Bullwinkle's Journal

Bullwinkle · December 4, 2006

Wow. It's been five whole days since I've posted here. That proves that something was/is amiss in my life.

It started last Tuesday night. I was laying in bed, on my back, flipping channels on the TV, praying for sleep to overcome me so that the pain would stop. My lower back was tight. You could have bounced a quarter off of it. The next day, the pain became worse, but it was bearable.

Wednesday night as I lay in bed again, waiting to fall asleep, I couldn't lie on my back because of the pain. Instead, I turned from side to side all night long because my sides started to have the same pain, too.

Thursday morning the pain in my lower back/top of my buttocks was nearly unbearable, but I knew I had to go to work anyway. It was month-end, and I had paperwork that HAD to get done.

By 9:00am that morning, I couldn't sit, stand, or walk without extreme pain. My threshold for pain is great, so I knew that something was very wrong. I called my doctor and got an appointment for 11:45am. I left work, drove home, and my husband helped me into the house. I couldn't even lift my own legs to walk without wincing and crying out in pain. He helped me into the van and drove me to the doctor. Once there, I creid the entire time I was trying to walk into the office. When the nurse called my name, I hobbled behind her, with my hubby at my elbow, helping me.

She said, "Step up on the scale."

I screamed, "You are KIDDING! RIGHT??!"

But I managed to get up there, not caring what the weight registered. I couldn't see the numbers through my tears, anyway.

The doc told me what I had already suspected: Sciatica. Wow. I've had sciatic pain before, but never like this. It was always either in one leg, or the other. This time is was BOTH, and radiating from the top of my buttocks downward.

Folks, I've been through four childbirths -- all vaginal births with long labors -- and two of them were without medication. Those were rough. Talk about weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth -- I experienced all of those for hours at a time.

But, lemme tell ya'. The pain I experienced for three days straight was worse than any of those childbirth experiences. Incredibly, I went back to work Thursday after filling the Rx's the doc gave me for Vicadin and some arthritis meds, and finished my month-end paperwork, then somehow managed to drive myself home. I knew I wouldn't be able to go to work Friday. I couldn't get any relief no matter what I did -- standing, sitting, laying on my side, on my back, on my stomach -- nothing relieved the pain at all.

By Friday at midnight, going into early Saturday morning, I was sitting at this computer looking up which hospitals were in my insurance network. I just knew that the hubby would hafta take me to an emergency room so that they could either 1) give me a muscle relaxer, 2) give me an epidural, or 3) put me into a coma.

Something had to be done to stop the pain.

Miraculously, by 12:30am on Saturday, the pain ebbed ever so slightly. But, it was enough that I knew I could stand the residual pain. By 3:00am Sunday morning, the pain was back and I found myself down in the living room, trying to curl up in the Lazy Boy, on the floor, on the couch, on the hard kitchen floor -- anything to rid myself of the stabbing, constant pain. By 5:30am, the pain ebbed again, but moreso this time.

By 10:00am, I could actually sit on the couch with minimal pain. By bedtime Saturday night, I could lay on my right side and hardly feel any pain. I slept until nearly 9:30am Sunday morning (something I NEVER do....I'm always up by 5:30am -- even on weekends), and awoke to minimal pain.

I went to work today, and my back is still sore. The spasms have stopped, however. There is still a little lingering pain radiating down my left leg, but this is a walk in the park contrasted to what I experienced over the weekend.

And through it all -- I'm still smoke-free. Tomorrow will mark my two-week anniversary.

I saw the shrink on Friday morning, despite being in pain. My lap band surgeon requires that I see one before surgery. For some reason, the guy wants to see me TWO MORE TIMES. Wuz up with that? So, I have appointments this week on Thursday and Friday mornings. I just emailed my surgeron and asked if he knew why, since he was the one who recommended that particular psychologist.

I guess I'll await his response.