Monday, May 31, 2004
Pain
In case you weren’t aware of my current situation; I’m injured and am unemployed because of it. It seems that I have ruptured a disc in my lower back again, which causes me much pain. My left foot is almost totally numb as well as the lower portion of my left leg. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of fun things like going to doctors, taking painkillers around the clock, having x-rays taken, I’ve even been shoved into a small tube to have a MRI exam.
My neurosurgeon ordered me to go have caudal steroid injections to see if it would bring down the swelling of nerves, which is causing me all of the leg pain. If this procedure works, not only will I get the feeling back in my foot and leg, I may be able to hold off having surgery. So, I guess I have to try it.
A caudal steroid injection is the most painful procedure I have ever been through and you can only imagine how excited I was when I was ordered to go have it done not only once, but three times. If you are not familiar with the procedure, I will describe how it feels, to the best of my ability. For a medical explanation of the procedure, click here.
First, the nurse has you lie face down on a bed before she attaches the pulse rate and blood pressure monitors. Then she comes over and pulls your pants down so that your bare ass is showing (for all I know, they leave the curtain to the room open so everyone can go by and point at laugh at you). Next, the doctor comes in and says “This won’t hurt a bit” followed by something stupid like “This’ll feel like a small bee-sting back here” as a syringe of anesthesia is injected into your sacrum (the small opening in the back of the pelvis). Personally, I don’t think there is really any anesthesia in the syringe; it may just be to trick you into thinking the rest of the procedure won’t hurt.
Shortly after the first shot is given, they bring out the needle they use for the rest of the procedure; it’s about two feet long, I think. So, the doctor plunges all two feet of needle into your sacrum and for some reason, every muscle in your body tenses up at the same time. The syringe is full of some sort of lava-like material and as they push it into you, it burns and makes your insides feel as if they are melting. The pressure felt at this point is equivalent to that of an SUV parking on your lower back. This first injection lasts about five minutes or so.
Then, they change to a new syringe; this one is filled with concrete. As the concrete works its way into you, the pressure moves down into your legs and the concrete begins to harden, making it feel as if your legs are about to explode. This injection lasts about ten minutes, maybe less.
The doctor then pulls the needle out of your back and says what a great job you did and all of the nurses agree. “See you in two weeks” they say, “Only two more appointments and you’re done”.
They’re kind enough to let you lie there for a while until all of your muscles can relax enough so you can move. Then, you can go home and try to forget all about it and try to forget you have to go back and do it again.
It’s really something you have to experience to understand the extent of the pain; there really are no words to properly describe it. Even though I’ve been through all of this before and I know what to expect, it doesn’t make any of this any easier.
Song of the weekend: “Pain” – Catherine Wheel
My neurosurgeon ordered me to go have caudal steroid injections to see if it would bring down the swelling of nerves, which is causing me all of the leg pain. If this procedure works, not only will I get the feeling back in my foot and leg, I may be able to hold off having surgery. So, I guess I have to try it.
A caudal steroid injection is the most painful procedure I have ever been through and you can only imagine how excited I was when I was ordered to go have it done not only once, but three times. If you are not familiar with the procedure, I will describe how it feels, to the best of my ability. For a medical explanation of the procedure, click here.
First, the nurse has you lie face down on a bed before she attaches the pulse rate and blood pressure monitors. Then she comes over and pulls your pants down so that your bare ass is showing (for all I know, they leave the curtain to the room open so everyone can go by and point at laugh at you). Next, the doctor comes in and says “This won’t hurt a bit” followed by something stupid like “This’ll feel like a small bee-sting back here” as a syringe of anesthesia is injected into your sacrum (the small opening in the back of the pelvis). Personally, I don’t think there is really any anesthesia in the syringe; it may just be to trick you into thinking the rest of the procedure won’t hurt.
Shortly after the first shot is given, they bring out the needle they use for the rest of the procedure; it’s about two feet long, I think. So, the doctor plunges all two feet of needle into your sacrum and for some reason, every muscle in your body tenses up at the same time. The syringe is full of some sort of lava-like material and as they push it into you, it burns and makes your insides feel as if they are melting. The pressure felt at this point is equivalent to that of an SUV parking on your lower back. This first injection lasts about five minutes or so.
Then, they change to a new syringe; this one is filled with concrete. As the concrete works its way into you, the pressure moves down into your legs and the concrete begins to harden, making it feel as if your legs are about to explode. This injection lasts about ten minutes, maybe less.
The doctor then pulls the needle out of your back and says what a great job you did and all of the nurses agree. “See you in two weeks” they say, “Only two more appointments and you’re done”.
They’re kind enough to let you lie there for a while until all of your muscles can relax enough so you can move. Then, you can go home and try to forget all about it and try to forget you have to go back and do it again.
It’s really something you have to experience to understand the extent of the pain; there really are no words to properly describe it. Even though I’ve been through all of this before and I know what to expect, it doesn’t make any of this any easier.
Song of the weekend: “Pain” – Catherine Wheel
