This isn't the first post ever about this stupid neck of mine. I'm so tired of always being in pain. I was told three years ago that if I began a pain management treatment plan, that 20 years from now (or "then" I guess), when I would really need the medication, it wouldn't work. So I opted out at that point in time. Since then, I have seen too many physical therapists, a neurologist, a neurosurgeon, a rheumatologist, along with several different chiropractors.
Last year, a friend of mine referred me to Precision Health Group in Bridgeton. I am extremely thankful to have finally found a REALLY good "chiropractor" that has managed to keep me out of the ER for the last year, and away from pain management. They aren't your typical chiropractors and I have actually had several pain-free days, which is a HUGE difference from the preceding three years.
This morning though, I woke up in excruciating pain and unable to move my head. I called my chiro right away, knowing he could "fix" me. My appointment wasn't until 1, so it was a LONG and painful wait. But the time finally arrived and off to my appointment I went.
As soon as I walked in the door, he saw me and said:
"You're not moving your neck."
I said:
"I know."
Then he said:
"What did you do?"
My response?
"I got out of bed this morning."
He said something that I couldn't quite hear; something about disc d-something or other. I told him that I was in a LOT of pain and he said I would be that way for the next 2-8 days. Um...excuse me? You've always fixed me. Every time. Sometimes even leaving bruises, but the "therapy" works. It is extremely effective. What did he mean it would be 2-8 days of excruciating pain? I'm so used to walking out of there feeling better that it never occurred to me that I would have a physical problem that he couldn't fix.
Slightly off topic (with regards to my appointment)...
See this picture of a healthy spine?
See how the spine on the right shows the curves? My ENTIRE spine has NO curve. At. All. Several x-rays have confirmed this. Where there is supposed to be curves, my body did not get the message. Oh, I have curves; they're just on the OUTSIDE ;-), not in my spine where they belong.
To my knowledge (as of 3 years ago), I have two bulging discs on the left side of my neck. I believe that there are more in my lower back as well, but haven't had an MRI yet to confirm that. I may even have more in my neck at this point in time.
So...back to the appointment...
I get back in the room and when the doctor comes in, he tells me that when I wake up like that, unable to move my neck (for no apparent reason), it is called Internal Disc Derangement. Great...not only is my mind deranged; now my body is too? He explained that it is very likely that there is a tear in one of the discs in my neck. As it is never exposed to blood, when there is a tear, the blood touches it and causes extreme pain and limits mobility.
So this led me to ask "So, is there anything you can do?"
He explained that yes, he could give me a little bit of relief, but it would only last about ten minutes. Literally. He explained that it would take 2-8 days to heal the tear. So I asked him if there was ANYTHING I could do to make it better, besides going to the ER for (at the very least) 2-3 hours of relief with pain medication through an IV. He said I could do that OR I could have a couple of drinks. He explained that it would essentially have the same effect as muscle relaxers. Well, I can't very well spend the next 2-8 days drinking, now can I?
I called Kris at work and we talked about it. Then he came and picked me up; then he drove me to the ER. I love MoBap. I have never had a bad ER experience there, with myself or the kids. Today was no exception. I had to wait about 45 minutes, which is a fairly short amount of time where most ERs are concerned, before they started an IV and gave me a good dose of Dilaudid. That is one of the things I love the most about this hospital. They put you through the triage process and then as soon as they can, if it is warranted, they give you pain meds to offer you relief while you wait for a room to clear up and to eventually be seen by a doctor. While the Dilaudid didn't completely relieve me of all pain, it did cut my 9 on the pain scale down to a 7 in short order.
Once I got in the room, a nurse came in. Then, a little while later, the chief of medicine came in. I explained to him what had happened and gave him a brief summary of my medical history. He said that he couldn't really "fix" anything (which I didn't expect anyway), but that he would definitely help me with the pain and also refer me to a neck/back specialist. I didn't even realize there was such a doctor. Why haven't I known about this before now????
So, when all was said and done, before removing my IV, they gave me some Toridol. I was discharged with a prescription for a muscle relaxer, pain killer, and oddly enough, a steroid. He explained that he couldn't be sure if a disc had ruptured or if it was just inflammation, but he wanted to treat the inflammation with the steroid for a few days.
Looking at my discharge papers, I fully expected to see what I usually see.
Diagnosis: Muscle Spasms
Which we all know is short for "there is nothing wrong with this person; they just want meds."
But this time, the "diagnosis" was Degenerative Disc Disease. I know that isn't an official diagnosis, but I won't be surprised if, after meeting with the neck/back specialist, they don't wind up diagnosing me with that. The doctor at the ER said that I needed to get another MRI done on my neck, since it has been three years and there could be more going on now than there was then. So, I have to call the new doctor tomorrow.
In the meantime, I am to spend the next two days doing NOTHING but taking medicine and resting (which is NOT going to be easy for me). Kris and Cindy are coordinating everything with the kids and school. If the disc(s) isn't ruptured, I certainly don't want it to become that way. My understanding is that once a disc goes from "bulging" to "herniated", surgery is almost always necessary. And I DO NOT want to go through neck surgery, especially at this age.
