Progress Report: Week 11

This week has been a hard one. I have had pretty bad low back pain; I'd say a 7-8 sometimes. It has been very frightening. I am feeling better today, but it's been hurting pretty bad since Saturday night. Of course all week I feared reherniation, but now I think I just overdid it last weekend. I spent hours out Saturday walking around, shopping, etc., and I think it was just too much for me. Then I ended up sitting in my car for 3 hours waiting for a tow-truck when I can usually only sit for about 30 minutes before the discomfort sets in. Then I ended up sitting at work for two 10 hour days in a row, and I think it was just a perfect storm. It just scared me that the pain was right over the disc, right under the surgery scar. But no new leg pain or weirdness, so I'm hoping that means all is A-OK. I hate that ever since this surgery, I constantly fear any new pain or twinge as a "possible reherniation." My surgeon told me he'd only seen one reherniation after thousands of microdiscectomies. Online I've read the figure to be as large as 20%. I would think that after such a large herniation, I wouldn't have that much disc to reherniate. Which could lead to a whole host of future problems but I am trying to not get too far ahead of myself. Still can not go up on my toes on my bad leg but had a breakthrough -- when up on my toes on that leg, I can hold my weight for a nanosecond. Until recently the foot would just immediately collapse. That is good I think. And the numbness gets slightly better each week. I am only slightly numb in my baby toe and along the side of my foot now. There was a time where I could step on something and not even feel it or know it, so this is good news.

Necessary Evil: Steroid Epidurals

After we realized how badly herniated my back was, the first thing suggested was that I have a steroid epidural. The hope is that these will reduce the inflammation in the back and sciatic nerve, therefore eliminating or reducing the pain and nerve issues like tingling and numbness. So hopefully if I had one (or two) of these, I wouldn't need surgery.

It is amazing to me how many of these things they dole out. (Watch a video of one here.) Mine was administered at a "surgery center," which was just a doctor's office where they wore scrubs. I was surprised they could do that there. This surgery center was next door to the awful rehab place that I went to, and was run just as horribly and with just as uninterested staff.

First of all, you can't eat or drink for many hours beforehand, presumably so that you won't barf everywhere. They told me no food or water after midnight, and my appointment was at 2 p.m. the next day. I made it to the appointment, and the waiting room was overcrowded, standing room only ... this didn't look good. Turns out they were "running late" ... 3.5 hours late. I didn't get my epidural until almost 6 p.m. I was starving! The nurses were in such a hurry that I immediately felt panicked about my care there. It didn't help that when I was called, a nurse in scrubs threw me a gown with a "here, hurry!" Oh great. This was going to be but another wonderful experience with these people.

I put on a gown, socks and a hairnet. It felt very strange for someone who had never had any medical problems, ever, and was a little scary. I felt like I was in a Lifetime movie--As the Epidural Turns. Sadly, my nurse didn't have time to deal with things like comforting me. I sat on a wheeled gurney and they quickly jammed a needle into my arm, with a "sedative." I was never knocked out for my epidural, in fact, I didn't really feel too different, just a little more relaxed. But I was awake and aware of everything, even if random things did start seeming funnier than usual. I met the guy who would be my doctor for the procedure. I think they crank these things out all day, to the tune of nearly $10K per injection. Nice.

When it was time they wheeled me into this room with a big operating table, huge screens and lights. I rolled onto the table onto my stomach, as they compared my MRI to what they saw on the x-ray screen. "My god," one of the doctors said loudly. "Look how big this herniation is! Can you even sit down? How do you work?" They had put a towel over my head by this point and strapped down my arms. "I can't work!" I said through the terrycloth. "What?" the doctor asked. "What did she say?" "I said, I can't work!" "What did she say?" "She says she's not working, doctor." "Oh."

While the pain was not excruciating, I was surprised that my back wasn't that deadened. I felt it, buddy. There was definitely discomfort, but compared to the pain I'd been feeling, it was bearable. What they do is put a small hollow needle down into the spine, between the discs (called the "epidural space") and then insert the injection needle into that. Dye injected in helps them see the herniation and they do the procedure with the aid of an x-ray. This first one was just inserted into my back right over the disc. It was surprisingly quick, less than five minutes. Then wheeled off to "recovery" for 30 minutes, which was annoying because I didn't feel I needed to "recover" for 30 minutes. I walked out and went and got dinner. Overall I felt fine, somewhat dull achy and sore in my lower back the rest of the night.

