Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

When we last left off, I was complaining about my back. Since that last post, I heard back from my doctor re: the MRI and she suggested a spine doctor. So I went and saw him and I ended up crying, so that ended up well.

It actually ended up being OK. But I just have to say, Residents are the worst. I’m all for teaching and learning, but I don’t think Residents should be allowed to diagnose anything without talking to the ACTUAL DOCTOR. And that is what happened to me when this fucking guy told me there was NOTHING wrong with my back and there was no explanation for the excruciating pain I was in. So I cried.

And then this fucker said “oh, you were hoping for a quick fix?” No, jackass. I was hoping there was an explanation for this and that there was something I could do so I could just stand without wanting to cry. So he said “well let me go give my report to the doctor and he’ll come in.”

Thank God for the DOCTOR. Because he came in and was like “yep, see this (pointing to MRI), that’s a disc bulging and pushing on your nerve.” And I was like “wait, so we have an explanation for my pain?” And he said yep! It totally corresponds to exactly what you’re feeling! His recommendation was to do a steroid injection to decrease the swelling and inflammation and go from there.

(He also told me that I have a disc bulge higher up in my spine that should 100% be causing me issues and it isn’t. Bodies are weird, man.)

So I had my steroid injection last week. It went fine. I had zero idea what to expect (my sister has had several and all hers have all been totally different), but it was fine. The radiologist said that the disc bulge actually looked like a bone spur, like the facet joint on my spine was twice the size of what it should be and it was really compressing that nerve. This was the first I had heard of a bone spur, but regardless of what it is, he said the injection should help.

He had a hell of a time getting in there, because the bone spur/disc bulge left a very narrow entry into that nerve area, but after many, many pokes, he got in there. And when he injected the steroid, I felt a sensation go right down my leg, right where the worst of the pain always is, so we know he “hit” the right spot.

The injection takes 7-14 days to really kick in. It’s been 7 days today and I can tell it is better. It’s not 100% better, but I have noticed that there is less shooting pain down my leg when I’m standing. I actually went for a casual walk with a friend yesterday, it was about 2 miles, and it wasn’t horrible. I had to bend over to stretch a few times, but it was noticeably better than before the shot. Before physical therapy and the shot, I couldn’t walk a block without wanting to cry, so this is MUCH better! So yay!

In other news, I bought my donor eggs! It was the most expensive baker’s half dozen eggs, but I am praying it will all be worth it! But it did make me wonder “where’s the Aldi of donor egg banks?” (KIDDING!)

So we’re still aiming for a May transfer! My next step is calling the clinic when I get my April period (which will be in a few days). I can’t believe it’s getting so close!