HANDmade

Day 17 of the challenge HeartFreek has set for September. 


A little twist on 'Hand-Made' today with a DIY attempt at acupuncture to relieve lower back pain instead of relying on yesterday's blip of pills.

I'm going to write up as best I can the results of an MRI scan from 5 years ago, mainly to record it here as a memoir. I am being referred back to the consultant I saw then asap with view to having some spinal nerve block injections as I'm becoming more & more debilitated with the pain which is at times excruciating and so flipping relentless that it's having a big impact on my quality of life.

The main problem is at L4 - L5 and S1 where the discs bulging are pressing onto the root of the Sciatic nerve and Femoral nerve. 
T10 - T11 have a slight bulging disc but isn't the area of concern.
The other medical terms in the report I didn't really understand so I've deciphered each one so that my brain can understand it. It's all connected to nerves and for me nerve pain is just the worst ever kind of pain, it's like having an abscess on a tooth, very difficult to ease that kind of pain, stretching helps a bit, I follow physio exercises, spent a fortune on that, Osteopath, Chiropractic work, Acupuncture, massage and so on but any relief is always very short lived and expensive, a luxury I can no longer afford.  I do think I've built up an incredible tolerance to the pain over the last 6 years but there's a breaking point for everyone and I think I'm reaching mine. I would consider myself 'desperate' now and would try anything. The surgeon did offer to fuse my lower back 5 years ago, but when he told me it might not stop the nerve pain I couldn't see the point of having a scary operation like that without a positive outcome. Anyway, here goes...


Femoral Nerve Symptoms: The femoral nerve is located in the pelvis and goes down the front of the leg. It helps the muscles move the hip and straighten the leg. It provides feeling (sensation) to the front of the thigh and part of the lower leg. Changes in the thigh, knee, or leg, such as decreased sensation, numbness, tingling, burning, or pain. Weakness of the knee or leg, including difficulty going up and down stairs -- especially down, with a feeling of the knee giving way or buckling. Pain in the groin and hip making walking or standing almost unbearable. Loss of movement ie: cannot lift right leg up and down as in a walking motion and to do so causes severe pain.

Sciatic Nerve Symptoms: Localised pain in lower back, pain into whole buttock cheek, hip, down leg, pain in shin area even into foot at times.

In anterolisthesis, the upper vertebral body is positioned abnormally compared to the vertebral body below it. More specifically, the upper vertebral body slips forward on the one below. The amount of slippage is graded on a scale from 1 to 4.

Retrolisthesis is an uncommon joint dysfunction that occurs when a single vertebra in the back slips backward along or underneath a disc. Retrolisthesis is the opposite of spondylolisthesis, which occurs when a vertebra slips forward.

Foraminal stenosis is the narrowing or tightening of the openings between the bones in your spine. These small openings are called the foramen. Foraminal stenosis is a specific type of spinal stenosis. Nerves pass though the foramen from your spinal cord out to the rest of your body.

Spinal stenosis and foraminal stenosis describe the narrowing of the canals in your spine. Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the canals through which the spinal cord travels, foraminal stenosis is the narrowing through which the spinal nerves travel before exiting the spine.

Here is the challenge list if you would like to take part. Its never too late!!! Just tag your entry HFSept2021

1.    New
2.    White
3.    Feet
4.    Flower
5.    Sleeping
6.    Tiny
7.    Cotton
8.    Steps
9.    My Favourite....
10.  Looking Down
11.  Cake
12.  Family
13.  Numbers
14.  Wood
15.  2pm
16.  On Your Plate
17.  Handmade
18.  Heart
19.  Animal
20.  Mug
21.  Reflection
22.  Open
23.  Landscape
24.  Bokeh
25.  A Picture
26.  Above me
27.  Water
28.  Pattern
29.  Autumn
30.  A Selfie !!