It took 4 to 5 weeks before I felt any significant relief from the pain and sciatica, which was disappointing. So about 4 weeks later I got a second one. This one was a caudal epidural, basically into the tail bone. This one hurt! But like I've said, at this point it didn't even matter how much these things hurt, I was already in so much pain there wasn't much else they could do to me it seemed. Again, not the miracle cure that I had hoped for, although from what I understand they do wonders to some with lesser herniations.

I knew that it is suggested that you only have three of these a year, but didn't hear too much about why. There are definitely side effects. I felt that these steroids messed my body up for a good three or so months. My periods went haywire almost immediately and stayed that way for months. I suppose there was a hormonal issue going on because I would get nauseated often and without warning. I started carrying ginger candy in my purse to help. My face was flushed for weeks.

The only good news is that I realized that epidurals are not really that big of a deal. No, they don't feel great, but they're nothing to fear (like I'd heard) either. They work for some people, just not me.

Progress Report: Week 10

Well, this week has been better pain-wise. I've made two changes this week. I began a healthier diet, eliminating most processed foods and upping the veggies tenfold. Not only to lose weight, which of course will help my healing and hopefully keep future problems at bay, but I've also read that some people believe that diet can affect back (and chronic) pain. When they eat worse (more junk food, processed foods, etc.) they have more pain. I have noticed my pain has lessened significantly. But also, and perhaps more importantly, I have knocked down my walking. I feel guilty and like I should be doing more. But I am working full-time and walking a ton around the campus there. The mile I was putting in around my hilly neighborhood seemed to be agitating my sciatica so I'm trying to not do that every day. You hear from the doctor that you should be up to 4-5 miles within weeks after surgery but I just don't see how that is possible for me. I will still try.

My Herniated Disc Experience

I had been having lower back pain for a while, on and off for about 3 years, ever since I hurt it while moving a heavy table at my job. You know, moving heavy furniture, what every communications employee is required to do, right? But that is another story. Back to my back.

The year 2008 was going to be IT -- the year I finally got into shape. I joined a gym, was going to a personal trainer, was working out with weights and going to aerobics several times a week. I started having a weird sensation occasionally along the back of my left hamstring -- the time I really remember noticing it the most was while reaching up to turn on a light in my boyfriend's apartment in April. It was this weird sensation, like a painful jolt running down the back of my leg. But it went away and I forgot about it. I'd sometimes feel it in aerobics class but after warming up it seemed to go away, so I figured it was a pulled hamstring or something. Come early June, I started having lower back pain, which luckily coincided with a vacation week home to visit family. I was in bed on a heating pad or ice most of that week and my back got somewhat better.

I went to my primary care doctor when I returned and told her about the back and the hamstring thing. She prescribed me vicodin and referred me to a physical therapy group. It was probably just a pulled muscle or something similar in my back.

Today I know that I should have pressed for x-rays, but I didn't know that then. But come on -- how is a physical therapist supposed to treat me for an undiagnosed ailment? Impossible, right?

Yes. Very much so. I continued with physical therapy for three months. The therapist was unconcerned about this jolt down the back of my thigh -- pulled hamstring, she said. And the back pain? Just a pulled back. They'd use ultrasound, electrostimulation and weight machines, but to no avail. My favorite technique was when she would put her elbow right over the L5-S1 and press in with her entire body's weight -- you know to "massage" that pulled muscle.

My left foot started going numb. My baby toe was staying numb 24/7. Oh that's OK, she said, it is just the pulled hamstring. Must be a nerve in there somewhere.

There was a nerve in there alright. My sciatic nerve, which was obviously irritated and should have at least prompted a "call your doctor" from her rather than another elbow massage. Idiot me went with it -- little did I realize that these were the hallmarks of a classic case of herniated disc.

Come September, I started having problems at work and during the day with my back. When I'd stand up after being seated, or get out of my car, it was as if I had to wait for a minute before I could straighten up. My foot was numb constantly by now. I started having this weird pain in and below my butt on the left side. Hamstring, right?

