Well the first set of injections haven't shown any sign of being effective yet. I was hopeful in that I thought the less invasive facet blocks would work. This weekend though, my back hurt more than ever. It amazes me because my MRI really isn't that bad. It shows two bulging discs L5 and S1. They really couldn't pinpoint a cause for the pain and symptoms but can only guess that the discs themselves are causing chemoreceptors to go crazy which is caused by fluid leaking into the dural space which I guess really irritates the nerve roots.
I still haven't been able to ride and as the days are quickly getting shorter and the mornings and evenings getting colder, it's going to be even more difficult. Honestly though it's been a good break but If I wanted a break I probably wouldn't take this much time off. I can't run I can't ride therefore it's tough to exercise. I think I'm in the worst shape I've been in all year.
I have the "big" injection scheduled for Thursday afternoon. This is the one that they use Fluorscopy to find the epidural space between the vertebre and inject a dose of corticosteroids in hope of relieving the inflammation of the disc and nerve root. I'm hopeful this will do the trick. The cost of this is beginning to get outrageous. Isn't it crazy, medicine has got to be the only job in the world that no matter how many times it takes to make you feel better, you have to pay for every single try. I realize that's why they call it "practicing medicine", but practicing can get expensive.
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