Back on Track

Wow. It's been nearly a month since my last post, which makes this less of a blog and more of a billboard for an event that already passed. In other words, useless.

A quick summary of the last month though before I get going. The pain was getting worse and the workouts harder to do because of it, I was regressing instead of progressing and overall getting very frustrated. I hadn't given up on the idea of a triathlon, but wasn't sure if I really should be trying to since I still didn't know the cause of my back pain and whether I'd be making things worse or if I was on the right track.

So after my horrid visit to the doctor, had a rather comical visit for my MRI. I was scheduled for 9:40pm. This meant that I had to enter the facility through the emergency room. I parked off to the side of the ER and walked up a hill and across the parking lot (figured since I could at least sorta walk, I should leave the ER parking for people who might actually need it.)

I checked in and they sent me on this winding path through the ER to the elevators and told me that there are "lots of signs to MRI--just follow the signs."

I got out of the elevator and there were NO signs for MRI. Fortunately, there was a map. Unfortunately, the map was oriented incorrectly (I DO know how to read maps), and the first option of a route I picked led me to a janitorial closet. The second one led me to an area where I ended up being questioned as to what I was doing there. When I explained that I was trying to find the MRI center, I was then escorted back past the elevator to the opposite end of the building.

This took me about 15 minutes and I probably walked further than I did in some of my treadmill workouts. I got to the MRI center (finally) and they gave me the standard drawstring pants and see-through flappy hospital gown.

Now, I've joked before about needing size extra elephant for my ski pants, but this was ridiculous. I probably could have fit two of me into each leg. The pants were about a foot too long in addition to being too large. Since I also had to take off my bra and was trying to support/cover myself through the transparent gown, I was doing this weird shuffle walk because I was trying to hold up and cover the continental shelf up top while also holding up both pantlegs on the bottom so I wouldn't trip over them.

When the guy came to get me, he informed me I'd probably need my shoes because of where we had to walk. I went back in and sorta scooted into my shoes without pulling them on properly or tying them because I (incorrectly) assumed we wouldn't be walking terribly far.

He led me out into a hallway where there were normally dressed people walking around--including construction crews (did I mention they're remodeling the hospital?). So I'm still holding things up in front, drafty in the back, holding the whale pants up, which more makes me look like I have to pee and am trying to physically hold it in, and scuffling along in my tennis shoes that I hadn't bothered to put on properly. Add this to the fact that my face is still broken out in my weird rash and my hair is full of static from changing, and I'm quite a sight.

In other words, the only thing different between me and someone belonging in the funny farm is that I'm actually a bit self-conscious of my state.

To make it even more fabulous, my MRI tech then leads me OUTSIDE. In my current state of (un)dress, it's a tad bit cool. I look around and notice that we are literally walking through scaffolding and then we have to step aside for a construction worker shoving a loaded dolly cart through. We wind through the construction and into a mobile MRI unit which is, no joke, about 20 feet from where I parked.

The MRI only takes about 15-20 minutes during which I learn that
1) Apparently I AM claustrophobic
2) Breathing and closing my eyes only does so much for this when my arms and legs are touching the narrow chamber walls
3) Lying on my back is terribly uncomfortable and
4) This is the longest I've laid on my back in five and a half years.

When I finally get out of the chamber, I start talking to the tech, asking him what he did wrong that he gets sent out to the MRI doghouse to work while everyone else gets to be inside. I also comment that I have mixed feelings about the results in that I'm hoping that something IS wrong so that I'm NOT crazy and there IS an explanation for my pain, but that I don't actually want anything to be wrong because that wouldn't be a good thing.

I wait over three weeks for my results during which time I have my first PT visit (and find out I can't get in for my next visit for another month--gotta love Kaiser), and a "Taking Care of Your Back" class, which is all nice and good except that I know nearly everything presented and have been doing them already. When I still don't hear back from my doctor about the MRI, I finally call.

When I get the call back, I find out that I have a tear in the disc between L4 and L5 and the disc between L5 and S1 is protruding. I am referred to a Physiatrist.

In the meanwhile, I also start visiting my chiropractor again and getting some relief (finally) that is nonpharmaceutical and which is bridging the gap that the painkillers don't cover.

Today I got on the treadmill and went for one of my walk walk walk walk jog walk walk walk walk jog walk walk walks. Then I sat in the hot tub.