhile so I could monitor her litter box usage (with 11 cats, it's difficult to know who's doing what and when). She seems to be doing fine now. I haven't yet received the results of the culture, so I'm hoping nothing else comes up.

Car

Someone hit the back of my car in a parking lot and took off. I've had the car for less than a year, so I'm pretty annoyed. There goes my deductible! Since the paint is damaged, I had to fix it so it doesn't rust or get worse.  I don't understand why people do things like that. I'm guessing they know they won't get caught and are counting on the fact that it won't be noticed right away. And they're probably uninsured, unlicensed, or both. Anyway, it's fixed now. I guess the one bright spot is that the body shop washed my car, completely detailed the inside, and inflated my tires, which were a little low.

House

We're currently in the middle of putting down a vinyl plank floor in the family room. It wasn't planned. We just decided that since we had gotten rid of the couch and hadn't yet replaced it, why don't we tear up the (very) disgusting carpet and put down either laminate or vinyl?  So we ripped it up and, yes, it was really gross. I mean, I've got 11 cats and it's also a high-traffic area of the house. Bob has been working on laying the new floor down this week, but we'll probably spend part of the weekend finishing it up.

The hard part is working around the hatch in the floor, which is for the well. Yes, our well is under the family room. Our house was built in 1735 and the well was outside at that point. At some point in the early 1900s (we think), the family room was added. Rather than connect to the city water, the home owner decided to build an enclosure around the well and put a hatch in the floor so it can be accessed. Brilliant...not! Sure, it's cool to look at, but it's going to be REALLY expensive when the time comes to replace the well pump.

Here's the hatch in the floor.

And here's the well. Pretty amazing, isn't it? It's hard to believe this was dug almost 300 years ago with hand tools, and it's perfectly round. You can see how far down the water is. 

Back Pain

Last time I updated I mentioned that I wasn't doing anything else for awhile since I'd reached the limit of epidural cortisone shots I could have  in nine months. Now that summer is over, I've scheduled an appointment to see about getting them again. Even though they didn't last more than three weeks each time previously, it was still a great help when it came to sleeping.

Sleeping seems to be the biggest problem for me, mainly because, well, I need to sleep. When I'm sore from sitting (and sitting is the thing that causes most of the pain), I can just get up from my desk, the couch, whatever and walk around for awhile. I can't do that when I'm sleeping. I mean I could, but then it would take me awhile to fall back asleep and I'll end up more tired the next day. My standard practice at the moment is to take half a Tylenol PM and either one or two regular Tylenol at bedtime. I substitute half a Percocet for the Tylenol PM if I really need it, but I try not to do that since I sometimes feel hungover the next day. I'm getting really tired of taking pain medication every single night, so I'm thinking it's time to do the shots again, even if I only get limited relief. I'm also worried about my liver with all the acetaminophen, even though I take about half the daily maximum dosage. 

I'm trying to put off surgery until I get to the point where the pain stops me from doing certain things, like working out. I'm not at that point yet, though that could happen in the next year or two. 

Work

I mentioned in my last "life lately" post that my company was acquired. I've since learned that my job will end towards the end of February, so that means another job search. I'm actually not upset that I didn't get an offer from the acquiring company; I know many people that have worked there, and there's a reason they left.

It's a little too early to start searching, but I look everyday just to see what's out there...and there's not much. I'm thinking I may want to change industries, as I've been in the same one for 22 years, but that could mean a pay cut that I really can't afford right now. Lots of people have been telling me to "think outside the box" and that sounds good right about now. I'm someone who needs change, so going into another industry could be the shot of excitement I need, career-wise. It's scary, but exciting at the same time to think I could be doing something quite different this time next year.

life lately

Figured it's time for an update-type post, since it's been a while. (Actually it's been awhile since my last post, in general.)

Books

I had a different post planned for this; however, I'm writing it up separately, as it's turning out to be much longer than I had originally planned. Here's the teaser:  I recently met my favorite authors!

