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At the Mercy of the Healthcare System

Still no word on when the MRI will be scheduled, which is disappointing. I was told I would have news within 48 hours of my appointment with the neurology doctor, but here I am, nearly two weeks later with no news at all. I called the office last Tuesday and left a message, asking if an appointment had been set. No call back. I called the office again last Wednesday, asking again if an appointment had been set. No call back. I called again yesterday, letting the office know I was thoroughly disgusted at the lack of communication on their end, and lo and behold, two hours later I get a call saying they are still talking to the insurance company about getting the okay for the MRI. The woman I was speaking to said I should have a call by Wednesday, tomorrow, with information about the MRI appointment. I'm not holding my breath. Meanwhile, I am still experiencing excruciating pain in my hip, thigh, groin, and knee. I sleep about two hours at a time during the night, with an hour or two...
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Small Goals

No word today about the MRI, but I figured it'd be another day or so before I'll get a call. I truly hope that call comes sooner rather than later. This pain is close to sending me over the edge. While the new nerve blocking pain meds do work, they only do so much. I still have a lot of pain in my knee and shin, and anything that touches the skin in this area sends me into orbit. This evening I have a new pain in my lower shin area, close to my ankle. It's just throbbing.  I was able to walk around the block twice today, so there's that. The first time, when I got back and sank into my chair it was like I had worked out hard. I was done. The second time, my hip started talking to me big time and it was all I could do to finish the walk. A month ago I was walking 3-5 miles a day. Now I'm reduced to a block. I am so bummed. I'm really trying to stay positive, but I don't know how when I can't do much of anything and the pain is just always there. Each morn...
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Spring is Happening and I'm Missing It

Saw the DO yesterday. Left the appointment with some hope. For nearly four weeks I've lived with incredible pain in my right leg. The pain grips my thigh, knee, and upper shin, like my leg is in a vice that is tightening and not letting up. For nearly four weeks, I've sat in this recliner, crying through the night because of the pain. Exhaustion on top of pain is not sustainable. The DO asked me to go through what I've been experiencing. When I finished, she shook her head, saying the ER went down the wrong path, that the issue is not the compression fracture; it is a nerve issue. Most likely a herniated disc, which wouldn't have shown up on a CT scan. She seemed irritated that they didn't do an MRI right there given the amount of pain I was in at that moment in the ER. I said it was pretty obvious they didn't believe me when I tried to explain the pain.  The DO ordered an MRI, which I hope to get done early next week. She also prescribed a nerve-blocking painki...
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Hanging On By A Thread

Three weeks into this compression fracture of my L2, I'm seeing some improvement with mobility, less pain overall, but a very short patience fuse. Three weeks of too much sitting, not enough sleep, and constant pain is a recipe for disaster. I'm trying to be mindful of what the dogs need, but there have been moments when all I can do is sit here and cry because I know I'm not giving them my best me. Not even close. But I don't know how to give them the best me when I can't move like I used to, when I am in pain all the time, and when I'm exhausted. I'm just trying to make it from one moment to the next. When I was in the ER, I tried to convey just how much pain I was in, but I'm not convinced the nurse practitioner or the nurse believed me. The nurse practitioner offered morphine, which I probably should have taken, but me being me, I figured there was an alternative that wasn't so drastic. I was given Norco while there, but it didn't seem to do ...
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Picking My Battles

I finally caved and started using the pain meds. I simply couldn't get any relief from the constant pain running along my groin, thigh, and knee. Changing sitting position doesn't help. Standing and walking only aggravates things. Laying down is out of the question. And at night, the pain intensifies, which I learned is a thing. For the last three nights, I've sat here and cried for hours because of the pain. I am exhausted. The pain meds have offered some relief as well as the ability to sleep a little. Ten days into this situation I'm wondering just how long it's going to take to heal. My doctor said 8-12 weeks. That seems like a really long time, but all I can do is take it day by day. I'm learning I need to pick my battles -- the dishes can pile up in the sink, the floors can be covered in dog hair, the dogs can sit in the fenced yard instead of going for a walk. These things will be taken care of sooner or later, definitely later, and in the meantime life w...
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Life in the Slow Lane

Today is a better day than yesterday. And yesterday was better than the day before it. I guess that's all I can ask for. Last Thursday evening, I experienced pain like I've never experienced before, even when going through natural childbirth and having a 10 pounds 9 ounces baby. That was difficult. Last Thursday was impossible. No matter what I tried to do, the pain gripped my hip and leg, squeezing like a vice. At one point I wondered if I had broken my hip. What made the whole situation worse was the doctor and the nurse not fully understanding how much pain I was in. Even after being given a pain med, which I was lectured was very easy to become addicted to, the pain didn't ease. Not one bit. If anything, the pain worsened. I was sobbing, truly sobbing, yet the doc and nurse kept insisting it was sciatica. I knew it wasn't. The CT scan proved me right. Today, the pain is manageable. Ibuprofen and a heating pad across my lower back eases the pain significantly while I...
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Life Has Thrown Me a Lemon

Life has a way of knocking you down. Last Monday I woke up with a bit more hip pain than usual. I've had hip pain in my right hip for years and always just chalked it up to arthritis. I've been active my entire life, so having hip pain was just a part of the walking, the running, and the cycling. But Monday morning made me think something else was going on. Tuesday the pain was worse. Wednesday even worse. And Thursday the pain was to the point that I couldn't stand, walk, sit, or lay down. The pain was excruciating. To the point of crying.  I ended up at the ER. I didn't want to go. I wanted to wait until morning to go to prompt care. But the pain was the worst I have ever experienced in my life. Even going through a natural birth to a nine pounds, ten ounces baby boy was cake compared to the pain I was experiencing Thursday night. The ER doc initially said sciatica. I said nope. I used to have sciatica and know what it feels like. This was not sciatica. So he ordered ...
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