I Think I Broke It

Well, the saga from the car accident is still not over.

My mid back has been hurting since the accident. It's an aching sort of pain, but it is continuous. I can sit up only for so long before it gets the best of me and I have to lay down. After I lay down for so long, I can't take that position any longer and I have to sit up again. It's been a viscious cycle.

Due to pressure from the Corporate office, I finally tried to go back to work on Tuesday with disastrous results. By the time I drove over an hour to the audit site, I was hurting a lot more than usual. I tried to work for a few hours and actually lasted about 4-1/2 hours before finally calling it a day and crawling home. As soon as I got home, I was on my ice packs. More about my ice packs later!

Wednesday was my appointment with an orthopedic specialist. I have had previous back surgery in 2002 so I was really worried that I reinjured something. However, the pain was not in the same place as before. My mid back hurts the most, but I do get occasional stabbing pains down really low on my back, just up from my tail bone.

Since I couldn't get in with my original surgeon until the end of October, I decided to take an appointment with one of his associates in the same practice. I think I made a great choice!

The new orthopedic specialist gave me a thorough exam and really listened to everything I had to say about how my pain is. He asked me what remedies I had tried and I told him the best was the ice packs. I had quit taking the muscle relaxants and the narcotic pain killers, and am sticking to ice, hot showers and Aleve. He was happy to hear that.

Previous to my appointment, I had contacted the hospital I was taken to after the accident and requested them to forward my x-rays and results to this new doctor. He received only the results, no x-rays. My lower stabbing pain he accepted what the report stated and called it muscle strain. Not too much to fret over since the pain comes and goes.

The mid back ache was another story. It wasn't addressed too well in the report so I had new x-rays done at his office today. The doctor is leaning towards the mid back problem being a compression fracture. It did not show up on the x-ray but the doctor doesn't think this is too uncommon. The vertebrae is shaped differently and not every fracture will show up on an x-ray.

Regardless, the doctor said the treatment would be the same with or without the fracture.

I was put on a five day dose of steroidal anti-inflammatories. As an added boost, I will start physical therapy on Monday. I am thrilled that he is not overly concerned with the injury and believes that we can make this better with the drugs and the physical therapy. I'm all for his plan of action.

The down side to all of this is, I am off work until at least 10/13. While I will never complain about time off, I will worry about paying the bills later. Work isn't happy with me, but after this appointment, they are finally more understanding that hey - I might actually be injured. Based on the crap I've been taking from them, I don't think they believed me.

So, there is my scoop on my injury. I am to rest and heal. Yeah, I was working on that already! I will anxiously await the therapy.

Now I have to give a shout out to my good friend, Ruth in Ripley New York!! Hi, Ruth!!

When I was first injured, I was talking to Ruth about the accident. I was telling her that the ER doc told me to apply ice packs to my back. Now, let me tell you about the old way I used to apply ice packs!

I own a couple of bags of frozen peas. Everyone knows how much I hate peas, but two bags of frozen peas makes GREAT ice packs! Whenever I get my migrains, one of those bags goes to the top of my head and one goes to the back of my head and viola! Relief! Well, that didn't work on my back. My back is sensitive to the touch so the peas were killing me. Then my good friend Ruth, came to my rescue.

Frozen kitchen towels.

Yes, frozen kitchen towels. You wet down a kitchen towel, fold it neatly to fit into a gallon zip loc bag and put in the freezer. When frozen, take out of the freezer, and put between back and recliner! Heaven, I'm telling you!

At today's appointment, when the doctor asked me what I was doing for self treatment, I said "frozen kitchen towels"! That was a head scratcher for him. Once I told him how well they worked, and why they worked (because they are flat towels and light weight and bendable and pliable even when frozen!) he was really intrigued. He asked for step by step details and how I froze the towels and how I applied them and he said he is going to recommend this to his other patients. He thought it was a great idea!

Speaking from experience, it IS a great idea! I feel the best when I'm lounged out in the recliner with two frozen kitchen towels between me and the recliner. Thanks, Ruth! My doctor thinks you're awesome!! My back thanks you too.