Pain in my butt


Late in July I stepped into an 18" deep rabbit hole atop Blackford Hill in Edinburgh. Thought not much of it, as it was a competely axial fall...nothing twisted nor bent! Phew!
Except over the successive weeks I developed acute sciatica from what was confirmed by MRI as a herniated disc at L4-5!
I was up to 8 Percosets/day without sufficient relief to sit nor walk much, and now only after two weeks following an epidural steroid injection am I able to sit at my computer (nevermind my listening chair or my Steinway!) to check in with you guys!
Surgery is out, as there's only a 1/3 success rate, and steroidal epidurals are limited to three, 6 weeks apart. So lighter-weight pain-killers are taking the edge off once they take hold by late morning. Perhaps it's fortunate that my used Subaru biz in the dumps of late, as I can't work much anyway.
So I wish to thank those of you who have asked about my absence and well-being, and hope I can stick around here awhile. Oh yeah...I have to ask a question: How are you all?
Cheers. Ernie
subaruguru
Sorry to read of your condition, get well soon. OTOH, my brother is interested in getting a late model Subaru - are you anywhere near Philly?! (With a business like that, you're probably in Seattle - where he just moved from!)
Ernie, i'm sorry to hear and learn of your situation. Health issues are never easy to deal with, especially when it comes to just being able to perform normal run of the mill, day to day functions. Health is something that most of us take for granted and don't realize the value of it until something "bad" happens.

While i've never had to deal with anything near as serious as what you state, i've had more than my fair share of visits to medical therapists, specialists and chiropractor's. Learning from experience, i would only like to pass on that one needs to exercise on a regular basis and never overlook the importance of having a good "sleeping platform" aka "bed". Much of the pain that we suffer can be relieved by simply paying attention to the basics that are bodies require. I'm sure that i'm preaching to the choir on this, but i'd rather have others think about such things now than have to deal with the repurcussions later.

Once again, best wishes and we'll be praying for a full and speedy recovery. In the meantime, crank some tunes and keep pushing forward. Sean
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All my wishes from afar for patience (back problems take time to heal), perseverance (keep the music flowing). May the butt remain & the pain go away! Cheers
Hello,
Wanted to say sorry for your back problem, I had surgery 5 years ago for an L4/5 herniated disk, and although the sciatica pressure was relieved, other problems can arise from surgery such as
problems from scar tissue, muscle weakness,possible arthritis,and constant pain. I wanted to add another alternative to surgery, which may be available which involves injection of a papaya enzyme into the nucleus of the disc, and over a several week period shrinks the disc and impending bulge. The downside is that if there is an allergic reaction to the enzyme,death can occur, but I understand that there is a test which can be performed to rule that out. Good luck on your recovery, and hope you can avoid surgery!
Jerry
Ernie, I am really sorry about what has happened. My prayers to you to return to normal as soon as possible.

You should give acupuncture and arnica montana a try, both are supposedly worthwhile. Also, whatever you do, keep your wallet out of your back pocket. This goes for everyone as most cases of sciatica are from men carrying their wallets in their back pockets. Sitting on them does a lot of damage over the years. A good friend of mine who is the former trainer of the Philadelphia Flyers told me this a decade ago.

GOOD LUCK!