Back 2 Good

Nice play on words with a good song from Matchbox 20...

As many of you already know, I have been having a lot of pain in my back over the last few years. This pain is always here and it never departs from me. What once was an annoyance is now a part of my life that aids in defining the person that I am.

I honestly don't remember the instance it started. In 2004-2005, I was having a great time playing softball on various teams from spring until autumn. I remember breaking my right middle finger in the middle of a game and breaking my left wrist on a lazy fly ball to right center later in the same game. I made a great sliding catch for the final out of the game as my wrist turned over in the outfield grass. During 2006, I had lost a lot of strength in my right arm as I had fluid build up between the socket of the humerus bone and the clavicle that lasted 18 months. My back began hurting at some point during this time as well. Needless to say I have been in a lot of physical pain over the past 4 years.

This is not the typical back pain that most people have in their life. Contrary to most, my pain occurs when attempting to stand up straight or stretching or backward, which compress the joints together. More often than not, I will continue doing what I want to do and deal with the pain later. It drives Jen absolutely crazy. I love coaching baseball, tossing batting practice and teaching fielding with all of the kids as well as boxing, wrestling, and playing tackle football with Gabriel. By the end of baseball practices I can hardly stand up straight, but I keep pressing onward. It's pretty depressing because I don't believe that I should be feeling like this at my age.

After several years of continuous wincing, grunting, and complaints, Jen finally made me go see a doctor. We found an orthopedist that gave me doses and doses of steroid packs, anti-inflammatory meds, and physical therapy. After a season of trial and error, we were referred to Dr, Clendenin, a spinal specialist, who told me that I have arthritis in my lower back joints. Normally, the arthritis and deterioration in the joints is typically seen in people 50 years or older. He decided to offer cortisone injections to try to isolate the pain and provide options for relief. I completed the first round of cortisone injections inside the facet joints on Christmas Eve. I had about 8 lidicane shots to numb the area, and 4 cortisone injections.
Several people have asked me what the initial injections felt like. The only thing I can say about it is that it is completely unexplainable. At times it was quite painful, There were instances when the doctor would move and even bend the needle into place between the facet joints. I could not take in a breath at all until he stopped moving them into position. At other times, the feeling was so bizarre I could do nothing but laugh. I left the OR feeling pretty good that day.

A couple of weeks later, I contacted the doctor's office to let him know that the pain was still quite persistent. I was asked to come in to complete a second round of injections this morning. This time, Dr. Clendenin performed the injections in the sacroiliac joints. These injections were a completely different feeling. This time, it was more of the typical pain one would expect from getting shots in the back. This evening, I have not felt as well as I did after the first injections.

Hopefully we will find the cause for my misery soon. I can't imagine feeling this way the rest of my life. I have a LOT of playing to do with Gabriel and soon enough with Jacob....