I went back to my primary care. Things aren't right here, I told her. She sent me for an x-ray and a referral to an orthopaedic. Of course they couldn't work me in for an appointment for several weeks.

My disc decided it didn't want to wait that long. One day I got ready for work and began the drive in. I got about a mile down the road before the pain from sitting was excruciating. It seemed to come out of nowhere, but of course now as I look back I can see how it had been steadily progressing.

The new doctor did the straight leg and push off test. I hadn't realized that I could no longer go up on my toes on my left side. Probably a bulging disc, she said, and put in for an MRI referral, which would take a full week thanks to my HMO Plan From Hell.

My pain got worse and worse. I could only stay in bed. I was off work for a week. Months earlier, I had caught two guys breaking into my car in the middle of the night, parked on the street in front of my apartment. One night while waiting for my MRI, I thought I heard people breaking into my car again. I was still asleep and not remembering that I was hurt, and I jumped up and ran to the window. Luckily, no one was breaking into my car. Unluckily, the jolt to my back was the final nail in my herniated disc's little herniated coffin.

When I woke up I couldn't walk. I could barely stand. I'd pull myself up by holding on to the dresser next to my bed, and would claw my way to the bathroom holding on to the wall. It was horrible, and very scary. When I'd stand up, it was the strangest feeling, hard to explain -- it was like I could not move my leg, but I'd tell my leg, "MOVE!" and then after a delay it'd move. It was the strangest thing I'd ever experienced.

All I knew was, this was bad. Very bad.

By this point I was ready to go to the hospital. At least three times over the long week I had to wait before I could get an MRI, I had put my shoes on and gotten my purse and was about to get my boyfriend to take me to the ER. What kept me from going was the fact that I couldn't sit to sit in the waiting room for 12 hours, but also the fact that I knew there was nothing they could do. They'd prescribe me painkillers (a future topic: the sheer volume of painkillers they give you) and send me home to wait there for a week. Personally I think it's disgraceful that I had to wait weeks at a time to get to the doctors, x-rays, MRIs -- but that is another story alltogether about the evilness of HMOs.

Finally I got my MRI. Turns out my L5-S1 disc had a "massive" herniation ("pulled back" or "disc bulge" my ass!) They told me that a large herniation was one that was 9 to 10 mm. Mine was 15 mm.

So now what? I didn't need surgery. Only whiny wimps do that. I was going to heal my back myself. Through nutrition and alternative therapies. Hell, throw a couple of steroid epidurals in there too while you're at it. I guess you know how that went by the title of this blog.

Progress Report: Week 9

This started my third week back at the office. Not bad. I have noticed that I am already backsliding into slouching at my desk and not getting up to walk around as much as I should. I have a little Outlook reminder pop up every half hour reminding me to GET UP.

Last week I started physical therapy and got a little too gung ho and upped my walking. As a result I've had sciatic pain in my left leg and under my butt as well as some pain in the lower right of my back (my good side). I've also had some new back pain which has moved up above my lower back.

I have to say though that none of this pain is major, somewhere between a 3 and 4, and it comes and goes. I am also very tight in my lower back, calves and hamstrings, especially on the left side. I suspect this might have to do with upping my walking mileage. I have added nearly a mile a day in the last week and I'm sure that didn't help things. I was up to a little over 2 miles/day at 7 weeks, but then returned to work and only walked about a mile around campus and nothing at home for a week and a half. Then last week I added this extra walking and as a result have had a little more pain. I ice my back every evening when I come home and hopefully that is helping.

Welcome

When I was deciding whether or not to undergo a microdiscectomy/laminectomy, I googled a lot. Much of the material I found was clinical and a little boring, and the personal accounts weren't the most helpful. Either they blogged a little about their surgery then never updated (Did the operation kill them? Did they ever recover?) or they went online to complain about how it didn't work. I wanted the facts of course, but surely a surgery with such a high success rate couldn't have just bad outcomes. Right?

This is why I decided to start this blog -- to document my recovery after my surgery for myself, as well as to provide some new material for those googling the procedure. I anticipate my story to be a very positive one.