Gimme that shot please!

I go to the back doctor on Tuesday to discuss how my new back meds are working and what are the next steps which are sure to involve more needles. A few years ago I would never have asked for a needle. I still can't look at them. But I am becoming an avid fan of needles full of cortisone for my back pain. They have proved very helpful.

But of course, just as I am starting to appreciate them, there is a new study which doubts their efficacy. (Damn these medical studies.) I think (as my little chemo brain dissects the article) that the problem is people come in with tennis elbow and other injury/overuse type issues and get a cortisone shot. Yes they get instant relief but then they also are prone to reinjury. This is opposed to waiting and taking it easy for 6 to 12 months. Well this makes sense.

If you are forced to change the way you do things to let something heal, you are reducing the risk of reinjury because it gets time to heal and you are changing your habits. If you just get a shot and it feels better, and you are not forced to modify your habits and take it easy, it would seem logical that you would repeat whatever you did and reinjure yourself.

But with my back I think its different (they could not be talking about me in that article) because my back is just piling on the pain and we are trying to ease the pain in specific areas so I can do things like sit, stand, walk, or lie down or reach for things or roll over in bed or cook dinner or bend down to feed the cat etc.

Needless to say, I will go talk to my doctor about more needles that I don't have to look at because he puts them in my back where I can't see.

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Sometimes I need to ignore what they say

Next Tuesday I have an appointment with my pain doctor. I have been hoping he will deem me okay for another cortisone injection in my left hip - so I can walk with less pain. I have already had numerous injections in different areas. Sometimes just one injection works but other times it takes 2 or 3 in a specific area. If they don't work, we get to move on to the wonderful radiofrequency denervation which is NOT fun but is supposed to kill nerves. I have mixed feelings on this so far but I like the cortisone injections. They have done well for me so far.

Then they come up with the theory that cortisone injections aren't as good as they thought they were - they have only been used since the 1940's so you think they would have had long enough to figure this out so far.

I was concerned when I read the article headline that they might make things worse, not better. Then I decided that this is not meant for people like me - they are referring to injury caused inflammation like tennis elbow where the injury will heal up if left to itself. My case is different. My pain causes are not injuries that might heal. They are unhappy nerves being squished some place along the way because the degenerating disks in my spine are no longer holding up their share causing squishing of nerves (another technical term). So obviously they aren't talking about me so I will happily go beg for an injection next week.

Three additional comments on my back pain: With each treatment, they are hoping to resolve the pain in that area for at least a year so they don't have to go back and treat it again. Sometimes it takes two or three treatments to get it to a level where it is stable for a year or more.

Also, when each area is treated, they need to wait six weeks to see the result and let the area recover from the injection and see if it has the expected result or needs additional treatment.

Finally, as each area is treated, more areas of pain seem to surface. So I am supplying a never ending source of pain to be treated. How lovely.

Now gimme the damn shot!

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I am not alone in this pain business

But first color me appalled about pink tire caps! Yes the little caps on your tire valves are available in pink from Tirecraft.

Apparently 76 million Americans live in chronic pain. The word chronic means its not going way anytime soon. While its nice to know I am not alone, I find the results of the survey interesting.
- 48 percent of respondents don't believe that proper treatment can ease chronic pain. - Did they even talk to their doctor? My husband always says to me that the doctor can never fix his sore shoulder, etc. But then he goes to the doctor, tells him about it, and they send him for PT and voila he is fine.
- 41 percent believe pain is a normal part of aging, and 10 percent simply ignore the pain. - I'm all for ignoring pain as long as possible
- 36 percent would refuse doctor-recommended or doctor-prescribed pain medication for fear of becoming addicted. - Um, its not like you are a street junkie if you are taking your prescribed medication. If you have concerns about becoming addicted, talk to your doctor. They will help you with your concerns.
- 34 percent believe pain medications that cause side effects are worse than pain itself. - I hear this one a lot. I know people like this. Its stupid. Take the damn medication. If it doesn't work for you or if you have the side effects, you can switch to another pill.
-31 percent would not speak to a doctor about their pain for fear they could not afford treatment. - Well if you have financial issues, talk to your doctor. The first steps I was given was PT. You can learn exercises that might help you and then do them for free. Tell your doctor you can't afford a lot and see what they can suggest that is free.
- Only 18 percent would speak to a specialist if they were suffering chronic pain. - Why? Is the magic genie going to grant you three wishes to relieve your pain? What's wrong with a specialist? I see lots of specialists.

A medical doctor is a human being. They don't want you to be in pain. They will help you as much as they can. But since most do not have ESP you need to talk to them about your concerns. Don't live in pain.

Additional note: In response to a comment below, I want to add that if someone is willing to live with their pain that is one issue. But if the pain interferes with their daily life and they are stuck on one of the reasons above, that is not a good reason to live with it. But if you talk to your doctor and they tell you what your options are, it is your choice to follow them or ignore them.

Crap, am I making sense?

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This will be an adventure

Last night we had a family dinner and went to a restaurant where we sat in a big wooden booth. My back did not like that. I was in a lot of pain when we left.

Today, can I take it easy? No. A town fair and I am organizing a booth. I will be there this morning and again this afternoon. Then a surprise birthday party this evening. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. I'll bring my pain drugs with me all day.

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Paying the price

Today I am paying the price. Yesterday I had fun. I got together with a college friend. She runs half marathons and I don't so she is probably in better shape than I but that, of course, didn't stop me. I went to visit her yesterday. She went for a run before I got there so she should have been tired.

We hung out on the rocks behind her house on the lake. Then we went for a little hike - 3-4 miles through the woods and got caught up on marriages and old friends. After a brief shopping stop, we decided to cool off by floating around her lake on tubes. After successfully flipping from my back to my stomach on the tube and staying dry, I was over confident and assumed I could handle tubing. I erroneously attempted to navigate off the tube and onto the rocks. On my first try, I stayed mostly on the tube but did not get onto the rocks. But of course did not stay on the tube and ended up in the lake with the tube upside down over my head. I did make it on to the rocks eventually but my tube floated away - but conveniently floated over to the beach which was our final destination.

I swam ashore after my tube. Upon successfully retrieving it, I attempted to sit on it while standing in water less than a foot deep. I ended up in the water with the tube floating away - again. I retrieved it. My friend got to laugh at me twice in one day.

I do admit to being tired after all that but decided I should just drive home. By the time I got home, I was wiped out and spent the evening sitting - this meant my husband cooked dinner and cleaned up. I didn't sleep well again last night. Today so far, my back hurts. I am exhausted. I don't have many plans for the day. In fact, my plans include the living room couch, the DVR, and my laptop. I think we will go for a walk as well but it won't be very long.

I think my blog is boring lately. I was going to write something more profound, scintillating maybe, intellectual possibly, or just plain interesting but am too tired. I need to rest up for my doctor appointment tomorrow morning.

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