By the time this post auto-publishes, I'll be on the road to a local hospital for a procedure known as a caudal epidural injection. It's designed to inject medication to control nerve pain into the caudal space, a hollow channel running up through the base of the spine. It's an interim treatment for severe back pain and associated limitations on mobility. If it works, it'll buy me time to prepare for the major back surgery that I'm going to need relatively shortly. If it doesn't work, well, I won't be any worse off (apart from a punctured coccyx and a sore butt! The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune have nothing on the scalpels and needles of sadistic surgeons . . . )
I'm not looking forward to the procedure, but I don't have any alternative to it right now, so here's hoping. Prayers for medical success would be appreciated. I'm not sure who's the patron saint of injections through the butt into the spine, but if there is one, I'll gladly invoke their intercession! (Saint Sebastian was shot through by arrows: do you think he might qualify?)
Peter
May the LORD our God bless you and heal you, Peter, and may He plant a hedge around you to shield you from pain, and I pray this in His Son's Name.
ReplyDeleteI would expect it to help in the interim, generally good results, barring scar tissue in the epidural space. Not a cure, as you know, but there should be some relief. Prayers up for a good result.
ReplyDeletehope it works better for you than it did for me. had it done a few times before getting the big job done. like 4-6 hours in the OR and 3 hours waking up afterwards. long day. felt better though.
ReplyDeletemight have been all the MEDS too they gave me after it.
but nothing is going to make you "new or whole" again.
you get a bit better for a while. then something else acts up !
St Sebastian should work for you, besides, if the pain is bad enough, your butt will be in a sling. :-)
ReplyDeleteJohn in Indy
Hope it does what you need!
ReplyDeleteI take it that Gabapentine does not give you relief?
ReplyDeleteTry Wild Bills Miracle Balm that you get at a Dispensary. Yes, it has THC in it, but I find it really works wonders on my 83 year old strains and pains.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck Peter!
ReplyDeleteGAP. doesn't work for everyone. they put me on it years ago. and yes. it worked amazing for about 2 months at best. then if felt like I was on fire.
ReplyDeleteand yeah, I gotten burned bad enough a few times in the past so I knew what it was like.
and you just can not stop taking it. no. you have to taper off just like when you started it.
I was thankful I kept my old pain meds just in case. it got unreal and unbearable at times.
Prayers as always, my friend!
ReplyDelete