At least the needle is thin!We are 99.99% sure that you have a herniated sacral disc. This is what Dr. Hamid and Tom the PT tell me today. Why? Well because instead of getting better, my back is getting worse. The more I train the worse it gets. I am receiving very good care, and very aggressive care, and still I fail all the tests that they give me and my back goes numb within 5 minutes of sitting down. Very frustrating! So far I have done ART treatment, Gratson technique treatment, at-home PT exercises, Dry Needling (wow....8 inch needle in my back and then shocking it so my back will twitch....not fun!!!), and today they hooked me up to a contraption that buckled my feet in and twisted me while pulling me. I joked that they might actually add a couple of inches to me! The only way to be totally sure that this is a herniated disc is with an MRI. So I guess that I need to pony up the money and get it done. They said it's not really necessary because they are treating me like I have one anyways, and there isn't much else they can do. Surgery is only for people with excruciating pain who are experiencing numbness and pain all the time.
The really bad news? That the more I train the worse this is going to get. They promised to get me through the next 6 1/2 weeks until my IM and than I HAVE TO HAVE TO take a break. They told me that they are just putting a band aid on my symptoms, not "fixing" anything. So I have to take the break. A break from what you ask? The BIKE of all things. Ugh. The only thing I could spend all day doing is the thing that is causing me this discomfort. Go figure. If I don't back off? The numbness will get worse, I will feel it all day long, have to get cortisone injections, and eventually it could become debilitating. Double ugh. I love riding my bike but not with those type of risks!!!
What caused this you ask? Well a trauma. Most herniated disc are the result of lifting heavy objects (haven't done that), car accidents, and falling and landing on your back/sacral area. Kind of like getting hit by a car and landing on the ground I ask?Yup....just like that (left hip hit the windshield of the car) and the good Dr. said that was probably the likely culprit. So this disc has been out of whack for a while but I am reaching my "threshold" where it will cause me pain.
So for now? I am taped up. Like I said, I am trying everything possible at this point. I have pretty strict instructions and LOTS of new exercises to do (like holding plank for 2 minutes!) I am not giving up on the .01% chance that this may just be an entrapped nerve.
Don't laugh at the tan lines! This might actually work!
6 comments:
So sorry to hear this.
Did know you were hurting when you were over Sat. I hope the shoot didn't aggrevate it.
Ouch that sounds painful. You are definitely a warrior pushing through all this.
Sorry about the diagnosis, but it just goes to prove what your fiends and family already know - You are one tough lady, Dani.
Hang in there!
Way to go on the Locks of Love. Your post about that made me cry too.
I'm so sorry about your back. I'm crossing my fingers that it's the entrapped nerve and that the tape helps.
So sorry to hear this, Dani. Hope you get better soon.
Danielle, I got to your page thru Kellye's. So sorry to hear about the back issues. Great job though taking action to find answers quick and from different experts. Hope it gets better soon.
I also read your Chattanooga race report and was very impressed with your performance, especially given the injury, bike issues and rainy, windy race conditions. I raced it last year and remember that the roads were brutal and dangerous in several spots. Good luck with the rest of your season
;) Amy
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