Pain, Pain & More Pain

So yesterday I had an appointment with my Doctor at The Pain Management Clinic. In a previous post I wrote a little about what I have been going through with my back injury. To briefly re-cap; I have disc bulging in C6-C7, L4-L5 and L5-S1. No, I wasn't in a car accident, nor did I have a fall or any other such mishap. I've been a bartender off and on for over 20 years and the bending, lifting & repetitive motion finally got the best of me.

The main area of problem for me is my low back. I have been taking a pretty heavy dose of pain meds every four hours since April of this year. I have had 3 rounds of Facet Injections, 2 Epidurals and none of those injections has given me any relief. Yesterday I found out what's next.

I will be having a Provocative Discogram. Sounds kinda sexy, I know, but it's so NOT sexy. Basically, my Doctor will be inserting a rather large needle into my 2 bulging discs in my low back. Through this needle, I will be injected with a dye to determine if the layers of my discs are cracked. When disc layers are compromised, the soft protein-like jelly that makes up the core of the disc leaks out and the body attacks it as if it is a foreign material, thus causing pain and inflammation. I will be awake and alert during this procedure because the dye is supposed to "re-create" the pain and I need to be able to let my Doctor know if this is what is happening. I'm told it is an absolutely horrific experience. In my research, I have found that some patients who've had this done describe it as "barbaric." Cool, huh? I am not looking forward to it in the least but I know that it must be done to determine the next course of action.

If the Discogram is positive, I will then undergo the IDET procedure. The prospect of this happening is even scarier than the Discogram. The following was copied from a Spine Institute website;

"SpineCATH IDET Therapy is usually performed on an outpatient basis. Local anesthesia and mild sedation may be used to reduce discomfort during the procedure. You will be awake and alert so that you can provide important feedback to the physician. With the guidance of x-ray images, your physician will advance a needle into the disc. The SpineCATH catheter will be passed through the needle and into the disc.Once it is in the appropriate position, the temperature of the heating section of the catheter will be gradually increased, raising the disc wall temperature. During the heating protocol, your physician will monitor your condition and comfort level closely. You will most probably feel a reproduction of your usual lower back pain. This is a strong indication that the heat is being applied to the appropriate areas."

Oh my, oh my, oh my. The description is quite sterile, however in my research I've read patient descriptions of their own experiences and it's not pretty. On the one hand, I am terrified and on the other, I just want to do whatever it takes to get my life back.

I haven't made my appointment yet, as I am waiting for someone in Patient Services to call me back about the cost of these procedures. As I stated in an earlier post, I am un-insurable for my back, so all of my medical bills are totally out of pocket. I need to know ahead of time so I can get my finances in order in time. I could go on and on about my opinions about the health care crisis in the U.S., but I won't. I'm just so tired of it all.

Living with constant pain sucks, lemme tell ya. I try so hard to maintain my positive mind-set but some days it's just so hard to do. I'm only 41, I have so much living left to do.