Sigh. In 2009, I herniated a disk in my lumbar spine. In 2013, I now have herniated a disk in my thoracic spine. Last week, my mid back felt a little sore, like I tweaked a muscle. I took some ibuprofen and that was about it. It seemed to get better and then yesterday (Thursday) morning, it felt like I tweaked it again. I went upstairs and rode the bike trainer and as I was riding, I noticed my back was hurting more. Then for the rest of the day it got steadily worse with spasms and grabbing pain. You know that sudden grab that locks up your core and makes you gasp? That kind of pain. And if you have never experienced that – I hope you never do. It’s awful.
I took some Aleve and a muscle relaxer last night. Boy howdy did the relaxer knock me out. Totally knocked me out. We started to watch the football game last night and I don’t think I made it through 2 possessions and I was falling asleep. Went up to bed and slept for 9.5 hours. Can you believe that?
I started out okay in the morning, but then the grabbing spasms started happening again. I couldn’t even lift up a gallon of milk without triggering them. I was pretty miserable and it just kept getting worse. I was trying to take a shower and kept saying “ow” among other things. I was almost in tears, too. John must have heard me because he came up to ask me if I was okay. I am glad he came in because I had trouble getting out of the shower and then the pain got so bad I was lightheaded and felt like I was going to pass out. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I was very pale. Kind of scary.
John called the doctor and got me an appointment to go in. I am so glad they had an opening because I didn’t want to go to the urgent care. I have a herniated disk at T11/12 this time.
So, conservative treatment now of pain meds, antiinflammatories, muscle relaxers, gentle exercise and stretching to start. I have a script for PT, which I will fill (or not since it isn’t covered by my insurance) if I don’t start feeling better in a week.
I have my Norco now and as of the writing of this entry, the pain is down to a dull roar and the grabbing spasms are rare. That is enough for me right now so that I don’t have to be paranoid about every move I make. The Norco is making me a little lightheaded and kind of groggy, but reducing the pain is such a f***ing relief that I will put up with that.
As I said on Facebook, I am just thankful this wasn’t lower down and giving me the sciatic pain on top of this pain. Need to be thankful for the small things. I will need to be chauffeured around this weekend since I will be doped up. Good excuse to get extra pampering, right?
I am so, so sorry. As a person who deals with back issues I know just how awful this kind of pain can be. I hope John is able to pamper you as needed so you can really rest and be careful!
Yes, John is very good to me.
I’m so sorry 🙁 I hope you feel better soon.
That kind of back pain is scary bad, and I’m so sorry this is happening to you again. I hope you feel *much* better over the coming week. Crank up the heat & stay warm!
Oh my gosh Lori. I just saw your note on Facebook, so came over here to see if there were more details. Did they have any idea why you would have this happen in two different areas of your back?
Keep up with the pain meds for a while, and yes. Take all the pampering you can get. And an eggnog latte :))
No idea. Apparently if you were to do an MRI on the population, more than half would have herniated disks in the upper and mid back. You just normally don’t feel symptoms. Why I have the symptoms is probably just due to luck 🙂
P.S. I didn’t really mean to make that little face that seems to be laughing uproariously… just a nice little smile would have been more appropriate.
OH – no!!! So sorry that you have been dealing with so much pain!! I hope that you feel much better soon and don’t have to go through PT not covered by insurance.
I’m so happy that you met your biking goal before this happened!!!
I hope you have a relaxing weekend on tap to try and heal.
I just hate that this has happened to you again. 🙁
You and me both.
So Sorry. I know how painful this injury is. I did the same thing in ’96, and I never want to experience it again. Take care of yourself and also let John and Pixie take care of you.
I know – once was bad enough and now twice. However, no sciatica this time around, which I am grateful for.
OH NO Lori!!!!!!!!!!!! So sorry!!!! HUGE HUGS!
I’m really sorry you’re having to deal with pain. It’s no fun. Do you know what caused it? It seems on several blogs I read people are nursing injuries, including myself. I sprained my ankle a week ago while I was out running (slipped on a tree nut and fell hard, jarred my back too) and it’s doing better, but it’s so annoying not to be able to easily go up and down steps and stuff. I hope you’re feeling better soon!
Ughhhh, I am truly sorry to hear this. Here’s hoping for relief soon!
So sorry this is happening to you again. I am so glad John is there to help you. Sending healing thoughts!
Oh no. 🙁 I hope you heal quickly.
So sorry, Lori! Since I am a day or two behind reading this, I am hoping there has been some improvement!
That sucks, Lori! I hope the pain goes away asap and it doesn’t take an inordinate time to heal.
In my 20’s I got such a bad case of back spasms that my sister had to call an ambulance because I couldn’t have ridden in a normal car. The doctor injected the muscle relaxant to my glute muscle. That resolved the problem pretty fast.
I just don’t understand why doctors don’t do that more often – it would save lots of pain and suffering for the patient. I was lucky though, I think my problem was caused by muscle, not a herniated disk.
That sounds excruciating!! I hope you heal fast!
Read about it on FB and we had some email contact about this but it sucks that this happened to you again. I keep my fingers crossed and sent positive vibes your way for a speedy recovery.