Sorting out my back – 20 April 2018

So… a bit of history on my back… My lower back has given me trouble on and off for about 10 years, I guess. Nothing major, just a bit of lower back pain if I stood for too long or did too much heavy lifting. It started getting a bit worse about 3 years ago and interfering with my life adversely and I started seeing a physio.

Long story short, the physio treatment would resolve the issue in the short term but we were not making any progress on a long term solution.

So, I was referred to a spinal surgeon. An MRI revealed nothing unusual which in itself is apparently ‘not unusual’ but does not mean that there is nothing going on. So the consultant suggested some injections into my facet joints which can often be the cause of this kind of pain. The injections are the starting point for identifying what might be going on…

The first round of injections worked well and relieved the pain for about 2 months… it was a real eye opener as to the things I had automatically started avoiding doing…When the injections wore off, I went for a second lot which afforded some relief but not as successful as the first time around. (Both occasions required a general anaesthetic, so I was happy…). The injections are not an exact science and not always effective but as the first lot were, this indicated that the facet joints probably are the issue. So, the next recommended course of action is a procedure called ‘rhizolysis’.

“Rhizolysis is a specialised form of treatment and is also known as RF (radiofrequency) Lesioning. The aim is to cause heat damage to the nerves that supply the facet or sacroiliac joints to stop it sending signals back to the spine.”    spirehealthcare.com

So, that is what I had done on Wednesday (2 days ago). And it is VERY sore. But then my back was pretty sore anyway so….

It turns out that the treatment is a little more intense than I thought. I am not sure whether I don’t listen or if I block out the detail when things are being explained to me (probably a combination of the 2…). I thought it was just a needle based procedure, but they have actually made some small incisions and I do have stitches… Nothing major, it is just more than I was anticipating. I was also given an epidural to help with initial pain relief. That one was a new one on me and I didn’t like it. It took a while to wear off and my legs kept buckling under me. I am used to my legs being a little unco-operative at times but this was a whole new realisation of the possible future outcomes for me. And I did not like it.

Thankfully I am now back to my usual levels of mobility. My back is very sore, but that will pass and hopefully my back will be better and stop having an impact on my ability to move around.

I had a great night’s sleep last night – the first time that I have slept through in a while and the sun is out and I am feeling very positive :).