Slipped Disc It Is

After months of excruciating lower back pain, an episode of inability to walk and ebndless physical theray sessions, my doctor confirmed that I have slipped disc. After seeing my MRI plate, she said that I have multipled slipped discs. OMG! A simple physical therapy session will no loger be enough. That's why I am being referred to another hospital with a traction machine. It's going to be 8 sessions for a month until I see my doctor again for evaluation.

Hay, another illness added to my long list of ailments. True signs of aging. Ahahaha! My doctor. it's a non-threatening ilnness. According to www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk:

"A slipped disc occurs when the outer part of your disc ruptures, allowing the gel inside to bulge and protrude outwards from in between your vertebrae. The damaged disc can put pressure on your whole spinal cord, or on a single nerve fibre. This means that a slipped disc can cause pain both in the area of the protruding disc and in any part of your body which is controlled by the nerve the disc is pressing on.

A slipped disc occurs most frequently in your lower back, but any disc can rupture, including those in your upper back and neck.
With most slipped discs, pain is caused when part of the disc starts to press on one of the nerves that run along the spine. The sciatic nerve is the most commonly affected nerve. This large nerve is made up of several smaller nerves that pass from your spinal cord in your lower back. The nerve travels deep inside your buttocks, and down the back of each leg.

If you have pressure on the sciatic nerve it can cause:

a lasting, aching pain,numbness, and a tingling sensation in one, or both, of your legs. These symptoms often start in your lower back, and then travel down your buttocks and into either of the legs.

Muscle spasms and paralysis tend to occur in your arms, legs and buttocks. The pain you experience when a disc presses on a nerve is often worse when you cough or sneeze. This is because these sudden movements can put more pressure on the nerve. The pain can also be worse when you go to sit down because, again, pressure is put on the spine and nerves."

Since I don't have a scanner to show my actual MRI plate, here are examples of MRI images of a slipped disc:

Pretty scary huh? But my doctor added that we just need to manage the illness before it gets worse. meaning in due time, I could do all my usual activities without having to worry about my lower back. I could be as bibo as I used to be. As the emergency doctor said in May (she happens to be a schoolmate), malikot daw kase ako back then and it's a consquence of my kakulitan & being a performer back then.

Anyway, I'm hoping the traction machine works for me. The lower back pain can be really tough. It just saddens me when I'm not able to move around like I used to.

The Amazing Mini-Me

Happy Birthday Luisa! You never cease to amaze me.

My niece, Luisa turns a year older today. A few days back she called me to tell me that she's celebrating her birthday at Richmonde Hotel with her family. I excitedly asked, "so kasama ako?". She replied "Family nga eh!". Oh my bad! Family for her meant her dad, mom & Kuya Cholo. The celebration at the hotel was also a blowout since she got accelerated. She's skipping prep level and now an incoming grade 1 student. Galing!

I'm in awe of what she does and what she says. One time at dinner table she told told her mom, "Mommy magboboyfriend ako pag 25 na ko". Everyone's jaw dropped. She just said it out of nowhere. She can be very talkative & tactless at times. Every time she gets into my car, she starts talking until we reach our destination. Non-stop! But she's only like that with people that she knows.

The most hilarious thing happened about a month ago. Lui used to have acrush with a former classmate at Claret CSC - Carl Tongol. Everyone in our family has heard of Carl Tongol. Since she was accelerated and tranferring to a new school, there was no way that she can still see Carl Tongol. But by stroke of luck, Carl Tongol started calling her up at home. The yaya said the two would talk for hours with Lui's feet up on the couch. It went on for days. But I guess, Lui wasn't ready for anything (Ahahaha!). She instructed her yaya that the next time Carl Tongol calls, say that she's not home. But wait there's more, she said "Sabihin mo nasa Bulacan ako!". Gosh, she has not been to Bulacan and we don't even have relatives there!

Luisa, nag-iisa ka! I'm so proud of you.

Sunday Schedule

I'm actually trying to put myself to sleep. Tonight, we start working on Sundays. Waaaaah! I hate it. I don't know if I'll be able to drag myself out of the house. I feel so bad about this schedule. Sunday is rest day, day for the family, day for the Lord. But no, I'm supposed to sleep through the day to be able to work at night. Saklap! I don't really see the rationale in it. Why can't they respect Sundays?

I like my work. I like my office. I like my friends at the office. Resignation is not an option at this point. I just hate the schedule even though it's going to be just for a month. My boss had tried to convince me to look at the brighter side of the situation - that is I am free on Fridays to out with friends since our schedule is from Sunday to Thursday. That's too shallow of a considerable advantage! I don't know if it'll work for me since I'm not into gimmicks these days (moreso, years).

This is an injustice! I hope I can work well tonight and the three other Sundays.