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 painkiller to be taken before bedtime. I took the first pill last night, and I finally was able to sleep. Though I still woke up several times during the night, I at least was able to go back to sleep. I didn't sit here crying for hours in the dark.

This morning I'm feeling more rested. I'm thinking about things I can get done today, like cleaning the bathroom, which is in dire need of a good cleaning. I'm thinking about getting outside and starting some yard clean up. For nearly four weeks, all my thoughts were consumed by this pain. I just wanted to make it from one moment to the next. Now, with the pain being minimized, my thoughts can turn to other things.

When I was in the car yesterday, looking out the passenger window on the way to the appointment and then on the way home, I marveled at all the flowers blooming, the trees leafing out. Sitting in the house for four weeks, not being able to get out like I was so used to doing, I was missing spring coming to life. 

So much I just never give a second thought. The age-old idea of taking things for granted. I don't want to be like that anymore. Perhaps that is the lesson this experience is trying to teach me, a lesson that is more important now than ever before.

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