So that was my day, in one boring nutshell of a blog post. Sorry there isn't anything witty or deeply spiritual today. I write whatever is in my head at the time. And you are stuck with this today.
Last year, a friend of mine referred me to Precision Health Group in Bridgeton. I am extremely thankful to have finally found a REALLY good "chiropractor" that has managed to keep me out of the ER for the last year, and away from pain management. They aren't your typical chiropractors and I have actually had several pain-free days, which is a HUGE difference from the preceding three years.
This morning though, I woke up in excruciating pain and unable to move my head. I called my chiro right away, knowing he could "fix" me. My appointment wasn't until 1, so it was a LONG and painful wait. But the time finally arrived and off to my appointment I went.
As soon as I walked in the door, he saw me and said:
"You're not moving your neck."
I said:
"I know."
Then he said:
"What did you do?"
My response?
"I got out of bed this morning."
He said something that I couldn't quite hear; something about disc d-something or other. I told him that I was in a LOT of pain and he said I would be that way for the next 2-8 days. Um...excuse me? You've always fixed me. Every time. Sometimes even leaving bruises, but the "therapy" works. It is extremely effective. What did he mean it would be 2-8 days of excruciating pain? I'm so used to walking out of there feeling better that it never occurred to me that I would have a physical problem that he couldn't fix.
Slightly off topic (with regards to my appointment)...
See this picture of a healthy spine?
See how the spine on the right shows the curves? My ENTIRE spine has NO curve. At. All. Several x-rays have confirmed this. Where there is supposed to be curves, my body did not get the message. Oh, I have curves; they're just on the OUTSIDE ;-), not in my spine where they belong.
To my knowledge (as of 3 years ago), I have two bulging discs on the left side of my neck. I believe that there are more in my lower back as well, but haven't had an MRI yet to confirm that. I may even have more in my neck at this point in time.
So...back to the appointment...
I get back in the room and when the doctor comes in, he tells me that when I wake up like that, unable to move my neck (for no apparent reason), it is called Internal Disc Derangement. Great...not only is my mind deranged; now my body is too? He explained that it is very likely that there is a tear in one of the discs in my neck. As it is never exposed to blood, when there is a tear, the blood touches it and causes extreme pain and limits mobility.
So this led me to ask "So, is there anything you can do?"
He explained that yes, he could give me a little bit of relief, but it would only last about ten minutes. Literally. He explained that it would take 2-8 days to heal the tear. So I asked him if there was ANYTHING I could do to make it better, besides going to the ER for (at the very least) 2-3 hours of relief with pain medication through an IV. He said I could do that OR I could have a couple of drinks. He explained that it would essentially have the same effect as muscle relaxers. Well, I can't very well spend the next 2-8 days drinking, now can I?
I called Kris at work and we talked about it. Then he came and picked me up; then he drove me to the ER. I love MoBap. I have never had a bad ER experience there, with myself or the kids. Today was no exception. I had to wait about 45 minutes, which is a fairly short amount of time where most ERs are concerned, before they started an IV and gave me a good dose of Dilaudid. That is one of the things I love the most about this hospital. They put you through the triage process and then as soon as they can, if it is warranted, they give you pain meds to offer you relief while you wait for a room to clear up and to eventually be seen by a doctor. While the Dilaudid didn't completely relieve me of all pain, it did cut my 9 on the pain scale down to a 7 in short order.
Once I got in the room, a nurse came in. Then, a little while later, the chief of medicine came in. I explained to him what had happened and gave him a brief summary of my medical history. He said that he couldn't really "fix" anything (which I didn't expect anyway), but that he would definitely help me with the pain and also refer me to a neck/back specialist. I didn't even realize there was such a doctor. Why haven't I known about this before now????
So, when all was said and done, before removing my IV, they gave me some Toridol. I was discharged with a prescription for a muscle relaxer, pain killer, and oddly enough, a steroid. He explained that he couldn't be sure if a disc had ruptured or if it was just inflammation, but he wanted to treat the inflammation with the steroid for a few days.
Looking at my discharge papers, I fully expected to see what I usually see.
Diagnosis: Muscle Spasms
Which we all know is short for "there is nothing wrong with this person; they just want meds."
But this time, the "diagnosis" was Degenerative Disc Disease. I know that isn't an official diagnosis, but I won't be surprised if, after meeting with the neck/back specialist, they don't wind up diagnosing me with that. The doctor at the ER said that I needed to get another MRI done on my neck, since it has been three years and there could be more going on now than there was then. So, I have to call the new doctor tomorrow.
In the meantime, I am to spend the next two days doing NOTHING but taking medicine and resting (which is NOT going to be easy for me). Kris and Cindy are coordinating everything with the kids and school. If the disc(s) isn't ruptured, I certainly don't want it to become that way. My understanding is that once a disc goes from "bulging" to "herniated", surgery is almost always necessary. And I DO NOT want to go through neck surgery, especially at this age.
So that was my day, in one boring nutshell of a blog post. Sorry there isn't anything witty or deeply spiritual today. I write whatever is in my head at the time. And you are stuck with this today.
praying you get relief and hoping you can enjoy the time "off"!
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