All done

The epidural injection is done and Rick is laying on the couch next to me sleeping. The doctor was great! And the facility is really nice too. We got a very informative explanation of how the spine works and what is wrong with Rick. I want to write this all down so just bare with me. There is quite a bit of information.

This doctor said that the MRI was quite impressive. He is amazed that Rick isn't in excruciating pain. There is significant pressure in the spinal canal pressing against the nerve roots. There is a name for it but it was crazy and I can't remember what it is. We were told all this before, but this doctor deals with this everyday and is really amazed at the damage done. Rick's spine curves more than normal down towards L4 and L5. And the L5 disc is bulging badly and causing severe pressure down to the disc below that. So much so that the disc is compressed to half the size it should be.

The doctor really wanted to go at the epidural from a different angle and do two injections to really coat the area with the steroid. But once in the procedure room they started taking live x-rays and it was discovered that the malformation in Rick's back made that impossible. So he had to go at it from a different angle and wasn't able to do the two injections. The cool thing was that I got to go in the procedure room with him. They asked if I was pregnant, which of course I am NOT, and then I had to wear a lead vest. I got to watch the whole thing which was actually pretty cool. They numbed the skin up then placed the epidural needle. After that they took several live x-rays as the epidural needle was carefully moved into place. A dye was injected to make sure the steroid would go where it is supposed to, unfortunately the space is open so some of it leaked out. Which meant that when the steroid was injected not all of it went into the epidural space. So it wasn't the exact outcome the doctor was hoping for in a couple different ways.

The next step is to go back in three weeks and do this again. The doctor also thought that talking to the surgeon might not be a bad idea. There are some surgery options that might be better than the "band aid" that the epidural injection is. So we are back to a wait and see game again. Of course Rick doesn't want surgery, but if this doesn't get better it could cause permanent nerve damage. We don't want that to happen.

It is just such a pain (pun intended) to have to deal with this on top of everything else. It is really unfair. But I am not starting a pity party right now. Especially because Rick is so stubborn and he always says he is fine. Bull sh**!! He says he doesn't want to worry me by complaining all the time. I told him that I worry more when he says he is fine because I know he is not. I just wish he would be honest with me all the time.

So for today Rick is just taking it easy because his left leg is numb and his back is sore. The doctor said that because his leg is numb he could easily fall since he can't feel where he is placing his foot. He should sleep for a while because he worked all last night. I am going to enjoy the quiet time since the girls are with my mom. Thank you for all of those who pray for us.

Until next time,
Jaime