Pincushion Day

Pincushion Day

My New Year’s resolution to be more brave in 2007 seems to be working well. Yesterday’s spine injection was scary, but I think I managed okay.

Rob and I drove to hospital at 6:00 am yesterday morning (not before locking the keys in the apartment and having to wake up our super). I changed into a hospital gown and some really nice nurses helped me get set up with warm blankets and an IV. My doctor came in and marked my back with a sharpie and the countdown began. Rob sat with me until 7:30, when six people whisked me off to a surgery room.

The whole procedure was done in about ten minutes. They rolled me onto my stomach, sedated me a bit through the IV, took some x-rays, gave me about 6 novocaine shots and then the cortisone injection right on the “x.” The whole thing hurt less than getting the IV in the first place. I was pretty zonked in the recovery room for the next hour. Eventually, they wheeled me out to the street and Rob drove me home to sleep it off the rest of the day. My new Ryka pants were the perfect post-op gear (not the kind of mention they are looking for, I’m sure!).

Overall, I’m doing pretty well. I don’t have any notable pain which is really good considering they sent me home with a bottle of 90 vicodin. In a few days, I should know if this procedure did the trick.

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There are 13 comments for this article
  1. suburban prep at 3:39 pm

    I hope that the pain lessens. Sorry that you have had to deal with such.
    My younger sister (by 16 months) had a few spinal taps and bone marrow procedures due to a marrow transplant because of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and my father watched each procedure and he never knew how she went through with each without complaining. She is alive 5 yrs soon to be six after the transplant to tell us all about it.

  2. Sam at 3:40 pm

    I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

    I had an op recently and was sent home with loads of vicodin – none of which I used.

    But coming down off whatever drugs they had in that iv drip was harsh for me. I actually rowed with my BF (which never happens) and I ran away from home for a while that night. I was totally loopy.

  3. mrsem Author at 3:46 pm

    Whoa! Stories like these remind me how lucky I really am.

  4. love.boxes at 4:38 pm

    Oh I hope you will be just perfect! And, I’m sure that the Ryka people will be happy if their pants are helpful and useful in anyway. Afterall, you could have worn someone else’s pants to surgery. 😉 Be well very soon. 🙂

  5. mrsem Author at 6:19 pm

    I had this done because I’ve been struggling with “the world’s worst butt injury” for the last year or so. It started with a rock climbing injury and then spiraled into a congenital back problem. What a mess!

  6. ashlynn at 10:54 pm

    Sad – I was just thinking about getting something done for my back. My sciatica is pinched & has been for years. I am interested to see how it works for you!

  7. k8 at 6:18 am

    the RYKA people are in fact delighted that those pants could ease the pain in any way.
    this makes me think that maybe i should go have the slight pain in my back i get from running looked at.

    get well soon!!!

  8. Sara at 6:59 am

    ouch!
    glad to hear it went well, take it easy and i hope you are back on your feet soon