#i'm getting an mri next monday i am a bit worried

[ariellestudies]

𝟎𝟔.𝟏𝟒.𝟐𝟒 - 𝟎𝟔.𝟏𝟓.𝟐𝟒 ☁️

spent some time relaxing and reflecting since the next two weeks are going to be pretty hectic.

[timeoverload]

I apologize for acting psycho the past couple days. I think I am just scared and depressed and the pain isn't helping. I know I shouldn't act like that. I'm sorry for being so pessimistic.

The doctor made me feel a little better about what is going on. He isn't sure what is causing my bladder pressure but it could be due to inflammation. It's not quite as bad as it was yesterday. The plan is to get another epidural steroid injection because it did help last time. If that doesn't work, I will need another MRI.

My last MRI in 2022 indicated that I have mild stenosis on the left neural foramen and moderate stenosis on the right neural foramen at L5-S1. My concern now is that my foraminal stenosis is possibly beginning to affect the central canal considering the symptoms I have been having. There's no way to tell unless I get another MRI but it hasn't been that long since I had one done so I'm trying to wait a while if possible because it's not cheap and they make me feel claustrophobic. My MRI also said that I have mild spondylosis (degenerative disc disease/osteoarthritis) between L1-2 and L5-S1. I have a small broad-based disc bulge and mild facet-joint hypertrophy at L5-S1 which is where my annular tear is. At L1-2 there is another small left paramedian disc protrusion without central canal or foraminal stenosis or nerve root impingement. I have mild degenerative endplate changes at L1-2 and L5-S1. I didn't have significant abnormalities in alignment. I have disc desiccation and moderate disc space narrowing L1-2 and mild disc space narrowing L5-S1. I've got a lot going on. I know I have something wrong with my neck as well but it doesn't bother me as much as my lower back so I'm not going to do anything about it at this time. I think it's frustrating that I couldn't get an MRI of my entire spine because they were focused on the lumbar region but maybe I will ask if that's possible next time I have to do it. I definitely inherited my grandma's back problems and most of the women on my mom's side of the family have similar issues. I hope I don't pass that on.

I have to wait until insurance approves my injection and I'm not sure how long that will take. I will have to wait until they call me to schedule that. My doctor is giving me more flexeril and I don't want to take it because it makes me feel like shit but it did help with my pain and muscle spasms so I guess it's worth it. Hopefully I don't have to take it very long because I sort of became dependent on it last time. I hate taking pills. I am going to pick it up soon. I am hoping that will make it possible to go to work on Monday because I really wasn't planning on missing work this week. I might get written up for missing work but I guess I already got my bonus so I don't really care. I need to take care of myself. It would be nice if they were understanding because they know I have been dealing with this for a while but we'll see. I'm not getting put on any restrictions at this time.

I got my results back from my blood work last week and everything looks pretty good. My AST/ALT levels were normal this time so that's good news. My only concern is that my eGFR levels are a little low. It said my eGFR is 59 according to reference interval and units and that would be bad because if it's lower than 60 that could mean I have kidney disease. I don't know if I'm reading it correctly because the column next to it says the current result is 110. The numbers don't match up but my doctor didn't call me to tell me that anything is abnormal so I will try not to worry about it.

I was very happy that I got to drive a little bit this morning after my appointment because I needed to go to the store. I thought I was going to get stuck on our street because there's still a lot of snow on it but I was ok. I have to leave in a little while to pick up my medicine so hopefully that goes well too. My car started shuddering again when I was on my way home and I'm still not sure why it's doing that. My dad drove it a couple weeks ago and of course it didn't act up while he was driving it. I know I need to get the exhaust replaced ASAP so I'm going to see if he will have time to do that sometime soon.

I am going to try not to be crazy now. I'm glad I didn't have to go to work today and I think that is helping. I am planning on eating more today because I didn't eat enough yesterday and it made me feel terrible this morning when I woke up. Sometimes when I get really upset, I can't even think about food and when I try to eat it hurts and makes me nauseated. I wish I knew how to fix that because it's really annoying. I think I was very hangry. I hope that the rest of the day is good and that I can find something to do to distract myself from everything going on.

I hope everyone else has an amazing day. Thank you for putting up with my tantrums. I will try to be better. I love you all. 💖💖💖