My Back

It's really not accurate when I refer to my back issues, because in reality it is all my neck. The pain shoots down my back, but is doesn't appear to actually be a back issue. Long before my blog writing days, I've had neck issues. Looking back, I realize that I herniated the disk way back around 2004; although I didn't pursue medical care for it. I don't know why I didn't; I was in horrible, horrible pain for months and could barely function. That is when I started going to the chiropractor regularly. My documented disk herniation was in 2006, when we were working on Tori's adoption; it was so severe that I didn't do anything for a full month.

I have lived in constant fear of another episode like 2004 or 2006. Since I've had three "flare ups" in the last year, I went back to the ortho. doctor that I've seen since 2006. He did new x-rays to compare the disk to my x-rays from five years ago, and sure enough, the disk is not holding up. He basically said there wasn't anything that he could do other than surgically fuse that spot. Even more alarming to me than that, is that I have three other disks in my neck that are at risk of herniation. I'm going for a new MRI next week, so he can predict how close they are to rupturing.

Needless to say, I've found this whole chain of events pretty depressing. At this point, I have booked a consultation at a laser surgery center in early April. I don't know if my neck is eligible for laser surgery, but it is a far less invasive procedure and doesn't require near as long to be back on my feet.

Although there is never good timing for all of this, it's really leaving some things hanging out there - of course, the new adoption plans, enrolling my kids and/or teaching at Classical Conversations, even knowing how much child care help I can offer to the mom that spent last weekend at our house. So much is balancing on my neck at the moment, but I'm assuming God knew that when he presented all these other "opportunities."

Since you don't want to see pictures of my neck, I'll show the three hour play-dough fest we had yesterday around the kitchen table. I sure don't mind the mess when it entertains so many kids for so long!


Here are the play-dough food creations; the chocolate do-nut looked good enough to eat.