What I'll write here instead is that I've recently discovered Good Reads. Yes, I know, it's been around for a long time, but I just recently discovered the value in it:  I can actually keep track of the books I've read. I know, that's not exactly groundbreaking, but it's so useful!  I've read so many books over the years that I'm at a point where I can't remember if I've read a book or not. Quite often lately I've downloaded a book, only to discover I've already read it (my memory sucks, so I don't always realize I've read something just by the synopsis).

I use several methods for getting books: 

• Kindle app for Android:  I've abandoned hard-copy books forever, and I read exclusively on my phone. This is my app of choice for reading. Although I buy books from Amazon sometimes, I always check the library and Kindle Unlimited first; books aren't cheap! 
• Kindle Unlimited:  It's $9.99 a month and you can read as many books as you like. I'll admit this isn't my favorite option since most of the authors I like don't have titles here; however, I've found that it's a great way to discover new authors and it only costs me the monthly fee. If I decide I don't like a book I've downloaded, I just "return" it and find something else.
• Overdrive:  This is an app for my phone, which allows me to borrow ebooks from any libraries for which I have a library card. I can usually find a lot of the books I want to read, but it's definitely hit or miss, just like Kindle Unlimited.

I'd joined Good Reads a couple years ago, but really didn't do anything with it. I'd added some friends and see emails coming in from time to time, telling me that Jane recommended I read this book, or John has finished reading that book. I just took a quick glance at the emails and deleted them. Recently, however, I discovered that I could mark all the books I've read as "read," tag books I want to read, and keep track of my reading progress on current books. What's nice, too, are the book recommendation from friends--I've found a few gems this way.

Over the last several weeks I've made an effort to add all the books I've read, which wasn't easy since some I'd read through Overdrive, some through the Kindle app, and some in hard-copy format (I was the geek that carried around The Stand by Stephen King, which was 1,200+ pages and hardcover, during my junior year of high school...in addition to all my books and notebooks). The ones on Kindle were easy, since I could check my order history, or they'd somehow been linked to Good Reads--not sure what magic made that possible. Overdrive wasn't that difficult, either, since I could check my history there, too. But remembering all the hard-copies I've read was tough. In the end my list of "read" books is at 109 right now, but I'm sure I missed some.

Here's a screen shot of my "read" page.

As for what I'm reading, I'm currently reading The Fallen by David Baldacci. It's part of the Memory Man series. The protagonist is a man, Amos Decker, who played pro football, but took a major hit to the head during his first pro game. It resulted in two conditions:  Synesthesia (linking objects with sensory perception, such as seeing the number 4 as the color brown) and hypertymesia (basically, a perfect autobiographical memory). I'm about halfway through and I'm enjoying it. (This author was a recommendation from my late brother--he had great taste in books!)

I've also a number of books to my "want to read" list. Thanks to some suggestions from a blog I read, the list is growing. I've added a bunch of pandemic/apocalypse-type books, which is my current obsession. I also like genres like thriller, murder mystery, horror (along the lines of Stephen King), suspense, books with a small sci-fi or paranormal element (although not full-on sci-fi or paranormal), FBI/CIA/Secret Service thrillers, and other similar genres. I like the classics, too. I'm not really a fan of non-fiction, as I really like to just get lost in a book:  I don't analyze it--I just read it. Romance, fantasy and sci-fi aren't much to my taste, either.

If anyone has recommendations for me, please comment below. (Bonus points for books that take place in the 1800s or earlier! Extra bonus points if there are more than 800 pages--I love a huge book!)

Here's a shot of my "want to read" list.

Cats

Four of my kitties are at the vet today for their annual checkup and vaccinations. Lucky for me it's the youngest ones (Marty, Leia, Arlo and Emily), which means the bill shouldn't be big due to unexpected issues. Most of my cats are older, so more often than not I'm told that something is off in their blood work, or someone is losing weight, or has some other issue. Dental issues are the most common, and those can be really expensive. I'm hoping this visit will be relatively inexpensive and uneventful. I'm bringing all four of them at once and "parking" them for the day. My vet calls it "cat parking" and that just means I drop them in the morning and they get seen at some point during the day, then I pick them up at night. Luckily it's been uneventful this year with the cats.

