#357: not on the ball
The sciatica in my left leg was like fire the day before my third shot. I'm allowed three every six months, and since I was doing relatively well, I saved the last one.
I don't think I've ever felt anything more painful in my life. It reminded me of the feeling you get when you bite down on a piece of popcorn, and it hits a nerve. It was like that for a long, long time. I was crying. I didn't think it would ever end. The doctor said he blew some air in there first, and the nerve reacted to that, so he knew it was going to hurt.
I don't know if I can go through that again.
But my back feels so much worse now than it did before I went in. I've been good with PT and doing my exercises and walking. But I just can't keep myself from swelling up in there. I know it takes five days or more just to START working, but I feel a little hopeless.
After my shot, my doctor told me to go on Cymbalta, to try it for three months to see if it helps with the nerve pain. It will take a week to know.
There are a few side effects. First, I feel like a zombie. I drove to PT this morning behind a car going 15 miles per hour, and I did not cuss at the driver or glare at him when the road became two lanes, and I could pass. I feel like I'm wearing a visor. My mouth is dry, and I'm thirsty all the time. And I can't eat. I couldn't even eat two bites of carrot cake.
I'm also really lethargic. When I'm out and about, I can walk up and down the stairs and talk and smile, but when I'm home, I just lie around and pay serious attention to TV. I just stare at it.
I hope this part goes away. But I could dig the not eating part.
I haven't had any beer, either, and I poured an inch of wine tonight but had no desire to drink it.
I know there are lots of people out in the world who hurt way worse than I do. And I feel like a whiny baby. But it's been a long time since I've felt really, really good.
When will that happen again?
#357: not on the ball
The sciatica in my left leg was like fire the day before my third shot. I'm allowed three every six months, and since I was doing relatively well, I saved the last one.
I don't think I've ever felt anything more painful in my life. It reminded me of the feeling you get when you bite down on a piece of popcorn, and it hits a nerve. It was like that for a long, long time. I was crying. I didn't think it would ever end. The doctor said he blew some air in there first, and the nerve reacted to that, so he knew it was going to hurt.
I don't know if I can go through that again.
But my back feels so much worse now than it did before I went in. I've been good with PT and doing my exercises and walking. But I just can't keep myself from swelling up in there. I know it takes five days or more just to START working, but I feel a little hopeless.
After my shot, my doctor told me to go on Cymbalta, to try it for three months to see if it helps with the nerve pain. It will take a week to know.
There are a few side effects. First, I feel like a zombie. I drove to PT this morning behind a car going 15 miles per hour, and I did not cuss at the driver or glare at him when the road became two lanes, and I could pass. I feel like I'm wearing a visor. My mouth is dry, and I'm thirsty all the time. And I can't eat. I couldn't even eat two bites of carrot cake.
I'm also really lethargic. When I'm out and about, I can walk up and down the stairs and talk and smile, but when I'm home, I just lie around and pay serious attention to TV. I just stare at it.
I hope this part goes away. But I could dig the not eating part.
I haven't had any beer, either, and I poured an inch of wine tonight but had no desire to drink it.
I know there are lots of people out in the world who hurt way worse than I do. And I feel like a whiny baby. But it's been a long time since I've felt really, really good.
When will that happen again?