The first couple of weeks of December I was experiencing lower back pain on my left side. Odd I thought. I've never had problems on that side before. What in the world is going on? I finally made an appointment and ended up seeing someone new to me. She was the only person in my medical group who had an open appointment.
As it turned out her specialty is orthopedics. She also has had personal experience with back pain, having suffered a broken neck as the result of a car accident. She is back to work and doing fine. It has always been my good fortune, with few exceptions, to accidentally find the most qualified people for whatever medical problem I have had. As an example my surgeons have been the very best in their field. I didn't seek them, they found me, or someone did.
Perhaps I have an over the top guardian angel guiding me in the right direction. I have also often felt like a Guinea pig, experiencing things so I can share what happens with others.I don't mind as long as I can recover in reasonably good shape!
Now back to my latest medical problem and my current find, Tammy my CNP. The back pain pretty much stopped over the weekend. I had gone back to lower back exercises and tried to remember not to sit so much. I had a spinal CT last Friday and was informed of the results this morning. I have what is called canal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, causing pressure on the sciatic nerve. I also have a bulging disk between the L 3 and L 4 vertebra. Sounds impressive huh?
I was told during my appointment last week that sometimes when a person has a hip replacement (mine was on the right side) it can cause the other side of the body to overwork. Possibly that is what has happened in my case.
For now we are going to approach the problem with physical therapy, concentrating on stretching. Tammy also wants me to have a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon in the near future.
Now that I have a name for the pain I was having it somehow makes it more acceptable. At least I know it isn't all in my head!
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I, too, have found that having a name on something seems to make it easier to deal with. It somehow legitimizes what I'm feeling. With that in mind, I also know that I struggle with being enough, being good enough, being "legitimate" enough in my own head to justify the air I breathe. So instead of knowing in my own mind that what I have, or feel, is legitimate, I look to someone else (in the case of my physical well-being, a doctor) to legitimize what I'm feeling in order to make it real to me.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you’re getting some help for the pain in your back. I hope the PT and stretching helps!
Happy holidays, Barbara!
As you always say Lois- onward and upward. Happy 2017!
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