OMGosh, I am so very sorry for the tardiness on this post.  I have been extremely busy, which is very good, especially in these times.  

It’s so hard to hear of anyone being in excruciating pain, but especially difficult when it’s hitting a dear friend.  I won’t mention her name directly at this time, but you can expect to hear her in the future as a guest on my podcast! 

Everyone’s journey with chronic pain is different, you will hear me say that over and over…but with her symptoms being similar to the ones I had experienced, I can empathize. 

 

She had excruciating pain with the medicine that was injected into the problematic area.   As the medication starts migrating into the area in question, it was giving her added pressure where she was initially feeling her pain.  With her diagnosis of Fibromyalgia from her doctor, we can only presume this was adding more pressure on her brainstem, stopping the blood flow to her muscles, which causes the muscles to react with pain. Fibromyalgia is still of those diagnoses which are still argued to be not that serious.  Only until you experience it yourself are you fully able to understand how debilitating it can be. I look forward to having her on the podcast where you will get to know her better.  

 

The update for me is all good news.  Both radiofrequency ablations are working on the problem site of L2-L3 on my spine.   We were also contacted by radiology.  My new spine surgeon said it would be a good idea to speak with the Interventional Radiologist about their new procedures for my condition.  After speaking with this doctor, he made us very comfortable with a 5-year trial surgery called interventional radiology, nerve-fraying, where he explained that instead of ablating the nerves in an area, he could pinpoint the nerve area in question, and with surgery, fray the nerves at the root.  He went on to explain that this should last between 3-5 years and would be a better route to go than the entire lumbar fusion.  If this works, I would only have to have this procedure done every 3-5 years.  I’d have my mobility, and range of motion to bend and twist fully.  They are going to do this as soon as the pain returns, which will probably be in 6-10 months.

 

Thank you for your patience on this post, and in advance for the next post, which will be late due to work. 

Photo Credit: Brandon Patricio.  Edited Credit: Amanda Gavin