Chronic Pain

In June or July I started having significant pain radiating down my right leg.  I'm a back surgery survivor if you will - having had a laminectomy in 1995 between S1 and L5.  The pain was familiar, but add to that a new twist with new pain in my front right thigh compounded with a nasty heel spur that just wasn't going away.  Finally I had testing done.  Uncountable x-rays, a whole morning of multiple MRIs - one that included a most painful injection into my right hip.  The diagnosis - torn right hip cartilage, complete medial meniscus tear in my right knee with an additional tear of the lateral meniscus in the same knee.  And of all the scans, my back looked the best, but for some reason the sciatic nerve is inflamed.  Maybe because most of my right leg joints are messed up.

I've since visited a pain specialist and an orthopedic specialist.  We are not doing any knee surgery yet.  On top of the meniscal tears, I have so much arthritis in my knee, that even if he fixed the tears, I would not have any less pain.  So until the knee completely fails we do nothing - except physical therapy twice a week.  If I want a cortisone injection, I'm welcome to it.  But for now I've declined.  I'm scheduled for a lumbar epidural injection in January and from there we will decide if I need an injection in my hip.  Fun stuff. 

I've avoided prescription pain killers and I am in significant pain every day.  There are good days where I can walk pretty well with low grade pain.  The physical therapy is helping and believe it or not I see a gym membership in my future.  Kind of ironic, eh?  For me?

This has been game changing for me in so many ways.  I don't want to spend my life in a wheelchair and I don't want to lose my freedom or independence.  I want my dogs in my life for a long time to come.  So I fight.

This ordeal has left me even more jaded - if this is possible.  Every day is a struggle.  My dogs are my haven for which I fight daily.  That will not change.  They make life worth it. 

So fair warning.  I don't feel well.  Enough said.