Sciatica *AND* a Herniated Disc...
Okay, so the sciatica is being caused by a herniated disc. This was initially described to me as a "bulging disc which has extruded". "Extruded"... Think of a tube of toothpaste and a heavy-handed squeeze. That's what happened to my disc. My vertebra have squeezed down on my disc so hard that they've squirted some amount of the disc matter out of the disk.
All of this has, in turn, put pressure on the nerve bundle. At this point in the back I'm not so sure it's the spinal cord any more. I think the spinal cord (proper) has stopped a couple vertebra up and this is just a nerve bundle now. There are 4 (or is it 5) nerve bundles which merge to form the sciatic nerve, which runs down your buttock, just to the "outside" of bone on your butt which you sit on. Then it runs down the back (more toward the outside) of your leg. It rotates around to the outside of your knee and down the side of your lower leg, right to your outside ankle bone.
For me, this whole path is any combination of:
- On Fire
- Numb
- Painful
- Throbbing
- Being stuck with a red hot poker
They have switched me from Vicodin to Oxycodone. The pain persists. The drugs seem to only take the absolute sharpest of edges off. I'm 39 and can't walk around outside of my house without a cane. I'm hunched over like you would expect me to be when I'm in my 80's. Standing upright results in too much pain, to the point of passing out. Doctor won't see me for a week and a half. Apparently I can get in sooner if I lose control of my bladder or bowels. I'm hoping I'll get in sooner because of a cancellation.
All of this has, in turn, put pressure on the nerve bundle. At this point in the back I'm not so sure it's the spinal cord any more. I think the spinal cord (proper) has stopped a couple vertebra up and this is just a nerve bundle now. There are 4 (or is it 5) nerve bundles which merge to form the sciatic nerve, which runs down your buttock, just to the "outside" of bone on your butt which you sit on. Then it runs down the back (more toward the outside) of your leg. It rotates around to the outside of your knee and down the side of your lower leg, right to your outside ankle bone.
For me, this whole path is any combination of:
- On Fire
- Numb
- Painful
- Throbbing
- Being stuck with a red hot poker
They have switched me from Vicodin to Oxycodone. The pain persists. The drugs seem to only take the absolute sharpest of edges off. I'm 39 and can't walk around outside of my house without a cane. I'm hunched over like you would expect me to be when I'm in my 80's. Standing upright results in too much pain, to the point of passing out. Doctor won't see me for a week and a half. Apparently I can get in sooner if I lose control of my bladder or bowels. I'm hoping I'll get in sooner because of a cancellation.
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