Ruptured Disc

Well, I guess it is time for an update on my life. The most impressive thing that has happened over the last 4 months, and something I have been dealing with and coping for the same amount of time, is a ruptured disc in my lower back.

It happened June 2, 2006. I was home for lunch after being at a chiropractic appointment that morning. I was being treated for a low back strain that I had gotten the weekend before; and was feeling quite a bit better, with just residual muscle pain from my back being out of sorts for the week.

Well, that all changed when I went to set my plate of food down on the table and my back decided to give way. It was like my back back bent in a place it wasn't supposed to, about 6-8 inches above my waist, where peoples backs normally don't bend like that. Anywho... it was the worst pain that I had ever felt in my life, including breaking arms, slamming fingers in doors, droping heavy things on my toes, or even what I remember of almost amputating my toes with a shovel when I was a small child. I could barely breathe, the pain was so intense, and my first thought, was; "Oh, crap. That's not good".

Well, long story short, I ended up in the ER that night. I was given pain drugs and told to stay on my back for the weekend and go see my primary doctor on Monday, which I did. My doctor had me on my back for a week to see if it would resolve itself, and when I was still in pain while on the pain drugs the following Friday, I was scheduled get an MRI on my back that day and to see a Neural Surgeon on Monday.

It took the Neural Surgeon about 5 minutes to show me the ruptured disc about 4 vertibae above my tailbone and explain to me that it was one of the biggest ones he had seen. My options were to wait and see if the ruptured disc corrected itself or correct it with surgery, which was his recommendation. There was a very small chance a rupture of that size would correct itself.

Gotta go for now... to be continued... with pictures.