#and herniated discs

[ionlylikemycat]

i would like to register a formal complaint against my sciatic and ulnar nerves, they don’t function properly, i would like new ones that do function. please and thank you. yes i’ll wait. well i won’t wait forever.

[cleolinda]

Currently dealing with the idea that I have hypermobile joints and possibly mild HSD, gonna have to ask my doctor about this, but I pitched this idea to my physical therapy guy and he said, in the most deadpan tone possible, “Would you believe that I am not surprised by this.” And then I remembered this man has seen me casually touch my heel to the opposite hipbone just because I felt like stretching that leg. While having a herniated disc. And lying down. The reason it matters is that I wobble all over the place and it affects my ~Form in doing these exercises correctly for my back. So now that we have this hypothesis, we’re paying attention to this and working on things to strengthen various muscles so I fall over less while, say, just standing still.

[imtheecrybaby27]

I made dis

[dozydawn]

Yuna Kim Long Program, 2007.

The Lark Ascending by Hilary Hahn, composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

[doomedfromthewombfr]

My body’s favorite hobby? Gaslighting me into thinking I’m fine until I move. Then it’s like, ‘Haha, just kidding- suffer’

[leftabit-leftabit]

In absolute agony. Want to pull my spine out me arse and crack it like a whip 😫😭🦴🤠

[soaps-mohawk]

Love, I agree with thevoidwriting. If you need to push the next chapter back to Sunday because of your back, do it. I know how bad just the pain in that lower part of you back can be, because my back is also messed up in that region. Had a bad car wreck a little over 5 years ago now, and I'm still dealing with the issues in my back..

This was my doctor's impression after they did x-rays on me last September (I think. I know it was later half of last year) when I could barely get up and walk without my crutches after I'd done an apparently too strenuous physical assessment test for a job.

1. L4-L5 right anterior epidural cystic lesion could be a perineural cyst, some type of spinal meningocele within the epidural space versus arachnoid cyst. This marginates the descending right L5 nerve root at the lateral recess. There may be a smaller similar finding in the left anterior epidural space at this level.

2. L5-S1 disc protrusion with annular tear causing mild central stenosis, and mild left foraminal narrowing. Moderate right facet arthrosis at this level.

3. No compression fracture or subluxation.

*There's a lot of big words there that even I can't remember the meaning of.* All I can clearly make out of it without looking up every single definition is the disc between L4-L5 is screwed up, and is possibly what's causing the disc between L5-S1 to bulge.

So you got at least one follower here who knows your pain. And is telling/wanting you to take care of yourself! 🥰🥰

P.s. I consent to you responding to this as a post. I kinda don't care that people know about my messed up back because I feel that more people need to realize that not all of the things that make people physically handicapped are visible on the outside, whether the cause be physical or mental! It's still an issue that a lot of people have to deal with

Good lord 😭 I'm so sorry you went through that (and still are, I know how long those car accident injuries can linger).

We've got a back injury/back pain club here on this blog.

Thankfully I got some meds prescribed that will help with the pain and inflammation. I think the hardest part is I can't sit comfortably so I have to try and write laying down, which is hard even with a laptop lol. If my desk chair wasn't awful (which may be part of the reason I irritated my back) I'd just sit there. Unfortunately I get about 30 minutes max sitting at it before I have to get up.

I 100% agree, though. So many people think of disabilities and illnesses as things that are visible and forget they can be internal and mental as well. I always get that when I see doctors because on the outside I look healthy and then they look at scans and my lab work and my mental health history and it's...not good 😂 Just proof you can't judge people based on what you see on the outside. Wish more people understood that.

[crippled-peeper]

it it okay to ask why your type of quadriplegia is terminal as opposed to other types where people can live a long time with adequate support?

It’s not the paralysis alone that makes my life shorter, that’s just a part of it and a contributing factor. Many quadriplegics do actually eventually die from complications of their conditions - the biggest causes of mortality being infection, pneumonia, and suicide in that order

My particular condition doesn’t have a name - or rather it’s a combination of MANY differently named conditions.

I have rods and pedicle screws fused to 10 of my vertebrae (19 screws - 2 rods) which have been in my body for 10 years now. This has caused 2 other complications in my spine -

1: adjacent disc degeneration

2: flatback syndrome

I have 5 herniated discs (yeah it gets worse) above and below my spinal fusion because of these two complications. 2 of these herniations, one above the fusion & one below, are moderate-severe and are compressing my spinal cord right now as I type this

I have an additional disc located C5-C6 that has been removed and replaced with an implant called the MOBI-C, which is made of a titanium alloy (like the rods & screws) but also a small piece of silicone in the center that unfortunately has a tendency to break and my surgeon believes mine is broken now. This arthroplasty is sitting below one of my worst (but surgically unaltered, for now) disc herniations.

“But Morg,” you might be wondering, “if the 10-level spinal fusion (which is huge!) caused so many complications and is causing your spine to degenerate and fail, why don’t they take it out or shorten it?”

the short version? they simply can’t. spinal fusions are designed to be life long. they can’t take out the implants without replacing them with something, and even that may be impossible because of the lack of remaining bone structure (my spine was severely deformed, and they removed a lot of the vertebral body)

the whole reason I’ve become a novelty to the neurosurgery department at my hospital is because they (with their experience and imagination) are looking into my future and seeing not good things for me. it has even been suggested that they consult with my other doctor(s) and refer me to the Mayo Clinic to see if there’s anyone there with experience working on people like me - or if there’s even anything at all they can do for me at this point.

all this being said…. It’s hard to picture myself dying of anything else at this point. you can generously estimate that patients like myself have a 30-year lifespan, and I will be singing high praise of the universe if I live that long, but I’m not optimistic about say, outliving my twin who has had no surgery before, or even my older sibling.

I try to be optimistic, right, but I am a man of science so I must also be realistic which means listening to my doctor’s genuine concerns about my quality of life and complicated pathologies.

[uglygirlstatus]

office adventures

[nearlydark]

I hate feeling so fucking fragile. One wrong move, step, lift and I’m out for 5+ days. It’s so fucked and I want it to end

[elfangel94]

Using a Tens Unit is so wild like ‘oh I’m in pain better go electrocute myself’

[dianetastesmetal]

Today I learned that I have a HORRIBLY herniated disc, and I'll have my first every surgery in two weeks. If anyone's ever gone through this kind of surgery, I'd appreciate if you shared your experiences with it here, because I'm TERRIFIED!

And please let me know how painful recovery was. And tell me about some good ways to cope with the stress of this all.

Thank youuu

[cottoncandiescupcakes]

My cat Muffin keeping me company as I decompose on my parents living room floor in the worst pain of my life waiting for hernia disc surgery in a week ilu Muffin I love cats

[wigglysquid]

I'm not ashamed of losing a fight with my herniated disk. In fact, I'm proud. It's pretty impressive that my disk was able to bring down a godly force like me. The student has become the master

[spyres]

jesus christ i cannot wait for my mri scan the pain is fucking endless

^visual representation of my leg pain

[sapphic-suchoripterus]

Hey... to people out there who have had herniated discs, how long does it usually take to feel better? Or at least walk again?