Yesterday, Dan had a 1-yr. follow-up ultrasound of his heart. Last year, the doctor had thought the base of Dan's aorta was enlarged. He put Dan on blood pressure medication and ordered a follow-up ultrasound. The second ultrasound showed a perfectly normal heart and aorta, so the plan was made to take another look in one year. That was yesterday. We are hoping and expecting the results to be normal, but we will be happier once we have heard them.
The day before yesterday, I got the results from my recent MRI. It appears that the same disc L4-L5 has herniated again.:( The radiologist also noted that the L5 vertebrae is slightly tipped out of alignment which may have been a contributing factor in the disc herniating twice. The neurologist who read the MRI is recommending a series of cortisone injections. We have decided to ask for a second opinion. The doctor I saw only does the procedure on Wednesdays and Thursdays which are my work days. I have no benefit time left, so I really can't afford to take off the time. I am also terrified of the procedure itself, and he doesn't offer sedation. There are other local doctors who do the procedure on different days. They also offer sedation for whimps like me. My other reason for wanting a second opinion is that the doctor originally told me he didn't think cortisone injections would help my symptoms of numbness and muscle weakness, and felt they were "not good". At the second appointment he called the same symptoms "not bad", and seemed to dismiss them. Maybe, what he saw on the MRI caused his change of opinion, but he didn't explain it well enough to me.
Join Me in Praying for my "Specials"
Dmitry- Forlorn little Dima
Tootles (my favorite Lost Boy)
aka Heath on RR
Cuddles
aka Raphael on RR
Needy One
aka Ivan B. on RR
Bubbly
aka Elise on Reece's Rainbow
and Here Comes Trouble
aka Kolya on Reece's Rainbow
My Family
Dan- with part of the crew
Me with
Kody and Shyla
Garrett
the eldest
Meredith- the beautiful
Connor- the elusive
Nearly impossible to catch on camera, or on foot!
Gavin- the bold
Onni- the adorable
Kody- my little black shadow
Shyla- my sweet girl
About Me
- Alice
- Our family lives in Auburn,Maine. Dan works as a caseworker for DHHS. Alice is a homeschool mom who works 2 days/wk. as a dental hygienist. We are active in our local church and homeschool group. Our family loves the theater! Dan and the kids are often seen onstage. Alice is usually seen applauding.
5 comments:
I had cortisone shots for herniated discs and they were amazing! They really helped. I was terrified, and actually cried when they explained the procedure to me, but they numb you before they give you the shot, and it doesn't hurt at all! You feel weird pressure, but no pain. Then the spot where you get injected is a little sore for like a day. not bad at all though!
The one problem I had was with the steroids going systemic, which happens in less than 1 % of all patients. so I had a reaction to like what you would have with oral steroids, acne, weight gain, hunger, steroid face. So just be aware if you have any of those. But I doubt you will!!
-Molly
alice- we just wanted you all to know you are in our prayers. steve goes thursday for a cortizone shot in his hip they are hopeing it will by him time before he needs his hip replaced.
Alysha,
I am so sorry about the back problems. Hopefully, soon you'll get a better explanation.
Thanks for the comment on my blog--I appreciate your encouragement.
Joy
Alice,
Have you ever been to an Upper Cervical Chiropractor? They are not like a "regular" chiropractor, they don't "crack your back" & twist your neck. Here's a link with their "about".
http://www.nucca.org/about.php
If you've never been, I strongly encourage you to check it out.
If you're seeking a second opinion, & are wary of injections, they absolutely can offer you a more comforting & permanent alternative to relief.
I am, of course, such a strong advocate of this method because my husband is in school for that specific career. (He says they are the "brain surgeons of chiropractors") :)
Also, I am currently under the care of a wonderful Upper Cervical Practitioner. I won't go into a lengthy description of all my problems, but I have several & I have begun to experience great relief. Granted, it does take time, as it is not a temporary fix as injections, or surgeries may be.
Here is another link,
http://www.whattimetuesday.com/index.html
from a man who spent years with Trigeminal neuralgia, (which is known as "the suicide disease") & years with doctors doing surgeries & prescribing medications, etc. & still had no relief. He was ready to take his own life to rid himself of the pain, but his wife found the doctor & it changed & saved his life. Literally.
I don't think you can read the book online, but we have a few copies, & I'd be more than happy to send one to you. On his website, he also has links to others' testimonials.
If you're interested, here is a link with a list of UC dr's in Maine,
http://www.upcspine.com/prac3.asp?rid=4&r=North%20America&sid=23&s=Maine&cid=5&c=UNITED%20STATES%20of%20AMERICA
Sorry this is so long! :) I just read your blog & just felt the urge to tell you about Upper Cervical. Don has been teaching me a lot about it, & though I was admittedly very skeptical of it at first, I have been finding it to be an answer to prayers.
Alice, we also visit an upper cervical chiropractor on a regular basis. We have also started taking Aleks and Marcus to him. It is amazing how much this helps. He helps the whole spinal and nervous system just through an adjustment on your neck and this helps the whole body to heal itself naturally. A few years ago i could hardly move my right shoulder and as you saw in Estonia, i have no trouble with that at all thanks to my chiropractor. Just wish he could heal my hip too. But he does help with the pain.
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