Continuing the Journey

The Good News...The Bad News...and the Plan...

First, we'll start with the good news. I've won another blog award! My dear cyber-friend, Denise, from There's Always Room for One More has informed me that we (along with a few other bloggers) won an award at Sunday's Bloggy Awards. (Between you and me...I'm pretty sure the Bloggy Awards are just an imaginary event that poor Denise made up, but she has six kids and is probably pretty sleep-deprived, so just cut her some slack. OK?) The award I got -- which was presented, by the way, by this hot guy...
...Josh Holloway (aka Sawyer from Lost) who was probably shirtless at the awards -- is called the Life is Grand Award. Not exactly sure how I qualified (what, with all my whining and such on this blog), but as you all know I'm always willing to accept an award! Here is a picture of my major award. Don't get too close and touch it...I don't want it all smudgy...
HAHAHA!! I crack myself up!! That was just a joke...and a reference that my husband and I always find hysterical ("It's an award...a MAJOR award!") If you've never seen "The Christmas Story," you're probably lost about now...

Anyway, here is the REAL award for my blog:
Pretty snazzy, huh?! I'll be adding it to my Awards Corner as soon as I post this.

OK, that was the good.

Now for the bad. My MRI showed that I have two protruding discs in my cervical spine (C5 and C6) which are causing "a mild spinal cord flattening deformity." That finding explains my symptoms down my right arm. In addition -- as if that weren't enough -- I have a "right paracentral active annular tear"! I don't even know what that MEANS!

My new chiropractor (who is no Dr. Smackdown, but I REALLY like him) described it this way: the annular tissue surrounds the disc and, when it is torn, then the disc and other contents within that area can leak out into the spinal cord area. He said it is not the best finding and it typically requires surgical repair. He also said that it doesn't happen easily and because it is described as an "active annular tear," that means it is recent and must have been the result of a whiplash injury in a car accident. That makes great sense...except I haven't been in a car accident in four years! While how it got there makes no sense, it is torn and I am in pain because of it.

So, the plan...

I'm going to physical therapy and getting horrifically painful therapeutic massages twice a week for the next three weeks, then if I'm not getting any better I'll be referred to a pain management specialist for possible epidural injections. (Doesn't that sound FUN?!?!) The last resort will be a referral to a surgeon.

I say we skip the epidural injections and don't even meet a surgeon and we attack this with the four P's:

1. Physical therapy
2. Painful therapeutic massages
3. Positive thinking
4. Prayer

I'll handle the first two on my own. Wanna help me out with the last two??