2007 has been a year of pain for me.  I came into the year with pretty bad upper back/shoulder/neck problems, two bad achilles, a sore left shoulder and a bad left elbow.  In late January I tweaked my right hamstring.  In late February I tore my left calf muscle.   Over six months later, this still hurts on every step.  In early July I strained my lower back.   In early August, I reinjured my lower back, prompting me to visit my general practitioner for some pain meds and a recommendation for a specialist/witch doctor who could help me stop this cycle of pain.

 

That led me to my appointment this afternoon with an orthopaedic specialist in sports medicine.  After writing the equivalent of a small book on their family history forms (again, why can’t the healthcare profession just have all our records in a computer database that can be shared??) and reading three horrible magazines that would never sell a copy outside of a doctor’s office, I finally get into see the doctor who patiently listens to my assorted list of ailments, and then politely tells me that since it was written on my referral that I was there for a lumbar strain, that is the only thing he is allowed to treat.

 

Deflated and dejected, I am led into a room where they take x-rays of my back, since it is the only thing they can treat.  They leave me standing in their ridiculously oversized patient-shorts long enough for me to start getting angry since I am convinced this is a waste of time because my back injury, while concerning, is probably just a muscle pull and not the ailment that most troubles me. (That distinction oscillates between my calf and my shoulders/neck - depending on if I am walking or watching TV.  I rarely do both at the same time -- unless I am running on my treadmill.  But then I am most concerned with my lungs bursting and taking a wrong step off the treadmill and being propelled into my computer.)

 

Finally they bring me back to the room where they show me my X-Ray and tell me that I have Spondylolysis.  Yes, I see the spell checker doesn’t recognize that word either.  Well, this is apparently a stress fracture in of of the vertebrae that make up the spinal column.  Yes -- I have a broken back!  The doctor tells me no running, no jumping, no impact-related activities and no lifting until I see a spinal surgeon!?!  

 

He’s worried that I may have or be in danger of having Spondylolisthesis (stumped the spell-checker again!) which is when the fracture gap widens (mine looked pretty wide on the X-Ray) and the fifth lumbar vertebra shifts.  This can cause spasms and can begin to compress the nerves and narrow the spinal canal.  Treatment for this condition may require spinal fusion!

 

Yeah, so I am a bit freaked out.  Feel like the wind has been knocked out of me and I am also really fatigued.  Got my appointment with a spinal surgeon for this Friday.  Hmm...I wonder how much sleep I’ll be getting between now and then.