by Laurie Miles

Created on: January 27, 2009

I have a herniated disk and while this may not be the end of the world, I find myself seriously unhappy about it. The Orthopedist tells me my body is mad at me and if I don't slow down and modify my behavior, I am headed for surgery.

How on earth did this happen? I pride myself on being in good shape. I work out on a regular basis and am not overweight. I have been told I look 10 years younger than I am. I am 49 going on 35 and yet my body is pissed off. Heavy lifting is not my friend. I should not have done it. I wanted to be a hot shot at the gym and look where it got me.

What the hell did I do to deserve this? I know I sound like I'm whining, and I am. My pity party will end soon. I am even getting tired of it. I now have my mom, my daughter and my boyfriend making sure I don't lift a thing. They are all very worried about me and to be perfectly honest, I think I am getting a little concerned as well.

I just googled a cervical herniated disk and spent two hours reading and researching who, what, how and why. By the end, I realized that I had a problem and I was at risk if I did something about it and at risk if I did not. My MRI reveals a very pretty picture of a disk impinging a nerve that is causing me a lot of pain and discomfort. My arm goes numb down to the fingertips and I get that lovely sensation of pins and needles. It is not fun.

I have been to two general practitioners, a chiropractor and acupuncture. I am now at an Orthopedist and have been told I need to make changes in my life. I am going to get a second opinion, because of course any time you are facing surgery you should do so.

Do you know how hard it is to change everything you do? I am not talking about eliminating heavy lifting or reducing my gym workouts. I am talking about not using my left arm and hand any more than is absolutely necessary. It is to the point that I have to alter the minor details of my day. Taking a shower and shaving my legs has become quite the task. Since I refuse to give in to this and stop wearing makeup (application of which makes my arm go numb) I am learning a whole new way of grooming. I figure I may be slightly broken on the inside, but I can still look good on the outside.

This all takes me to where I am today; taking 2400mg of Motrin with a chaser of Prilosec so my stomach doesn't rot out. I am seeking the second opinion and will soldier on with the work involved in becoming right handed.

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