Running Through Their Hoops

Sciatica Part 3

I am happy to report my physical condition is in the best shape since my initial disability due to sciatica and in some way superior as I’m at a proper weight and my exercises, stretching and weight training have improved my health. So this Thanksgiving 2010 I have much to be thankful for- now back to October 2003.

I expected that that I would get relief for the pain and my body would be back to normal in a month. I was sadly mistaken. The delay from Friday evening to Monday evening in seeing a doctor must have caused further irritation to my sciatic nerve. My doctor not writing any prescriptions took its toll on my condition, from October 20 to January 26 –in three months I had lost muscle mass in my right leg. I was in pain and had difficulty standing and walking. During this time period I was bounced around from my primary doctor to a neurologist then was sent for a MRI and back to my doctor again in January.

Then I was sent to a pain clinic and to a neurosurgeon. I didn’t make an appointment to the pain clinic but went to see the neurosurgeon. I gave this a lot of thought writing down a detailed history of my condition back to June 1998 forward. The doctor looked at my questions then told me that they were indeed excellent questions but that this was only a consultation and it would cost $1,000,000.00 to answer all my questions! Then he sent me to Centinella Hospital to get another MRI with some technical jargon why the first MRI wasn’t clear enough. I had the MRI as instructed then returned to see the brain doctor.

I had also started seeing a chiropractor in February and also purchased an inversion swing to relieve pressure on my lower back. My progress was so slow that I wondered if I would ever be able to walk briskly and run again. I would go to Hermosa Beach after work and walk on the strand listening to music and people watching. Pier Avenue is a steep slope from the beach area to Pacific Coast Highway. Climbing up this slope was very difficult.

In returning to the neurosurgeon, the first words out of the brain doctors mouth were: “I’ve got good news for you- there’s nothing wrong with your back!”

Well exxcusssssssssseeeee meeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! I was still suffering. No apologies to Steve Martin.

The brain doctor pushed me off on a pain clinic doctor so I made the appointment. At the appointment the doctor wrote two scripts, one for a muscle relaxer and another drug that is commonly given to Epileptics. We discussed having a steroid- cortisone injection into my spine. I knew that athletes had them for pain so I gave my approval.