Fall Out

I saw my GP today. Or, rather, I saw the doctor he had filling in for him while he's on vacation or otherwise away from the office. She had me run through a series of tests to determine what may be going on with my back and, in the end, agreed that I am "MRI worthy." However, she also said that regardless of the MRI results, the immediate therapy will be the same and will probably do what is needed: stop the pain and strengthen the back.

As I said I would, I argued for the MRI anyway, saying that it can't hurt, it gives us new and better information, and, on the off chance that something serious happened, it will catch it and we can change course at that time. She agreed and wrote me the script. Now, the bad part: MRI availability is such that I probably won't be seen for three to six months. The joys of being in the Atlantic Provinces!

She was confused that the UC doctor gave me a script for Percocet for two reasons: 1. it doesn't treat potential (and most likely) nerve pain and 2. it is filtered through the liver, and I have a chronic liver condition. So she wrote me a script for both an anti-inflammatory and something to help with the nerve pain, which I will start taking tonight.

Her in-office tests showed that I don't appear to have any nerve damage. I'm to watch for incontinence and loss of muscle function and get to the ER immediately if either happens. That means the nerve has been damaged or pinched again, and the signals are not getting through to where they need to go. It also sort of confirms what was going on during the worst pain from a week ago, as I needed to use the bathroom much more often than I usually do (with large volume each time -- seemingly more than I had actually taken in) and I got to the point where my right leg would not support my weight at all. My nerve must have been under some serious stress at that time, so I'm glad my wife took me to the UC the next day.

I made yet another follow up appointment for November. Hopefully by then I will be back on my feet (literally and figuratively) and my normal doctor can suggest therapies and other regimens along with what I plan to ease back into doing (walking, riding my stationary bike, etc.). In the meantime, I need to avoid lifting and twisting, even after my back feels "fine," as I could re-injure it. I also need to be better about having assistance when I need to move something and not doing it on my own. I already have helpers/doers lined up for our upcoming heavy lifting needs, so that should work out.