Ok, so apparently you don't mind being my therapist? Well you are back to see how the story plays out so I know you are at least curious. I'll try not to bore you with too many details!
So when I left off I was improving......Great right? I thought so too....then we had a set back.
All of a
sudden, severe pain, I can't bend, I can't lift....something was wrong.
Back to Dr. Webb and and MRI was ordered. The MRI showed that I have
two bulging discs that were irritating the nerve....that was the pain.
So, a round of steroids, and more rest....more time not being able to do
what I needed to do here on the farm or off the farm.
During
this time, I started doing some research for natural ways to heal the
discs and combat the pain. I learn about a wonderful herb, Comfrey.
Doing research and talking with some friends who also knew about
Comfrey, I decided to give it a try. I ordered some dried, cut Comfrey
and set out to make my own poultice with some arnica gel. Armed with my
new medicine and a supply of large bandages I started putting the
comfrey poultices on my lower back....and guess what? They really did
help....a lot! I told Dr. Webb of my findings and she was intrigued.
She said to continue with them and keep her posted as we continued
working on my issues. After a couple of weeks of off and on again use
she said if it works we'll take it.
My back continued
to improve, but there was still something not right. My right leg, hip
and lower back wouldn't let up. It wasn't the same pain as the lower
back injury something different. Dr. Webb did some tests and found that
I had also injured my Sacroiliac Joint aka SI Joint. Great!!
So
we now tried an SI belt to help support this little joint that only
moved 4 cm, but can hurt like heck if it is inflamed. That helped some,
but didn't really fix the issue. So the next recommendation was to see a
pain management doctor and see about an injection into the joint.
Really?? I wasn't thrilled about this idea at all, but went ahead
because I wanted all of this to be done.
Well......I
did not have a good experience at the pain management doctor AT ALL.
Unfortunately, this doctor did not need to be practicing medicine any
longer. You see, he is now disabled and has a hard time actually doing
injections!!! Beyond that they did not have the correct instruments to
do the procedure, but went ahead anyway....it wasn't good. The really
bad part is the injection did NOTHING....NADA...NIL...except make the
pain worse for several days. We contacted Dr. Webb and told her of the
visit and we decided it would be best not to return to the pain
management doctor. We even went as far as trying to talk with the
doctor about the botched procedure, sent a letter with our concerns and problems with our visits, etc....we were contacted by his office
manager and rudely told we would receive a zero balance bill and hung up
on us. That is not what we were trying to accomplish by our letter, but ok. I am sure in his day his was a great doctor, but unfortunately,
his physical disabilities, poor planning by staff, and just poor staff
have made it dangerous, in my opinion, to be practicing medicine. In
fact, in doing my research....after the fact....I learned that this type
of injection SHOULD be guided by either ultrasound or fluoroscope as
recommended by the AMA to help the doctor in the placement of the
medication....neither of which was used. Studies have shown that an unguided SI Joint inject is less than 40% effective...wish I had known all of this before the visit. Folks, do your research!
Anyhow, I went
back to using the comfrey and just moved my poultices over to where the SI joint
issues were and it worked better than any medicines I had been taking
prior. I did some more research on SI Joint issues and found some
stretches specific for the SI joint injury. These helped tremendously
and as long as I do these several times a day it is manageable.
I have been plugging away doing all I was supposed to be doing and and had even gotten to the point where I could mow the field some without much discomfort! I LOVE to mow the grass so this is a huge step as far as I am concerned. Let alone I hate having my farmer man having to do extra work around here after he gets home from his "real" job....the farm is my job!
All was working fairly well, with a couple to good weeks and just a few bad days here and there...until last month. Last month something started changing. I started having more days where I had to be careful what I was doing or I would hurt...hmmm....ok more rest and applying ice when needed, doing the stretching exercises religously. I got this! Then my right knee started hurting, muscle hurt pain, and tightness. I mentioned it to Dr. Webb and she said my back may be out and pulling on that leg. Ok, makes sense. Massage therapy was in order as well as muscle stimulation therapy.
