Wiped. Out.

I try not to write too much about my health. I figure it is a bore to read a lot about other people's health issues. I also don't think it is healthy to dwell on your own any more than absolutely necessary. And finally, I really don't like talking about that much. So with all that said, the easiest & quickest way to update people who ask, is with a quick note. Plus....I only have to go over it one time!


So here we go! A quick overview.....I have a large herniation of my L5-S1 disc. The L5-S1 disc is the most fragile part of the spine and the most susceptible to pain because it is the one that carries the most weight or load compared to the other discs. The herniation is impinging the sciatic nerve....the nerve that runs down your leg. This has caused numbness and loss of strength in my left leg and foot. The L4-L5 disc is bulging & has a large tear in it. The L3-L4 disc is bulging and has a smaller tear. This is Multilevel Degenerative Disc Disease. Surgery is possible, but not necessarily recommended. With 3 discs involved, the outcomes are not promising (less than 35%), and in fact could actually make things worse. So I  have decided not to pursue that option at this time. Before I go on let me explain at least to some extent why physical therapy and some other options are not being explored by my medical team. Also, why this pain is so severe.


I have had back pain for 10 years now. I have had to quit a job I loved in labor & delivery because my back simply could not handle the physicality of the job any longer. The pain was at times severe, but always resolved with PT, rest, or traditional pain management. For 10 years this worked just fine. But over the past 7 months my pain has become unmanagable at times, and tolerable at best. Finally I was no longer able to work at all. The pain is severe both down my leg and across my entire back. Why do some people experience debilitating pain & others don't? I wondered this too. I did some research & found the following. 

Some people have nerve endings that penetrate more deeply into the annulus (outer layer of the disc) than others, making discs more susceptible to becoming a source of pain. The scientific community has the opinion that the healing process involved in the repair of trauma to the outer annulus results in the innervation of the resultant scar tissue, and subsequent pain in the disc, as these nerves become inflamed by nucleus pulposus material. Degenerative disc disease can lead to a chronic debilitating condition and can have a serious negative impact on a person's quality of life. When pain from degenerative disc disease is severe, traditional nonoperative treatment is often ineffective.