MAMACADABRA

You know that old injury I’ve been complaining about for months?  Yes well yesterday I finally hit a wall with my pain.  I hit a f-cking wall.  Due to cancellations, messy calendars, and other such nonsense I wasn’t going to see the next in the long line of doctors, chiropractors, healers, until mid-July.  But as of yesterday morning that was no longer good enough.  I went rogue and with the help of my girlfriends decided on a new clinic and they were able to squeeze me in today.

I was so distracted by my pain yesterday that I was pulled over for the first time in over six years, didn’t care, and now have to pay $128 for failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign downtown Minneapolis.  The cop was looking at me like he wanted me to give him a good excuse and I couldn’t even muster the strength to tell him the truth about why I was so distracted.  I took the ticket, said thank you, and drove away.

Today I finally had someone review my MRI and tell me what it means.  It means herniated discs.  It means a pinched nerve.  It means arthritis in my joints.  As it turns out, it can also mean a prescription for OxyContin, possible temporary leave from my job for disability, and that there…and I quote…”is no cure.”  My grandpa, a chiropractor, is spinning in his grave right about now.

Umm…I’m sorry…but that doesn’t actually work for me.  My pain dictates that it does mean, however, that tomorrow I’ll be having an epidural steroid injection.  Which, he says, will offer temporary relief and temporary ability to exercise.

So after all of that what I now know is a) what’s wrong with me, b) that I might be able to have six weeks or six months of relief after this epidural, and c) I need to now aggressively find a way to heal that does not involve any of the things mentioned above.  Back to the drawing board.  Which is okay…the light at the end of this little tunnel is some temporary relief and that is good enough for now.

Even though I’m still in significant pain tonight here’s hoping that I won’t be tomorrow night!

TODAY:  What if I lay low this evening with my ice packs and hope and keep my fingers crossed that tomorrow’s treatment will bring some relief.  What if going back to the drawing board brings me healing that will actually work and not require narcotics.