Tuesday Was Monumental

April 13, 2010 was a very big day for Rusty and I.

One thing was my visit with my neurosurgeon.  My recent MRI showed accelerated degeneration between my L2 and L3 lumbar vertebrae.  (You can see the location of them above.  I will try and post my actual MRI picture showing the degeneration.)   This is something we have known about and have contemplated doing fusion surgery for.  I also have a lot of trouble with my sacroiliac joint.  We discovered the trouble with the sacroiliac joint was because it was overcompensating for what my back could not do because of the injury/disc and I also have one leg longer than the other.  The degeneration has caused the muscles to become so constricted that they aren't functioning as they should be.   So, for other people who use their strong backs to put on shoes, pants, underwear, stand up, sit down, even hold themselves up to brush their teeth....I am having to use my sacroiliac joint and it is severely inflamed.  I will continue to take my anti-inflammatory more regularly.  It is a stronger medication mainly used for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.  Main thing, I am not relying on pain pills.  Stretching and anti-inflammatory medication only.  Now, for the fusion part.

It was originally suggested that I would in deed need back surgery.  That was the only way to get relief.  What we found out yesterday was awesome and such a relief to hear.  With the rate of degeneration, the disc will completely degenerate.  When this happens, or in the process of, new bone will grow and my two vertebrae will actually fuse themselves!!  This is where they came up with the surgery to begin with.  This is just natural and takes a little time to allow it to occur which could mean quite a bit of pain.  I am so used to pain anyway, I think I'll be okay.

As I explained to Rusty, it is very depressing to go to bed in pain, wake up in the middle of the night in pain, get up in the morning in pain and so on and so on.  What was even more awesome was how happy Rusty was to hear the news.  As he put it, there is light at the end of the tunnel.  I can actually look forward to it getting better instead of wondering IF it will.