I See Right Thru You
In January of 1998, I played my last game of ice hockey.
I came off the ice in considerable pain, thinking I had pulled a muscle or two, but since that last play on the ice, I have been in constant pain 24 hours a day. Mostly the pain is in my right leg and foot, although I sometimes feel it in my lower back and butt.
There are days when it is so painful that it incapacitates me and I'm forced to stay at home clouded in a codeine haze.
The problem clearly indicates some pressure on my sciatic nerve, but the argument is the origin of the distress.
I have been to my doctor a number of times, a back specialist (twice), a sports doctor, 2 massage therapists, 2 physio therapists, a chiropractor and a few other assorted medical professionals. There have been a few theories as to the origin of the pain, the two main ones being:
Over the years, I have been given exercises and suggestions for respite, including: stretching, swimming, yoga, pilates and isometric exercises. None of them worked.
So, back in March 2000, I sat in my back specialists office (for the second time) discussing my progress. He decided that a referral for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging - provides cross-sectional images of the body) would be an appropriate course of action, to determine what was causing my sciatic nerve to be signalling pain up to my brain.
Since that day, I have heard nothing from his office, BC Medical or my own doctor.
After some coaching from some friends, I returned to my doctor's office with new resoleve: I was not going to leave until I got a guarantee that I would be scheduled for an MRI. He agreed that 30 months is an inordinate timescale (the usual wait is 6 months -- at the longest), so he would see what he could do to expedite the process.
Let's hope I get under the electronic eye soon. The pain is keeping me up at night and I think I've developed a permanent resistance to Advil, Tylenol and Bufferin.
I came off the ice in considerable pain, thinking I had pulled a muscle or two, but since that last play on the ice, I have been in constant pain 24 hours a day. Mostly the pain is in my right leg and foot, although I sometimes feel it in my lower back and butt.
There are days when it is so painful that it incapacitates me and I'm forced to stay at home clouded in a codeine haze.
The problem clearly indicates some pressure on my sciatic nerve, but the argument is the origin of the distress.
I have been to my doctor a number of times, a back specialist (twice), a sports doctor, 2 massage therapists, 2 physio therapists, a chiropractor and a few other assorted medical professionals. There have been a few theories as to the origin of the pain, the two main ones being:
- Herniated Disc (compression of my lower spine)
- Sacroiliac problems (my tailbone and hip are not functioning properly)
Over the years, I have been given exercises and suggestions for respite, including: stretching, swimming, yoga, pilates and isometric exercises. None of them worked.
So, back in March 2000, I sat in my back specialists office (for the second time) discussing my progress. He decided that a referral for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging - provides cross-sectional images of the body) would be an appropriate course of action, to determine what was causing my sciatic nerve to be signalling pain up to my brain.
Since that day, I have heard nothing from his office, BC Medical or my own doctor.
After some coaching from some friends, I returned to my doctor's office with new resoleve: I was not going to leave until I got a guarantee that I would be scheduled for an MRI. He agreed that 30 months is an inordinate timescale (the usual wait is 6 months -- at the longest), so he would see what he could do to expedite the process.
Let's hope I get under the electronic eye soon. The pain is keeping me up at night and I think I've developed a permanent resistance to Advil, Tylenol and Bufferin.
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