Some improvement, but not out of the woods yet....

Just had to make a quick report on the back situation. I did have a second opinion and they suggested that maybe I try at least one epidural steriod injection to see what that would do for me. However, they also said that based on my case they might not recommend the typical three injection round since I have apparently had this for sometime now. I did get that treatment and I am having some relief but I still can't walk far. It is just so frustrating. You truly can't imagine what you take for granted until you can't do it. I am not someone who typically just sits/lays around and in the past two weeks I have had to do a lot of it. It makes you a little nuts. I stare at all the things in the house that need to be done and can't stay upright long enough to do them. The good news is I can actually sit much longer now so I am finally going back to work. I am going to see how long I can make it with this last treatment and if it doesn't help I might still have to consider surgery. That is still such a schocking thought to me. I could never have imagined I would need that. Granted I have had back problems for many years but I always thought I would just have to keep up with basic treatment for it and be okay. I guess you never know. I know it could be much worse because the surgery I might need is minor compared to some but it is still scary to even think about it.

I will keep you posted as to what happens!

Oh how life can change in the blink of an eye

Some unexpected changes have cropped up in my life recently. I hurt my back earlier in the week. I have hurt my back many times in my life and usually recover in a few days, no biggie. This was different. I have never felt so much pain before, ever. I had to go the ER as I could not walk, sit or stand. It didnt matter if I put weight on my body or not it hurt to the point of tears. The ER was not much help but shipped me out with pain meds and strict orders to follow up with my primary. As if I wouldnt be following up? Anyway, I did follow up with my primary who stated that I need to see an ortho doctor right away. I was able to get in quite quickly(amazing what phone calls from doctors can do to get you in) and they promptly had me go for an MRI. Let me step back in my story for one moment. Back in Feb I also had unusual back problems - numbness in my leg and foot. I had an MRI then and tried to follow up with an ortho doc but due to lenghty wait times for an appt and scheduling problems by the time I could see someone, I had no symptoms. I figured, whats the point? and I did not follow up further. Additionally I was having stomach issues that seemed much more pressing at the time. Back to the current story. The doctor I met with on Tues reviewed my Prior MRI and shocked me by saying "just by looking at this you were a candidate for surgery at that time" What??? I was surprised. He stated that I have a herniated disc and he suspects it is much worse now. So today I met with him to go over the results of the new MRI and as expected my case is worse. He noted all options but there are no guarantees. In fact the option with the best possible outcome is in fact surgery. Now I just have to decide. It was has been a tough year for me medically to say the least. I will seek a second opinion and make a decision as to what I will do. Honestly it seems that the options are limited mostly to surgery as currently i can't walk or stand barely at all and sitting usually hurts after just 15-30 min. Can't live or work like that.....not at my job anyway as I sit all day.

So, I say again, how how life can change in the blink of an eye......

a Trip to the Wisonsin Dells

Hubby and I made a quick, unplanned trip to the Wisonsin Dells. We fingured out he had a couple days off in a row and I felt like I could use a vacation so it seemed like the perfect time. We only went for one night but we fit in lots of fun.

As we arrived in the Dells we ate lunch at the MooseJaw Microbrewery. It was a fun place. Maybe not the best food I have had but we didn't actually have their specialty so I wouldn't rule it out. Then we headed to our hotel. We chose to stay at the hotel with the largest amount of waterparks in the entire dells area - The Wilderness Territory Let me tell you this place is amazing. It is not cheap but it has 6 total waterpark area so when you pay for your room you get them all. It is DEFINITELY kid oriented but for me that is never a problem because I am just barely an adult in heart and soul :-)So we headed straight to the waterparks when we got there. We spend some time relaxing then I left hubby to rest while I went to check out every single waterpark. I was able to try out everything I could handle (I can't ride some of the pitch black water rides) and we both had a great time. After a full day and evening of swimming we cleaned up and headed out for dinner. We ate at Sarento's Restaurant. Hubby ordered the better meal than me so we mostly ate his - ha! - he had an eggplant dish with a combo of goat cheese and marinara sauce over pasta. Man was it good. To end the night we decided to fit in some gambling at their local Casino - Ho Chunk. There are a couple of slot games that I really enjoy and one of them was good to me. We stayed there for a while and I only lost 5 bucks, not bad!!

The next day we started with Breakfast at a local restaurant - The Cheese Factory Restaurant. Okay, I can't believe I can say this but I had one of the best Breakfast meals I have had in years there. It was called Pegs Eggs. It had onions, red peppers, capers and goat cheese all sauteed together with fried eggs on top and served on a toasted croisant. I don't know what they did it it but it was sooooo good. We noticed while we were there that even Rachel Ray had been there and will be doing a show about them having one of the top five best grilled cheese sandiwiches in the nation! So if you in the Dells, I would eat there, you will be glad you did. After breakfast we headed out for a fun game of Mini-golf at the Pirates Cove Mini Golf course. It is really nice as it sits on a high cliff and there are waterfalls everywhere so you can enjoy beautiful sites and water while playing. We also hadn't played in years and had some good laughs. Next we headed to the downtown area of the Dells to check out the shops and take the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is a nice relaxign view of the dells so if you aren't tired of walking then I recommend it. To end our day we headed to the Outlet Mall for some light shopping.

I think it is fair to say we were able to fit in ALOT of activities for only a two day trip and it was great! Here is a slideshow of our personal photos. Enjoy!