Marty

Leia

Emily

Arlo

As you can see. Emily and Arlo are siblings and look like twins. The only way to tell them apart is Arlo has some white on his belly and Emily's tail is bent at the tip--not really something you can tell when they're running around, so I often confuse them.

Back Pain

Well, it is what it is. I had my last round of cortisone injections a couple months ago and it took about three weeks for them to wear off. I have the option of going towards the end of summer, but I'm going to wait and see how I feel. For the amount of money it costs (after insurance) and the amount of time they last, it's not worth it right now. I'm managing, just like I have been for almost a year now. I take a half a Percocet at night when I really need something more than acetaminophen. I feel the worst when I'm sitting, but I just try to get up more often. I feel best when I'm working out, which is a good thing. If I couldn't work out I'd likely regain a lot of weight. There are some exercises I can't/shouldn't do, but I still get a really good workout.

Nutrition and Working Out

I'm doing...OK...with my nutrition. I wish I was doing better, but I'm trying. I've started logging my food again, which is really important. I will show it to my trainer each week, which will make me stay on track. I really don't want to show him a journal that lists a bunch of junk food!

My trainer seems to be upping my workouts lately. The last two weeks he's introduced new exercises, which has made my workouts more tiring. But that's a good thing! He added some squats with a dumbbell press (two 10lb dumbbells), lunging while holding a 10lb dumbbell over my head (that was a load of fun...), and a couple other things. I like it, though, because it reinvigorates me--I get tired of the same routine.

Work

UGH. I wish I had something good to say here. Actually, I wish I wasn't even including it here, but it's part of "life lately." I found out recently that my company is being acquired, and I'm not happy about it at all. I've been there for almost four years and I'm happy there.  The culture is great:  fairly relaxed (for a bank), business casual dress, no slackers, great work/life balance, and lots of extracurricular activities. My boss leaves me alone to do my work and treats me like an adult. I can pretty much come and go as I please, and have the option to work from home if I need to for whatever reason. Benefits are great. I have an awesome team that just magically does what they're supposed to do and does it right. We also have a gym, which is only two doors down from my office. This is what I'll probably miss the most, actually. I typically get to work by 7:30 am, I eat my lunch at my desk, disappear into the gym around 4 pm, and then go home when I'm done. I find that having the gym right there is what keeps me consistently working out. It's really going to be tough losing that.

That week was tough and sad. I was thrown into a state of uncertainty, which I really have a hard time with. I actually like a lot of change, as that's what keeps things fresh and challenging, and it's how you grow and learn. What I don't like is not knowing what's going to happen next. Everything is up in the air at the moment. I have no idea yet as to whether I'll get a job offer from the new bank. If I do, it's very likely that job will be almost an hour away since that's where their operations center is.  I've done that commute and I truly don't want to do it again. It's very possible I won't get an offer, though, which means another job search. If I don't get an offer, will I get a good severance package? I'll also need to figure out what I want to do. Do I want to go for the same job I have now? Something similar, but somewhat different? What are my deal-breakers and must-haves? I'm hoping we know something soon, as being in limbo really sucks.

Well, there you have it. This is what's been going on lately. Happy 4th of July, everyone!

This is not one of my cats. I found this online at
http://fortheloveofcatsfl.com.

update #7: the war on back pain

I went for a follow-up with my orthopedic doctor in regards to my back pain. This was the follow-up after the two cortisone injections I had. I thought I was going to hear about a simple pain relief outpatient procedure, which was the percutaneous disc decompression (nucleoplasty) I'd mentioned in another post. Instead, I found out that I’m actually a candidate for disc replacement or spinal fusion. Totally not what I was expecting. At all. I was kind of in shock.

