- Dec 11, 2010
- 15,296
- 8,252
Just thought I'd take a moment to give recognition to where it belongs. Back in may I was working on removing a rather large tree branch that fell onto our septic mound. After clearing the branches I began to move the pieces of the main part of the branch which I had cut into firewood length. I mow the mound and needed to move them out of the way.
Well, I knew better but I was improperly lifting the pieces using too much of my back and eventually felt what I thought was a pulled muscle. Expecting it would be sore for a week or two I didn't think too much of it but as time went on I began to feel sharp pains running down the back of my left leg indicating a sciatica condition.
Rather than go to my medical doctor where I figured I would be filled with pain medications, I decided to do something I've never tried before. I visited a chiropractor and and after about three visits I began to notice marked improvement and eventually, most of the pain was gone for the remainder of the summer until the last weekend in September when we went on our annual ATV and camping trip to catch the fall colors in northern MN.
After that trip I began to experience some pretty severe pain in my left leg from my lower back all the way down to my toes. I then decided there must be more going on so I scheduled a visit with my medical doctor and he prescribed physical therapy as a probable solution to try. The therapist diagnosed my condition as piriformis syndrome and began a stretching and core strengthening program. At first the therapy showed good promise as the pain began to subside to some degree but eventually it plateaued and stopped improving. Basically what was happening was that my piriformis, hamstrings, and calf muscles were in a nearly 24-hour charley horse. It was painful for sure.
Well, this past Monday, a week ago today, the pain came on with a fury to the point that I eventually had to call for an ambulance to take me in. Once I got to the hospital they injected me with Valium to ease the muscle spasms along with pain killers and steroids to reduce inflammation. It took about 5 additional doses of the pain medication and six hours later I was finally stable enough to be released to go home.
An MRI revealed that I had a moderate bulge in my L5-S1 disk in my lower spine that was putting pressure on the nerve roots on the left side. I received a steroid injection on Friday but have been virtually pain-free since Tuesday morning.
I praise God for the ambulance crew who was extremely cordial, friendly, attentive to my condition, and very accommodating to me. I praise God for the ER staff for their kindness and genuine caring and concern for me. I felt as though I was their highest priority and that helped me relax and feel confident that they were diligent in everything they did. The radiology team that injected the steroids into my back were extremely informative and engaged me in everything they did both before and after the procedure making it very easy for me to relax and feel at ease.
I will say this. I have never experienced the kind of pain I endured on Monday evening and hope to God that I never experience it again. It gave me a whole new perspective on what others I have seen go through similar experiences. I am truly thankful for all the support I got from my neighbors and friends and especially for all the prayers.
It feels so good to be once again able to sleep in a bed instead of on the floor.
God is Good! Amen and Amen!!!
:amen
Well, I knew better but I was improperly lifting the pieces using too much of my back and eventually felt what I thought was a pulled muscle. Expecting it would be sore for a week or two I didn't think too much of it but as time went on I began to feel sharp pains running down the back of my left leg indicating a sciatica condition.
Rather than go to my medical doctor where I figured I would be filled with pain medications, I decided to do something I've never tried before. I visited a chiropractor and and after about three visits I began to notice marked improvement and eventually, most of the pain was gone for the remainder of the summer until the last weekend in September when we went on our annual ATV and camping trip to catch the fall colors in northern MN.
After that trip I began to experience some pretty severe pain in my left leg from my lower back all the way down to my toes. I then decided there must be more going on so I scheduled a visit with my medical doctor and he prescribed physical therapy as a probable solution to try. The therapist diagnosed my condition as piriformis syndrome and began a stretching and core strengthening program. At first the therapy showed good promise as the pain began to subside to some degree but eventually it plateaued and stopped improving. Basically what was happening was that my piriformis, hamstrings, and calf muscles were in a nearly 24-hour charley horse. It was painful for sure.
Well, this past Monday, a week ago today, the pain came on with a fury to the point that I eventually had to call for an ambulance to take me in. Once I got to the hospital they injected me with Valium to ease the muscle spasms along with pain killers and steroids to reduce inflammation. It took about 5 additional doses of the pain medication and six hours later I was finally stable enough to be released to go home.
An MRI revealed that I had a moderate bulge in my L5-S1 disk in my lower spine that was putting pressure on the nerve roots on the left side. I received a steroid injection on Friday but have been virtually pain-free since Tuesday morning.
I praise God for the ambulance crew who was extremely cordial, friendly, attentive to my condition, and very accommodating to me. I praise God for the ER staff for their kindness and genuine caring and concern for me. I felt as though I was their highest priority and that helped me relax and feel confident that they were diligent in everything they did. The radiology team that injected the steroids into my back were extremely informative and engaged me in everything they did both before and after the procedure making it very easy for me to relax and feel at ease.
I will say this. I have never experienced the kind of pain I endured on Monday evening and hope to God that I never experience it again. It gave me a whole new perspective on what others I have seen go through similar experiences. I am truly thankful for all the support I got from my neighbors and friends and especially for all the prayers.
It feels so good to be once again able to sleep in a bed instead of on the floor.
God is Good! Amen and Amen!!!
:amen
