Sorry for
not posting something for a while, but I’ve been kind of busy. My wife, Debra, and I took a trip to see some
friends in Texas. While there this
picture of us together was taken:
This is
probably one of the better pictures taken lately which showcase my truncal
obesity really well. And that is part of
the why on today’s subject. One of the
effects that Cushing’s has is that it causes back deterioration and consequent
pain. There are several mechanisms to
the end. One obvious one is the stress
the weight places on the spine. The
other two are that Cushing’s leads to general bone deterioration often causing
osteoporosis and deterioration of discs in the spine on top of that.
I do have spinal
deterioration and a ruptured disc to add to the mix. Although I started having back pain as far
back as the early 2000s, it was in 2009 that I really had the extent of the
problem brought home to me when I was struck by back pain so severe that I was
bed ridden for a month and spent several more in a wheelchair. It wasn’t until I managed to bring my weight
down enough to fit into an MRI that the ruptured disc was discovered. It presses onto the sciatic nerve.
At the time
of the 2009 attack I was refused hospitalization on the grounds that I was not
a candidate for surgery, though how they came to that conclusion without a
proper evaluation is beyond me unless they were basing that opinion on my
having a large Abdominal hernia from a previous surgery. So on that occasion I was crammed screaming
in agony from the pain into our small car and sent home, after my doctor had
sent me to the ER for admission in the first place. And, yes, I’m harping.
A couple of
days ago I woke up in serious pain and gutted it through the first day hoping
it would go away. But the next day I
went to see a doctor and have been taking a painkiller and a muscle relaxer
which both make me kind of sleepy. That’s
one of the things which can be done.
There is
also what are called TENS units, which use a small amount of electricity to
neutralize the pain impulses sent up the nerves. There is also surgery of course, which I
think the doctor I saw thinks may be necessary since he’s asked me to follow up
with my orthopedic surgeon.
Sadly, the
options are growing fewer. One of the
research boards tasked with recommending standards of care under the new
healthcare act in the United states recommended a few months back that TENS
units should no longer be used in the treatment of back pain. That’s sad because they are a relatively
inexpensive mode of treatment. And it is being recommended that access to
narcotics for those in chronic pain be even further restricted.
For a Cushie
back pain can pretty well be counted on at some point if one’s condition
remains untreated for any real length of time.
Just the strain from the added weight will cause it if nothing
else. Your doctor will determine if you
need to be referred to a specialist, more often than not an orthopedic surgeon
who will evaluate your condition and decide if surgery is an option or not.
We’ll see
how it goes for me this time around.