Apparently the herniation in my disc is pretty big and the nucleoplasty (disc decompression) isn’t possible. A mini discectomy isn’t possible either since my disc is thinning out. I was kind of in a daze and on information overload at that point, but it was something about the condition of the disc, the size of the herniation and the very small space and location in which to do the work. The doctor said  his first choice would be fusion. Not that disc replacement can't be successful–it is for many people–but he felt for my situation, a fusion would be the best choice. A prosthetic disc can wear out and if they have to go back in to replace it at some point, they'd be working through scar tissue from the initial surgery, which could be dicey.

He ordered an updated MRI, which I had a couple weeks ago. I looked at the MRI since I have the previous one and I now know what I’m looking at, and the affected disc didn't look any better than it did six months ago. I went the following week to have him read it, and he confirmed it's not any better. He also said my scoliosis curve has started to worsen. That scares me, because it hasn't changed since I was a teenager. Hopefully it doesn't get worse. I have to assume it's gotten worse because of the disc problem.

Here are the two images of my bulging disc. The view is from the bottom, up, as though you're looking up from the floor.  That means that the right side of the image is actually the left side of my body.  The one is September 2017 and the bottom one is March 2018. As you can see, not much difference between the two.

We talked again about fusion again.  He said that I'd be out of work for a couple months and overall recovery would be quite long. I'd have to be pretty careful for at least a year so that the bones have a chance to fuse together completely. After thinking about how long the recovery would be, what my pain level is now, and the fact that a fusion could place more strain on the joints above and below the fused vertebrae making them weaker, I made the decision to not have surgery at this time. I think if my pain level was at a point where it prevented me from doing a lot of routine things, I'd definitely go for the fusion; however, my pain in more along the lines of nagging, annoying and distracting.

What will I do instead? I'm going to try one more round of cortisone injections. If these don't help, I'll have to wait until the Fall to try again, since I'm limited to three rounds every nine months. Also, I bought an inversion table. A friend of mine, who has the same disc problem I do, has been using one for years and she said it's a total lifesaver. I got it last week and I've started using it.

This is the one I bought.  It's the Teeter EP-960. I'll post more about it once I've been using it for a bit.

Other options are acupuncture or massage. The doctor also suggested chiropractic care; however, I tried that for the last two months with no luck. I had to cut the chiropractor loose last week. I was really disappointed it didn't work, since it's worked for me in the past.

I really want to get back to living my life as I was before, so I'm going to try the injections and the inversion table and see what happens. Maybe I'll be able to avoid surgery.

update #6: the war on back pain

Me again. Yes, I'm still having back pain. I'm back to tossing and turning in bed, having pain about 10 minutes after I sit down or stand in one place, and having to limit my workouts. I'm back to not wanting to sit and watch TV, read, or even sit here at the computer writing a blog post, which is why my posts are few and far between these days. I feel best when I'm moving or working out, but I can't do that 24/7; I need to work and sleep.

I went for the follow-up last week with the pain doctor's assistant. She looked pretty disappointed when I told her my pain is back to the level it was at before I had the first cortisone shot in December. I asked her if I should have the third and final round, or if I should opt for the disc decompression procedure. She said it's up to me.

My health insurance plan year runs out at the end of April, and since I've hit my deductible, it would be wise to do whatever I decide to do before April 30. Otherwise I'll have to pay much more out of pocket (I'm on an HSA).

Originally I had planned on another round of shots, but they didn't give me complete relief, and what little relief I got the second time around lasted about three weeks, which isn't all that much. And the limit for cortisone shots is three within nine months. If I have that third round now, then I won't be able to have them again until September; that's a long time.

So, my plan is to have a consultation with my orthopedic doctor on March 20 to talk about the decompression procedure. Once I find out about it, decide if I want to do it, and get a procedure date, I may go back for the third cortisone shot to get me through until the day of the procedure. Obviously, it depends on how long the gap is between the consultation and the procedure (assuming I opt for it). If it's a week or two, it doesn't make sense to get the shots, but if I have to wait longer then that then I'll get them.

life lately

Riley is no longer with us, but I thought I'd post his picture today since it was five years ago
this week that we adopted him. He passed away in late 2014, unfortunately.

