all i needed was a P.T. who knew what she was doing!!

(realize I might be repeating myself, but I have new readers...I'm sorry to the ones who've read this before...)

when i first hurt myself many moons ago the early spring of 2000 while working with the hospital i first injured my back. they told me it was a simple muscle tear/sprain...

(fyi... current doc says most likely it was a small herniation of L4/L5 even THEN and since they didn't do an MRI or an exray we'll never know...)

I had physical therapy for a month and it consisted of me lying on my side/stomach on my right side while the PT massaged me with a sonic massager. Before and after we'd do little stretches bit by bit until I was aaaallll better. I love'd my PT. He was a handsome older therapist!! very Strong but also Gentle! and very very nice!!

In November of 05 I did a major herniation at the L4/L5 level on thanksgiving morning. Spent many hours in the hospital on morphine, needed so much help to just breathe, it was serious pain!! I was on some opiates (sp?) and other drugs that are related to cocaine, etc... but hey, it helped!!

I went to physical therapy everyday for a month, then everyother day for a month and then 2x a week and then finally once a week... a total of 4 months or so-ish. THAT therapist was a harsh but gentle lady my (then) age who did daddy's PT when he had knee surgery. She would start me with heat and traction then we'd do small stretches and we'd put that herniated beast back into its place!! it took 4 months but damnit we were going to do it! and they were talking about removing part of the disc at that point and I wasn't gonna have it!!

i was mostly pain free until a year ago. granted I had my moments in pain but nothing severe enough to warrant going to a doc... I have no idea what i did to agrivate it but we do know that I have another disc that is trying to herniate/has a small herniation, but its not what's causing my issue. my issues is still that L4/L5 on the left side from thanksgiving 2005.

this is normal: disc) lspine
this is abnormal: disc>1spine

you get it? its bulging INTO the spinal column. I have alot of shooting pain and numbness in my legs. I lurch when I walk sometimes... I have less sensation in the left legg than i do the right.

back to my story:

so we all know that tummy is bad for me and i have lots of pain when lying on my tummy. and we know that last year when I tried to go to PT I went 3x, the eval girl was great but the therapist was a bitch. she'd say "bend over until it hurts" all the time! ok now hold it... what?! its not letting up, if it'd let up i'd understand... anyways, i'd always leave in more pain and never got anywhere... seemed like to me she didn't believe that I was in pain.

which leads me to today's therapy session. we did the range of motion test. and we talked about lying on my stomach. she said "when you have the epi they put you on your tummy... i know it hurts but we can try it a minute and i'll start massaging as soon as your on your tummy........ if you can't handle this, we stop. but I honestly think that this is going to help you or else I'd never suggest it."

omigod

that was what i needed!! i started to finally not feel the leg pain anymore. it was down to 2 when i went in at a 7. at first my back increased to 10++ but once she started massaging it down and using the warming gell I was down to 4 and then we did electro pulses afterwards.

now, it wasn't a cure-all. when I stood up of course and started moving around again I had the back pain and the pain into my leg is still easing up. we walked around Jewel and by the time we were done grocery shopping I felt very very minimal leg pain!! I am so absolutely thrilled! I couldnt be happier!

I just hope that the PT I see for now on will be as wonderful as this girl! She better be, we have the exact same name!!! First Middle and Last! How insane is that?! Only in chicago I tell you!!

I go back on Thursday and then Friday is my other epidural. PLEASE gods let this work, I don't want a spinal fusion!!!