Have You Had These?

I hurt my back some 15 years ago. I think I started feeling the pain from wearing heels. The pain in my back was initially diagnosed as DDD or Degenerative Disc Disease. I opted for just therapy and seemed to work but few more years later it progressed from DDD to Herniated Discs-L4-L5. The epidural I took in 2004 lasted until 2010. And my battle with back pain started since then.

In 2011, the pain became aggressive and unbearable. I would have sporadic pain all the way from my neck down to my toes. Going down the stairs was as painful going up. Pulling up the sheets felt like my muscles were being torn to tiny pieces and my joints were always burning (if that makes sense). Chronic was not my favorite word then, it is still not today.

The pain stayed with me for 2 years – x-rays after x-rays, blood testing and all and they could not tell me what’s wrong with me. All I got for the most part was that I was just getting old,  lol.

I was even diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2011, given meds I never took  (but you know what?  There was a prophetic healing Sunday at church last year, I was prayed over ) and this year when I had another check up, the doctor said “you don’t have fibromyalgia” after poking me and bending and stretching me and what not. Hallelujah!

I felt silly telling him I had that though,  but hey I was just going with what the previous doctors told me.

HURT AGAIN

July of last year, I hurt my back again cleaning the tub and took what seemed to be forever to get the treatment I wanted. Well I didn’t really know what I want except for the pain to go away and this is what I have been getting lately.

TEST #1 : SACROILIAC JOINT INJECTION

The procedure I have been going through is a test before the big procedure (which I will type later. Not explain because in my own words it sounds funny when I tell friends about it).  To isolate and determine where the pain is coming from aside from I got the first procedure and was injected pain blocker medicine to my sacroiliac joint.  Boy, did it hurt so bad!  But I felt better soon after,  although  there was still a bit of a lingering pain, and you have to have that pain to get to the next test. (Rocket Over to TEST #2)===>

TEST #2 :LUMBAR FACET INJECTION

This test was relatively easy. Not as painful as the first -just the initial poke was like ant bites and pressure all over lumbar area. It felt weird but yeah why wouldn’t it feel weird? Only three long needles poking you in the back!  Unlike the first test, my pain this time completely disappeared. I was able to wear my pants without laying in bed and I could finally bend and tie my shoe laces!

THE BIG EVENT:  :RADIOFREQUENCY  NERVE ABLATION 

I tell my friends, “they will burn my nerves” and they go “so you will be running trying to put out the fire screaming?”  Ha ha! The right term might be cauterize?  I dunno. *shrugs. I have yet to get  this procedure this Friday so I can’t say much about this. But if anyone of you have done this, you may share your experience with us.

Please pray for me on that day.It will be performed in the morning. I hope it takes care of my pain. Oh by the way, we are only doing the right side. Left side to follow soon as I am able to do the procedure all over again.

Thanks for reading and I would like  to hear your stories.

UPDATE:

So I went to have this procedure. The procedure was a bit longer than the first two. This time, the poking was more deliberate and it was what I call tickling the nerves. To make sure that they cauterize the right nerve, they poke around the nerve (or I think directly ) and that action would send signals to my legs making involuntary jerk movements. From what I recall, hitting the wrong nerve would mean jerk action in the leg. Poking the right nerve mean the nerve/s are good to go and they get cauterized.

It has been five months of pain free back. Except of course when I overdo it, like recently because we moved and it was a DIY move, we did a lot of lifting, standing and my sacroiliac joint acted up. (the left one though). So, the procedure worked for me and although this may not be for everyone, it works.