Hi all! I am finally feeling better (although still not 100%). Advil is now able to keep the pain at bay and as the days go by, the Neurosurgeon says time will heal it. I am soooo happy to hear that surgery is a last resort! I'm getting up and around now, and although I'm not allowed to bend, lift, stretch, clean or vacuum (jeez, what a shame -- thank you Merry Maids!), I am doing some cooking. The herniated disk is between L1-L2 and herniated toward the spine rather than out the side. That's the main reason surgery is a last resort. He would have to cut the bone of the spine to get to it and the herniation itself is located quite closely to my spinal cord which isn't a great thing either. Even with all said and done, the surgery would only carry a 60-70% success rate. No thanks. But like the surgeon said, the good part of where it is located and the size of it indicates that time should heal it. Taking it easy and not pushing myself is key. If the pain gets too bad, he indicated that I could get an epidural block, which would be a needle in my spine with quartizone (spelling?) and other meds to block the pain. Depending on the person, it could alleviate the pain for 1 day or up to 6 months per shot. I'm not a big fan of needles (so much so that I had my children naturally to avoid the epidural shot itself), so that will be a last resort for me for the pain. Right now two Advil 2-3 times a day is sufficient. So I AM healing! Yay!
The past week or so I have done a little quilting (in spurts) and finished a top for my sister's newly decorated hallway (it was an easy to piece top and is one of my UFO kits called Taffy Treats :o) ) and it is now at the quilter's waiting to be quilted. It will have a scalloped edge, which is new to me -- so keep your fingers crossed it turns out right. LOL! I'll post a pic when it's done. We s-t-i-l-l need a new camera, so I'm trying to talk hubby into it some time this week.
We also had our grandson this past weekend and I had him practicing his stitching at the sewing machine using lines printed on paper that I had drawn using my EQ program. He learned straight lines and pivoting. He enjoyed it a lot! Next visit I'll have him do more pivoting and move him on to following a curly-cue line. He catches on fast. I think I have a future quilter/sewist on my hands and couldn't be more tickled.
Recovering Nicely,
Suzy
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I get an epidural block every six months or so. I have had neck surgery on the injury with rod and pins inserted. Really prevents head movement. The dr want s to do 4 more...no thanks say I. So Epidurals are the way to go. Ask for sedation and you will not see a needle!
I am so sorry for your back. Two years ago, I had the surgery with the bone removed and the protruding pieces of disc removed. I still have some aching, but no real pain. but it is constant, not a fix with no pain at all. I will be anxious to hear how your back does...mine was L4-L5/S1.
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