Pain, pain, go away....

I learned something last week. Xanax takes a long time to hit me, but when it does....WHAM! I'm out cold.

I had a few moments of nearly hyperventilating in the MRI, so I knew it hadn't really hit me yet. When I got home, I felt woozy, so I went to bed. Five hours later, my mother is standing over me, saying something about "Who is picking up Daughter from school?" I was so addled, I picked up my phone to text my answer to her!

She picked up Daughter from school.

My birthday was lovely. I got many books about things I love. I got movie bucks from Daughter, which means she wants to go with me to see "The Time Traveler's Wife." And I got Star Wars toys and a stuffed Yoda. How cool is that?

Monday, I traipsed off to get my MRI results and finally meet my doctor. He looks like he still needs to go out for recess, a juice box, and a nap on a towel. Wait....that doesn't sound half bad, anyhow.....

I had to wait an hour and a half. My back was absolutely killing me! But the computers were down and he couldn't get to the dictation from his PA. Finally, he showed me the MRI.

I actually have three discs that are degenerating. Yep, I'm officially a degenerate. They are the lowest three in your spine. The lowest is significantly gone. The one up from that is barely there and is the source of most of the pain. It has some bone-on-bone action. And the one above that still has good space to it, but also shows a small break in it.

So, the vertebrae and facet joints are banging against each other. The only surgery that can help that is one to fuse the vertebrae together. "But you're to young for me to want to do that," he said.

The child doctor said I was too young. That made me about giddy. Bless him.

So today I start facet joint injections. I take another Xanax (earlier this time), and they put me under an x-ray to guide the needle between the bones. A local anesthetic is involved. Thank God. I remember doing trigger point injections, which can't use an anesthetic. "Ouch" doesn't begin to cover it.

The injections are a combination of anti-inflammatory and pain medication. I'm nervous, but I'm very anxious for relief, too. If these don't help, or stop helping, then it's to the operating room for me.

Oh! And my boss approved a fancy new chair for me! My chair of two years started making holes in the carpet, so they traded it for one that wants to flip me over backwards. And not in a good way. So, I get a new chair with lovely lumbar support.

My, the things that make me happy these days.....