Saturday, July 05, 2014

My Half Empty Cup


It is easy to see the cup as half full rather than half empty when it is not your cup.

About a month ago the sciatica pain I sometimes suffer from returned.  I noticed it slowly getting worse every day so I promptly called my pain doctor, made an appointment and then arranged for the much dreaded epidural steroid shot.  By the day of the shot, the pain was awful, but I was confident that I would be walking with a minimum amount of pain in a day as that is what happened with this treatment two years ago.

By day 1 I felt a little better, by day 2 I felt I could walk and we headed to the beach.  Unfortunately the pain set in before I reached the sand but I hobbled through and managed to enjoy the day.  By day 4 I hurt but was not ready to stop so I headed to Gangster Museum on St. Marks Place with my husband and friends.  The pain started slow but increased to being unbearable.  Calls to the doctor were met with the word "patience" and it could take two weeks to work.  But, the pain grew worse and worse and finally I got in touch with the doctor to get a pain killer.  I read the side effects of this new pill and was not happy so I tried to stick to taking them only before bedtime.  Yesterday I decided to give them a chance during the day.  MISTAKE!  Nausea and dizziness came along with pain relief.  I preferred the pain.

Today, almost two weeks after the shot, I am able to walk again and only have slight, bearable discomfort.

Over the weekend I sat and cried.  I saw myself never getting better, never being able to live the life I loved.  The inactivity I have been living is killing me.  Not being able to walk and run is not sitting well with me.  My closest friend was diagnosed with lung cancer in October.  She has been forced to give up work, going out, her hair, and everything she loves but still she was not depressed.  She met every phase of her recovery with a smile and a belief that what she was going through now was only a temporary set back.  Her illness is life threatening.  Mine isn't.  Her cup was never being emptied.  I wish I had her attitude.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you tried acupuncture for your sciatic pain? I believe it's quite effective.

Anonymous said...

Do you take magnesium? Lack of magnesium is linked to sciatica. Try magnesium citrate 400mg. x 2, even up to x 4 before you go to bed.

The French have a great combo Magne-B6. This is taken several times a year to keep everyone feeling good. We don't know too much over here.

Try the magnesium and report back to us!

Anonymous said...

I have sciatica but fortunately have found an exercise that keeps it at bay.

My current problem is Achilles tendon inflammation. I've been told 3 weeks before I'm back to my normal self.