Doctor and hair appointment on Friday the 12th.
Dr. Appointment:
This Friday I have another appointment with Dr. Chabot at St. Louis Orthopedic Specialists in Des Peres Hospital complex. I have a feeling that this is going to be my last visit, and I'm not sure whether or not I will be getting another set of steroid injections or not.
The pain in my back is still significant and fairly constant. I'm in pain at some point every day. While most days my back pain is merely a constance ache and throbbing pain that starts off mild and then intensifies throughout the day to a point of being uncomfortable and causing me to limit only my most strenuous activities, on some days that pain reaches a level that is nearly debilitating. There have been a couple of times at work, where after pulling boxes from the racks, or stacking a pallet of boxes or UPS totes, that my hip and thigh just under my back completely locks up, and pain shoots like electricity from the small of my back all the way to the back of my knee.
Walking is one of my biggest culprits of increasing my daily pain levels. I started wearing a pedometer after my last visit with Dr. Chabot, and realized that on an average day I walk about 4 or 5 miles while on the job. The least that I walk is about 2.5 miles on a day when I'm doing MIS reports and computer work, and the most that I have walked so far is just a hair over 8 miles.
At this point, I have lost confidence in Dr. Chabot's ability to properly diagnose and treat the current condition that is causing me back and leg pain. He and his team did an excellent job in addressing the issue with the nerve root pain that was causing me to completely lose sensation in my left foot and lower leg. The SNRI injections that they did this past summer brought about 80% relief to that issue, and with the help of therapy, I have strengthened the muscle groups around that area of injury. I sincerely believe that there is much more to the disk bulges and herniations at L5-S1 and T12 than what Dr. Chabot is treating me for and addressing, but at least that part of my recovery and pain has become manageable. The rest of my back pain is still nearly as intense and troublesome as when I fist started seeing him. Therapy seems to help, but not from the perspective of the working out. I do not doubt the benefits that I have gained as a result of working out for an hour and a half three times a week, but the portion of the therapy that brought me the most pain relief and made it possible to do my job and daily tasks, was the soft tissue massage, spinal and hip alignment manipulation, and the sonic stim that they would hook me up to after working out.
I'll wait to see what happens on Friday, but I really think that I need a second opinion. As much as it has been beneficial to me, and has gotten me in better shape, I can't keep going to physical therapy indefinitely. I need to get a gym membership with Karen, and the two of us work out together three times a week on a schedule that is more convenient to the both of us. (I just hope that when that time comes, that since I am not being made to go three times a week, that I actually can get myself to go at least three times a week)
Hair Appointment:
I don't actually have a scheduled hair appointment, with a specific stylist, at a specific salon, at a specific time; but recent events have made me decide to indulge myself with a self scheduled hair appointment this Friday afternoon after my Dr. appointment.
This morning, I cancelled the two vacation days that I had scheduled for next week, to spend with Karen in order to do photo and video shoots of her smoking in her various sexy outfits and lingerie; which was supposed to have culminated in us making love and having her cut all of my long hair off, and then shave me completely bald on Tuesday.
That was all before I learned that she had already quit smoking, and can no longer participate in those planned events. It seems that everytime that I make plans to cut my hair short, or cut it all off, for Karen... something comes up that prevents me from being able to go through with it (I think there have been at least 6 or 7 occasions where I have scheduled time off of work to either let Karen cut my hair, or to have her take me to the salon/barber for a haircut. And, each time, there has been something come up that prevents me from being able to go through with it). I'm starting to think that it is some kind of ordained fate, or sign from God, that I should not cut my hair; and just keep it long.
So, since it looks as if I'm going to be keeping my long hair for the foreseable future, I want to get light auburn highlights. Something to match the red that shows up in my beard. Both Jenice and Denise at Super Cuts said they would do highlights in my hair for about $40-50; but they want to do foil method, and I'm not sure if that's the exact highlight look that I'm going for. Foil highlights tend to be chunkier, and I'm looking for more of an all over highlight; like what you get from the cap method.
A couple of weeks ago, I came across a coupon for Holly's North Side salon, which is just down the road from home at O'Fallon Plaza. First time customers get a haircut and highlights for $45. I've driven by there a couple of times in the evening after therapy, or when going across town to the store, and glanced inside to see what kind of girls are working in there, and the overall appearance of the salon itself. The main stylist that I've seen each time I've passed by seems to be this cute blonde BBW. She looks like the same girl on the salon FB page, so I'm assuming she's Holly Kannady-Castillo. There are also two other BBW stylists that have been there from time to time; a brunette with bobbed hair and glasses, and a goth kinda looking girl with short wine-red hair.
So, depending upon how I'm feeling after leaving the doctor's office, I'll check out the situation at both salons and see about getting a trim and some highlights put into my long hair. I'll be looking stylishly good for our annual family photos coming up in the next couple of weeks, and for all of the holiday photos that get taken at the various events and parties that we attend.
Sounds like a good plan to me; although after getting all psyched up for a haircut, followed by a crew cut, and finally a smooth shave 0 it all seems somewhat anti-climactic.
