Steve Can Walk

I got up and wasn't in pain.
I stand on my right leg!

I walked a few blocks
around town this morn

I woke up and I wasn't in pain. OMG.  What a long haul.

Lessons
Self-care. I've learned to go to Kaiser aggressively and be a pest. Change doctors, insist on an MRI. That's the lesson. Use all the services. Take care of your back.

Doctors don't say anything – ever, no promises of any kind. Liability I guess.

I'm setting up an appointment for a second shot in my right side because I still have some ache and I suspect that I will need another shot to quell it.

Bent to the Left

Finally got the wierd MRI software to show me a pic of my spine. This is not a striaght line. I was shocked when I saw the X-ray 3 weeks ago, the MRI looks better to me. Jumbled and leaning left

TUESDAY 18th!

I got my appointment with the robot -for the injection moved up to the 18th. I can't wait to start feeling better and walking more. I've been studying the research I find on line and it's not helpful.

80% Chance of success with shots

I have an appt on the 20th, but am also on the wait list now-- it takes forever with Kaiser.

Mine's Bigger!  About twice as big, ut feels ten times as bi

Prognosis: Good

I went away from the meeting with the doctor feeling good about my prognosis. I had a pretty bad weekend but I've been stretching more and doing the approved yoga poses (approved by my sports medicine doctor).

CLARITY
I'm really happy to have a clear concept of what is happening and what can provide relief. And that the symptoms are all created by the impacted spine nerves – and aren't real. I had severe hip joint pain – that is just an illusion -- as well as nausea. And lower abdomen muscle pain.

DISCIPLINE
This is proving to be a huge self-discipline challenge. After reading research from a Santa Monica Dr. Morris, I decided that the solution is to do everything: Inversion therapy, ice packs, yoga, cortisone shots, gym exercises, physical therapy, Meditation and maybe even acupuncture and continued ibuprofen and nutraceuticals --

Chiropractic is one of the least effective treatments.

I am going to start the Cortizone shots and physical therapy in two weeks – hopefully the cortisone shots will get me to a point of being able to do more exercise.

STEWPOT o'OUTCOMES
But here is the back rub – everybody seems to be different and everybody seems to have different outcomes and circumstances...

SURGERY
A surgical intervention is the last resort but it's exactly what my doctor and a couple of people I know have done – and it's been successful and the kind of intervention it was is not very invasive and pretty simple-If gross.  They open up the back and scrape the disc trimming it down physically so that it stops pressing against the spinal cord and nerves.
--And then the problem is solved.

KASIER
Here's what I say. Get healthcare and aggressively pursue it – because HMOs are not that interested - unless they think it's going to lead to a lawsuit or something really expensive. They are busy and don't have time to chitchat. With Kaiser, you have to make all your appointments immediately because it takes two weeks to see anyone or get anything done-And then each thing after that takes two more weeks. Also the first doctor I had up here in Nor Cal was not the least bit interested didn't offer any solutions - she just said it was a shame I was in pain.

So shop your doctors and pester them.

Steve