Surgery it is then

Back/leg update - so after trialling (if that's a word. It isn't according to spellcheck) many pain meds and anti-inflammatories, it appears surgery is the only option left. I can't believe how many supposed "really good" prescriptions I've started and abandoned in a bid to quell this agony shooting up and down my right leg. My pantry now looks like a pharmacy shelf or a scene from Breaking Bad.

The last one I tried was Gabapentin, which used to be an epilepsy drug, but it didn't work so they stopped using it for that. They now use it for pain management and it works on practically the entire universe. Just not me, of course. It's one of those druge you have to build up to, which always fills me with confidence! The morning after my first dose, I could barely function. It takes a few weeks (apparently) for the pain relief part to kick in, so there I was, completely dozzened, (as my mother would say) yet still in pain. I was warned it would take a little bit of time for my body to get used to it and sure enough, the next day I was OK. I have had to increase the dosage every three days and I'm now at the target mg dosage - and still in acute pain.

Back to my orthopedic surgeon yesterday and a Microdiscectomy it is. (There's a video on that link if you're really curious.) I now have to carefully wean myself off the useless pain med, so I have a chart on the kitchen wall to make sure I lower the dosage every three days. Cold turkey could apparently induce a seizure and well, no. 

It's not a big deal - " a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root is removed to relieve neural impingement and provide more room for the nerve to heal." It's outpatient surgery so I'll do the starving overnight and early to the hospital in the morning, stay in for observation and then home that day. 

Apparently most patients feel some relief immediately which would be nice. For six weeks after that I'm not allowed to bend at the waist, or twist from side to side. 

I was trying to think of all the things I must be careful not to do. I don't do much twisting these days, although swivelling around to put a seat belt on will be a no-no. And of course, with the bending ban I won't be able to empty the dishwasher (hurray), make beds, empty the washer and dryer, feed the dog. Oh the list goes on................ a little too long. I will have to resurrect my plié in first position. If nothing else, my thighs will be firm by the end of recuperation, unlike the rest of my bod, given that I barely make it to 1,000 Fitbit steps these days.