This Friday I have another appointment with Dr. Chabot at St. Louis Orthopedic Specialists in Des Peres Hospital complex. I have a feeling that this is going to be my last visit, and I'm not sure whether or not I will be getting another set of steroid injections or not.
The pain in my back is still significant and fairly constant. I'm in pain at some point every day. While most days my back pain is merely a constance ache and throbbing pain that starts off mild and then intensifies throughout the day to a point of being uncomfortable and causing me to limit only my most strenuous activities, on some days that pain reaches a level that is nearly debilitating. There have been a couple of times at work, where after pulling boxes from the racks, or stacking a pallet of boxes or UPS totes, that my hip and thigh just under my back completely locks up, and pain shoots like electricity from the small of my back all the way to the back of my knee.
Walking is one of my biggest culprits of increasing my daily pain levels. I started wearing a pedometer after my last visit with Dr. Chabot, and realized that on an average day I walk about 4 or 5 miles while on the job. The least that I walk is about 2.5 miles on a day when I'm doing MIS reports and computer work, and the most that I have walked so far is just a hair over 8 miles.
At this point, I have lost confidence in Dr. Chabot's ability to properly diagnose and treat the current condition that is causing me back and leg pain. He and his team did an excellent job in addressing the issue with the nerve root pain that was causing me to completely lose sensation in my left foot and lower leg. The SNRI injections that they did this past summer brought about 80% relief to that issue, and with the help of therapy, I have strengthened the muscle groups around that area of injury. I sincerely believe that there is much more to the disk bulges and herniations at L5-S1 and T12 than what Dr. Chabot is treating me for and addressing, but at least that part of my recovery and pain has become manageable. The rest of my back pain is still nearly as intense and troublesome as when I fist started seeing him. Therapy seems to help, but not from the perspective of the working out. I do not doubt the benefits that I have gained as a result of working out for an hour and a half three times a week, but the portion of the therapy that brought me the most pain relief and made it possible to do my job and daily tasks, was the soft tissue massage, spinal and hip alignment manipulation, and the sonic stim that they would hook me up to after working out.
I'll wait to see what happens on Friday, but I really think that I need a second opinion. As much as it has been beneficial to me, and has gotten me in better shape, I can't keep going to physical therapy indefinitely. I need to get a gym membership with Karen, and the two of us work out together three times a week on a schedule that is more convenient to the both of us. (I just hope that when that time comes, that since I am not being made to go three times a week, that I actually can get myself to go at least three times a week)
Hair Appointment:
I don't actually have a scheduled hair appointment, with a specific stylist, at a specific salon, at a specific time; but recent events have made me decide to indulge myself with a self scheduled hair appointment this Friday afternoon after my Dr. appointment.
This morning, I cancelled the two vacation days that I had scheduled for next week, to spend with Karen in order to do photo and video shoots of her smoking in her various sexy outfits and lingerie; which was supposed to have culminated in us making love and having her cut all of my long hair off, and then shave me completely bald on Tuesday.
That was all before I learned that she had already quit smoking, and can no longer participate in those planned events. It seems that everytime that I make plans to cut my hair short, or cut it all off, for Karen... something comes up that prevents me from being able to go through with it (I think there have been at least 6 or 7 occasions where I have scheduled time off of work to either let Karen cut my hair, or to have her take me to the salon/barber for a haircut. And, each time, there has been something come up that prevents me from being able to go through with it). I'm starting to think that it is some kind of ordained fate, or sign from God, that I should not cut my hair; and just keep it long.
So, since it looks as if I'm going to be keeping my long hair for the foreseable future, I want to get light auburn highlights. Something to match the red that shows up in my beard. Both Jenice and Denise at Super Cuts said they would do highlights in my hair for about $40-50; but they want to do foil method, and I'm not sure if that's the exact highlight look that I'm going for. Foil highlights tend to be chunkier, and I'm looking for more of an all over highlight; like what you get from the cap method.
A couple of weeks ago, I came across a coupon for Holly's North Side salon, which is just down the road from home at O'Fallon Plaza. First time customers get a haircut and highlights for $45. I've driven by there a couple of times in the evening after therapy, or when going across town to the store, and glanced inside to see what kind of girls are working in there, and the overall appearance of the salon itself. The main stylist that I've seen each time I've passed by seems to be this cute blonde BBW. She looks like the same girl on the salon FB page, so I'm assuming she's Holly Kannady-Castillo. There are also two other BBW stylists that have been there from time to time; a brunette with bobbed hair and glasses, and a goth kinda looking girl with short wine-red hair.
So, depending upon how I'm feeling after leaving the doctor's office, I'll check out the situation at both salons and see about getting a trim and some highlights put into my long hair. I'll be looking stylishly good for our annual family photos coming up in the next couple of weeks, and for all of the holiday photos that get taken at the various events and parties that we attend.
Sounds like a good plan to me; although after getting all psyched up for a haircut, followed by a crew cut, and finally a smooth shave 0 it all seems somewhat anti-climactic.