State of the Back - Part 2 - Trip to the doctor
So back on September 13th I went to the doctor about my back. Basically she said I was doing everything right (massage, trying to stretch more, not doing any heavy lifting). I’d taken anti-inflammatories for a bit, but mostly only when the pain got bad. She wanted me to try them on a regular basis and gave me a prescription for 800mg ibuprofen.
The next day I was really in a weird head space. I wasn’t in any pain, but my right foot was still doing that odd numb thing, which is why I was worried about a pinched nerve or something. I did a little Googling about ibuprofen and discovered that one of the side effects is flatulence. *boggles* I decided to take it anyways. =P
Within a week or two my pain was much better, and the numbness down my right calf and in foot was a lot less. Although there were still times when standing too long or walking too far would bring back the ache and numbness. It’s been a while since the pain is so bad that I want to cry.
So Friday I had a follow up visit with my doctor about my back. Things have been changing in her building, which is in a medical professionals park. The imaging business downstairs, where I’ve had X-rays and my yearly mammogram has moved to another building across the parking lot. Several of the offices have signs saying they’ve moved to another suite or building. This time, my doctor’s office had a note too. They were two doors further down the hall. They have a nice new office, very bright and much larger. But they’re still finishing it. There was plastic sheeting across one wall in the back, and there were sounds of loud hammering and sawing coming through the walls from the next room.
Blood pressure still in the normal range, 118/84.
I never usually have to wait to see the doctor. This time I was cooling my heels for a good half hour before the doc came in to see me (I had a 7:45 appointment, and she didn’t show until 8:15). That never happens with my doctor. (I’m going to blame it on the new office, I’ll be they don’t know where anything is yet.) And there were no posters or magazines in the brand new examining room to keep me occupied. I ended up surfing Facebook on my phone to keep myself amused. Long wait is long…
We talked about my back. My x-rays show a little bit of arthritis in my back, but that’s all she mentioned. After a month on anti-inflammatories, I feel somewhat better. But I’m still having pain pretty regularly (but not as severe or as often as before). She gave me another scrip for another month of anti-inflammatories, and we added a muscle relaxant to it. I’m also going to up my stretching (I’d been stretching my hips, but not giving my hamstrings as much attention).
So I’m cautiously optimistic that things are getting better.
The next day I was really in a weird head space. I wasn’t in any pain, but my right foot was still doing that odd numb thing, which is why I was worried about a pinched nerve or something. I did a little Googling about ibuprofen and discovered that one of the side effects is flatulence. *boggles* I decided to take it anyways. =P
Within a week or two my pain was much better, and the numbness down my right calf and in foot was a lot less. Although there were still times when standing too long or walking too far would bring back the ache and numbness. It’s been a while since the pain is so bad that I want to cry.
So Friday I had a follow up visit with my doctor about my back. Things have been changing in her building, which is in a medical professionals park. The imaging business downstairs, where I’ve had X-rays and my yearly mammogram has moved to another building across the parking lot. Several of the offices have signs saying they’ve moved to another suite or building. This time, my doctor’s office had a note too. They were two doors further down the hall. They have a nice new office, very bright and much larger. But they’re still finishing it. There was plastic sheeting across one wall in the back, and there were sounds of loud hammering and sawing coming through the walls from the next room.
Blood pressure still in the normal range, 118/84.
I never usually have to wait to see the doctor. This time I was cooling my heels for a good half hour before the doc came in to see me (I had a 7:45 appointment, and she didn’t show until 8:15). That never happens with my doctor. (I’m going to blame it on the new office, I’ll be they don’t know where anything is yet.) And there were no posters or magazines in the brand new examining room to keep me occupied. I ended up surfing Facebook on my phone to keep myself amused. Long wait is long…
We talked about my back. My x-rays show a little bit of arthritis in my back, but that’s all she mentioned. After a month on anti-inflammatories, I feel somewhat better. But I’m still having pain pretty regularly (but not as severe or as often as before). She gave me another scrip for another month of anti-inflammatories, and we added a muscle relaxant to it. I’m also going to up my stretching (I’d been stretching my hips, but not giving my hamstrings as much attention).
So I’m cautiously optimistic that things are getting better.