The MRI Results are In

I finally got the results from the MRI. While it wasn't what I wanted to hear, at least I know what I'm dealing with and can now make decisions regarding activity, rest, medication.

This whole ordeal has really opened my eyes to our healthcare system. My past experiences have been few and far between, mostly just having kids and going through the usual kid illnesses. I've not had to use the healthcare services other than regular physicals, regular eye checks, and regular dental check-ups. My thoughts have always been work to take care of myself by being active and watching what I eat. I stopped drinking alcohol several years ago, but I was not much of a drinker to begin with. I never really liked the taste of alcohol, so what was the point of drinking? I've never smoked. I've never taken drugs. I thought I was doing everything I needed to do to remain healthy.

Then one morning in March I woke up to a nagging, sharp pain in my right thigh. I didn't think too much about it other than I must have overworked it somehow. The next morning the pain was worse. Two days later I couldn't walk on my right leg. The pain from my hip, through my groin, down my thigh to my shin was agonizing. I couldn't sit. I couldn't stand. I couldn't lay down. Never in my life have I felt the kind of pain I was experiencing that day in March.

I was told it was sciatica. I refused to accept that. I pushed back until a CT scan was done. You have a compression fracture of the L2 vertebra, they said. See a neurologist, they said. It took three weeks to get in to see the neurologist because they didn't answer the phone and wouldn't return my calls. When I finally saw the neurologist she said it was a herniated disc, not the compression fracture causing all the pain. She wanted an MRI. It took another two weeks to get the MRI done. Then another two weeks to get the MRI results read. The MRI showed the herniated disc.

And nothing can be done for it.

If the pain doesn't subside in the next five or six weeks, I can consider surgery.

If I do the surgery, I can no longer train Sunny for trailing as all the jerking and pulling would negate any good the surgery might accomplish. 

If I do nothing I could potentially be in pain for the rest of my life. All activities I participate in will be limited by my pain tolerance. 

And I can have nothing to alleviate the pain other than Ibuprofen or Tylenol, both of which basically just take the edge off. The pain becomes a very dull ache. It's always there. Enough to interrupt my sleep. Enough to make doing anything uncomfortable. 

The effort it takes to do all the things I used to do without even thinking about it is tenfold. I have to pause, take deep breaths just to be able to continue on. I always feel like I'm coming off of being sick with the flu for two weeks. Tired after just a few minutes of activity. General weakness. 

All of this sucks.