I am blessed to have my son's girlfriend, who is a licensed massage therapist! We scheduled a massage and it did improve! Yea! In fact the next morning, while being attacked by a certain kitten, I sat straight up in bed only to have my lower back give out a loud CLUNK! I was afraid to move at first...then the burning pain started. Oh My Goodness! It was intense! I took it easy that day and the next morning it seemed as if maybe, just maybe, that hug clunk was my back finally settling back to where it was supposed to be as things calmed down and it actually felt much better. There was a little soreness like I had overworked muscles, but much improvement.
That was Sunday...by Tuesday evening....my pain levels were increasing and my right foot was going numb. These are not good signs. By Wednesday morning the pain levels were high. I could not get comfortable and we made an appointment with Dr. Webb for that afternoon. By the time we got in there it was all I could do to walk. Some tests were performed and it was determined that I have major inflammation around the spinal cord once again. Once again, steroids, rest and ice were the prescription with a revisit scheduled to see if there are any improvements. They even prescribed pain meds this time because the pain was so severe. There is some question that I may have torn a few more fibers in the discs...not good news. We won't know for sure unless we do an MRI.
That was last Tuesday, and I am still confined to either the couch or the bed. Unfortunately, I do not tolerate pain meds well. We tried the prescribed pain meds and the side effects were almost worse than the pain. Severe stomach cramps, nausea, and passing out.....not a positive experience with pain meds once again. Even a quarter of a tablet produced the same effect. The good news is I am improving and the pain is lessening. I can be upright for 15 minutes or so before the pain becomes severe enough I have to lie back down.
So, why all of this info?
Mainly, I think some times we all put our best out there and we don't keep it real. Well folks, this is my real for right now. BUT there is still a lot of GOOD to find even with all of this mess going on.
My farmer man....I can't express how much this man means to me. He is my helpmate, my support, my friend, my love, and my rock. He has been so awesome through all of this. He takes care of all the animals and me in the mornings, then works 9 hours a day off the farm at his "real" job, then comes home to take care off everyone here once again...including our "Rudy" who is battling another case of bumblefoot. This requires injections twice a day and soaking and flushing out the foot daily too. He has been so supportive, so understanding and so patient through all of this.....especially when I have a melt down because I can't do anything. THIS man prepared a whole Thanksgiving Dinner for my family....that's love folks. He knew how important family is to me and he asked if I wanted to cancel and when I said no, he said ok, no problem, I got this. He did an awesome job. <3
I have some awesome family and friends that have been here ready and willing to pitch in and help out whenever and whatever we need. Anything from picking up something for us while they were in town, to coming over and helping out with chores. I am blessed to have family and friends close by.
I have had plenty of time to just relax and think. I know I had to refocus my thinking from what I CAN'T do to what I CAN do. Now that the pain has subsided some and I can think clearly, I am taking this time to work on some projects for our Etsy store. I had been saying that I couldn't find the time to try out some new items...well, guess what? I have nothing but time now! lol
I have this crazy, 8 week old kitten to keep me entertained! We bottle fed this little orphan and now he is helping me pass the day. (My next post will be ALL about Max)
Even though I cannot tend to the animals, I can hear them through the opened doors and windows. Our rescued ducks and geese swim up to the back porch and quack and honk back when I call to them. I can at least see them from the house. I managed an assisted trip to the Chicken Inn II yesterday evening and I cannot believe how much I miss seeing our big turkey girls, all our guineas and chickens too and this morning I could hear one of our Wood Ducks had returned to the pond. That made me smile.
You know, it is ironic. My last post was about being overwhelmed with so much to do and still finding the blessings in it all....and I would give anything to have my back healed and be able to do ALL of those things now. Maybe that is what this is all about...maybe I just needed a kick in the butt (or back!) to remind me of what a blessing it is to be able TO DO. Lord knows, I am a doer and I have a hard time when I cannot do. I am learning to be content in just being...... Being happy, being content, being humble, being vulnerable, being....just being no matter what is or isn't going on around us.
I know healing will come, and I must be patient. Please keep us all in your prayers as we move forward. I am asking for answers and direction on how to proceed with this injury...it's been a year and I am sure ready for a cure! I really would love to get back to being able to take care of everyone and everything here on the farm. I miss it! But until then, I will just be....
Doctor visit soon so I will keep you posted. Thanks for your notes of encouragement and prayers!
Back to regular, fun, photo filled farm stuff next post...."Introducing The Old Five Notch Farm's You Have Just Exceeded Your Maximum"
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