Friday, July 25, 2008

Back Board Yet?

As seen on this site, here is a good explanation to the pain I been dealt. My Doctor called today and he came in on his day off to splain to me whats wrogn with my back The MRI shows I have a slight bulge (Shaddup!) on the front side of the disc, away from the nerve. That is probably why I am not in constant pain, and it only bothers me when standing. ...yes I REALLY wanted to say "when erect." Shaddup!!

A bulging disk is a condition related to the spine, usually the lumbar, or lower back, that occurs when a disk bulges through a crevice in the spine. Disks are the soft, gelatinous material that cushions the vertebrae of the spine. A bulging disk occurs when the disk shifts out of its normal radius and most often occurs simply as a result of age.

A bulging disk is different from a herniated disk in that a bulging disk typically occurs gradually over time rather than suddenly. A herniated disk is often the result of an injury or trauma to the spine. In the majority of patients who experience a bulging disk, there is no pain unless the disk becomes herniated or protrudes into a nerve.

In many cases, a bulging disk may be diagnosed as a condition secondary to another problem. Because a bulging disk does not always cause pain, it may only be found during a routine or diagnostic imaging test such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Typically, a bulging disk is not a problem unless it begins to cause pain, becomes herniated or ruptures.

Treatment for a bulging disk or even a herniated disk is relatively conservative in most cases. Rest and lifting restrictions are common, and a doctor may recommend a combination of heat and ice therapy and anti-inflammatory medications or cortisone injections. Medication may be prescribed to deal with any associated pain.

Long story short: I am either too freakin old or too freakin fat. The bastard might as well have called me short and bald and cover all the freakin bases. Pay the lady $75 on the way out the door.

5 comments:

Avitable said...

My wife herniated a disc when she was 30 and had microsurgery done on it and it fixed that disc. Unfortunately, she has a few other degenerative discs, so her back still hurts, but that one is right as rain now.

Kim said...

Oh man. What are you going to do about it? The ice like you said? Is there more you can do? I hope you start to feel better, now that you know the cause :)

Cris said...

Avitable: Do you think Amy could give me some lessons on how to "Man Up"? I keep getting told I whine like a little girl in my refusal to carry the lap top across country tomorrow.

Kilax: Well, I have found if I lean my butt again a wall and bend over so I am grabbing my ankles (man does this feel like the set-up for a dirty joke or what?!!) my back stretches and pops and... actually it feels as if whole tetonic plates shift inside me! But anyway, I think I need strretching exercises like this for about 30 minutes a day.

Dr. John does not think it will need surgury since it is so far away from the nerves. But the stretching is supposed to make the disc stronger. I was hoping to upgrade away from discs all together and go total USB port... but that might be the Hydrocodone talking.

Other than that I wa told to pop pills like I am Gregory House. Have I menioned I love my doctor?

Kim said...

I'm happy to hear it's something (seemingly) simple like that. Now, you just have to make sure you do it each day... :-P

Cris said...

Each day? I thought Y2Kete was going to kill me as about every ten minutes I HAD to bend over and grab my ankles as my spine began clattering like an automatic weapon. I ended up carrying my personal laptop anyway. I am not a control freak, I just don't trust anybody else to do what I want. See!! I am normal!