Friday, May 11, 2007

A 12lb Cat Is Too Heavy

Crap.  I’d hoped that my “Diary of a Herniated Disc” category was pretty much over and done with, but a couple of weeks ago I hurt my back.  I’m not sure if it was because I lifted the 15lb dog or if it was just sitting at my desk too much.  I didn’t feel much pain after the initial pain of lifting the dog, but since the pain started not long afterwards, it could’ve been the culprit.  I have had zero back pain since I had my surgery.  It was so great!  The occasional hip pain, but it wasn’t a constant in my life.  I was ready to celebrate being cured for good.  Yay!  Then, I’ve had the bad back pain for a couple of weeks, at least, now.  After I sit for even short periods of time, when I get up, I can’t straighten up all the way for a few minutes.  Still, it was getting better.  I’ve still used up too many pain pills (NOT Rudy Giuliani’s fault, even though I never really liked him in the first place - feel free to read my comments on the ABC site linked), and that’s frustrating.  I don’t want to need higher doses of meds.  I am by no means an addict, but higher doses cost more money and I used up all of my pharmacy benefits for the year at the end of March.  Nice, huh?  Anyway, to get to the 12lb cat.  I just went to pick him up to move him out of the way of one of the dogs eating rawhide.  In general, the dogs are great with the cats, but I thought it was just as easy for me to put him on the freezer, about four feet above the dog.  I lifted him about a foot off the ground and got a terrible pain in my back.  I don’t WANT to blow out another disc.  I HATED surgery, or rather the whole process of it all.  The surgery itself was not fun, but tolerable.  I hated hobbling around for several weeks before I felt that I could walk like a normal human being.  It also hurt more than I expected.

Just today, I picked a prescription refill at my doctor’s office.  I have to drive all the way down there to pick up a stupid piece of paper, because they can’t call in an Oxycodone prescription.  I don’t know why they can’t figure out a way that allows them to fax it in and have the pharmacy call them back to confirm it, but why oh why should they make things easier for people in pain?  It’s a big inconvenience for me, and I know there are people who need the refills who are in A LOT more pain than I am.  We all have to do everything to protect the drug addicts.  Our Sudafed is locked up, and people on the ABC site who are commenting on the Giuliani/OxyContin story are asking for OxyContin to be banned, because someone in their family got addicted.  How is it my fault that their family member got addicted?  People who abuse substances can find lots of substances to abuse - why punish the people who need the meds just because others won’t use them properly?  How can you punish someone who is in pain from cancer, because some idiot wants to crush up an extended release pill to snort?  How is that fair?  Anyway, this is a long rant mostly to say, it’s kind of scary having back pain.  I didn’t have back pain when I needed the surgery, the pain was in my legs.  But, I still occasionally have pain in my legs, so it’s scary.  On my last visit to the back surgeon in March, he thought I was doing so well that he scheduled my next appointment for September.  I think I may have to go back early if this pain doesn’t go away.  Leigh-Ann and I were wondering if he could maybe tell just by examining me and watching me walk, if there was a problem bigger than the reoccurrence of the back pain I’ve had off and on for years.  I just can’t afford any more medical bills.  Gah!

There was good news about going to the doctor.  It wasn’t far to Chinatown, so I went to Volcano Tea and picked up Boba Milk Tea and some Red Bean Shaved Ice.  I planned ahead and took an ice chest with ice-packs inside because the trip almost 15 miles back to the house, and I had a couple of other stops to make.  It was also 90+ degrees out.  Happily, the shaved ice made it home in good shape.

Okay, I have to finish ranting because we have haircuts at 12:45p, it’s 4:15am now.  Blech, too little sleep again, especially because we have to get up for the exterminator’s monthly visit.  We napped for a few hours after the Ottawa Senators/Buffalo Sabres game though, so perhaps that will help.

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1. Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about your poor back! That’s awful.  Sending sympathy waves westward.

   Helly  on  05/11  at  07:54 AM

2. So sorry to read that you find yourself in such pain again. And I agree with you re Oxycontin and pain meds generally. Helping and preventing addiction should not stop those who genuinely need pain relief from having access to what they need.

   laurie  on  05/11  at  09:27 AM

3. Oh, man, Flippy, I’m so sorry to hear you’ve got back pain again.  No fair!

   Nancy  on  05/11  at  06:39 PM

4. I’m so sorry to hear about you going through back pain again. I know how it is - I’m having an episode now, and have to do my blogging, etc with Dragon Naturally Speaking.

   I have spinal degenerative disorder and it’s been an on again off again nightmare for 14 years. I’d be fine for six to eight months, then in horrible pain again. I’d lose weight after a recovery period, only to gain weight when I was made immobile, you know the drill. And just the thought that the pain meds, which I only take when the pain gets Really bad, could be taken away from me because other people aren’t being responsible, makes me feel like I’m going insane.

   Your blog saved me from near-suicidal thoughts of wanting to do anything - ANYTHING - to end my pain about a month ago. Thank you so much for writing this - I was starting to think I was nuts.

   That day, I read every single herniated disc entry and thought, wow, this person understands. Having had more than one herniation, and apparently being prone to more,  is what makes me want to stay away from surgery, so I’m delighted to hear that it works in some cases. (I get treated mostly by a Chiropractor when I’m living in the DC area. It’s $150 a visit, not a cure-all, and not covered, but being pain-free for months at a time is worth it.)

   I wish you all the best and will pray that this is a blip on the radar for you and not the start of the seemingly endless cycle of pain some of your fellow back-pain brethren find ourselves in. Thank you so much for this blog.

   Tinu  on  05/14  at  09:48 AM

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