I just realized it's been about three weeks since I posted last, so I'm posting now just to get something out there. It's just a bunch of random stuff, but it's something!

Naked Windows

I’m very happy to report that two windows in my house (out of 21) now have curtains! It’s only been more than three years since we moved in.

I struggle with curtains for some reason, and I guess interior decor in general. What complicates it is that I have an 18th century house and I’m trying to find things that would fit that time period; I don’t want modern. Also, I’ve had cats in the past that have ruined my curtains, so I eventually switched over to all blinds. That was fine in the other house, which was built in the 1920s, but I want something a little nicer now.

I decided on double rods in warm gold for every window, with decorative finials and curtain hold backs (left). For the curtains I will use a white sheer on the back rod and a shimmery solid royal blue panel on the front rod. Or another color depending on the color of the room. I’ll use one curtain hold back for each window so that the curtain will be held to one side. Even with using cheap curtains, it will still be about $120+ per window, so I’m going slow. The most expensive item is the double curtain rod, followed by the finials and then the hold back. Two down, 19 to go….



Eating

Eating has been...let's not go there. Well, I shouldn't say that. I can honestly say I've been eating only what I planned on eating for the past three days. I didn't dip into the pretzel bag at work, which is saying something. I'm always looking for a distraction at work because my back is almost always in pain while I'm there. Sitting at my desk is the worst. I have one of those Varidesks so I can stand occasionally, but standing bothers me, too. I can't escape it since I have to do my job. And I'm not rich yet, so I need to work. So that leaves me quite distracted from always being in pain, which makes me want to eat. *sigh*

Speaking of Back Pain...

Chiropractic isn't helping unfortunately, and the cortisone shots I had about five weeks ago have completely worn off. Not that I got much relief anyway, but now all the pain is back and it sucks. I go for a follow-up with the orthopedic doctor next week and I'm sure they will have me get one more round of shots. After that it's percutaneous disc decompression. At this point I would welcome that, because it seems as though it's my best shot at pain relief.

Working Out

Working out is going OK. I still work out four days a week on my own and one day with the trainer. I can't do quite as much as I was doing before the back pain set in last summer, but I'm working on it. It's hard to keep up the routine and motivate muyself, but I know I'll feel so much worse (my back) if I don't do it. I have to do it. Not only to keep myself moving and lessen the back pain, but to maintain my weight.

Other Stuff

We had to have some trees removed and others severely trimmed back, which was a nice hit to the bank account this week.

The weather has been very rainy and windy the last couple days. Our front yard flooded again, as usual. Luckily it doesn't come anywhere near the house, though.

I had to go to the dentist this morning to get a crown. Apparently I have a gap between my back teeth, which is creating a food trap that will eventually lead to decay. Fun stuff. Half my tongue and lips were numb for hours, as well as half my chin. That made eating lunch fun. Now my mouth and gums are irritated from all the work, and I have a headache.

In April I'll be going to the Catsbury Park Cat Convention.  I bought tickets for a VIP meet & greet with Teddy and Dexter. Don't judge...

I'm thinking of going to Cat Camp in May since Jackson Galaxy is hosting, but I'm not sure I'll make it. From the website:  "Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp is a celebration of cats that is rooted in advocacy. This feline-focused festival, which first took place in 2017, was created to bring cat lovers of all kinds together under one roof to meet their idols of the cat world, shop for every kind of cat merchandise imaginable, discuss how we can collectively do more to help our feline friends, and - most importantly - to have fun mingling with fellow cat aficionados!" Sounds like fun to me!

In May I'm headed out to Cleveland to see my favorite band, Def Leppard. My sister and I plan to visit a friend and also see the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

That's it for now. Have a great weekend!