Third Injection

Two weeks ago I had my third and final epidural injection for the herniated disc in my back. (For reasons I don't understand, they only do three injections for any one injury.) It had been about five months since I had been in for my second injection; it had only minimal long-term effect. I had waited this long since the last one to give physical therapy a chance to do its magic and, as I have mentioned previously, there has been some definite improvement as my abdominal muscles have strengthened. With the physical therapy ending, it was time to give this all one more shot.

The procedure went very smoothly. From the time when the surgeon walked in to him walking out was no more then ten minutes; I had forgotten just how quickly these things can go. Post-proedure pain was fairly minimal but I knew by the time I got in the car I wouldn't be going back to work that day.

Two weeks later, I can say that the injection has gone a long way and that I am as pain-free as I have ever been since the injury. I am able to walk long-distances (a mile or so) without significant pain and have been able to do more than lay down when I get home from work. I am very thankful for such marked improvement.

The flip-side is that I'm not all the way healed and still have to answer the surgery question. Due to insurance weirdness, if I do the surgery this year, its free. If I wait, I will definitely have to pay and, due to ever-decreasing insurance coverage, probably have to pay more than I expected. Despite, or maybe because of, all my progress, this decision is still not clear cut. I'm going to be visiting my neurosurgeon soon and see what he thinks. Feel free to leave a note and let me know you're thoughts.

Hey, maybe I'll get to do another cool MRI!