Murphy's Law
I have 18 days left of my grueling 2 semester adventure. My State Critical Care exam is on June 19 with the skills exam the week before. I am in a frenzy of studying and getting my clinical paperwork together. So what happened? Last week during my Roller Derby adventure I "did something" to my back and over the last week it has become progressively worse. Finally Wed I saw the Dr who sent me for an MRI. I have a disc problem (which I have had before and pretty much knew had flared up again) and they sent me to PT. I'm supposed to take muscle relaxeants, Vicodin, Prednisone and have "limited" activity. HAHAHAHA, limited activity?????? This is my Firehouse weekend and so far we've had 9 patients. I think there have been runs where I'm in more pain than my patients  And OF COURSE, they have all been over 200lb this weekend!!
I have a pretty high threshold for pain and HATE to take drugs that make me "goofy" and CAN"T take them when I'm working. Just go home from my shift and took all my pills. I SHOULD be studying today but know that in short order I'll be in a vicodin stuper. Can't study when my back hurts and can't study when I'm "vicodin stupid". I'm sure that the back will resolve (I've been through this before) but in the meantime I HAVE SO FREAKING MUCH TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just looking for a little "BOOHOO POOR YOU"
I'd give ANYTHING for a hot tube right now!!!!! |
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| The jaded EMS people's reply is, "yeah, and?" Our world is ruled by Murphy's Law, you should know that by now!!!
Good luck with your drug induced haze!! Get to studying! |
Knew I could count on you for sympathy 
Maybe I have discovered a new training too,........drugs! |
| Take some pills and take a nap!
Study later.... (from the procrastinator here) You know, Murphy's registered name is "Murphy's Law Unleashed" What did we do to that poor boy? Not his fault he poops in the ring.  |
Hope your feeling better soon and we all know you will ACE it all  |
| Ughh, that bites!!
I hope the back settles down. Can you try some toradol or another NSAID that won't make you too dopey to study? At least for short periods of time. I am so sensitive to muscle relaxers and pain pills too. When on vacation 1 Dramamine (25mg meclizine or antivert) knocked me out. For over 8 hours! Same thing with Flexeril, even 25mg of benedryl. Hope you heal up, and I know you will ace those tests! |
| I have been through this...I spent 2 weeks in pain taking pills and then when the MRI came back showing a herniated disc and one ruptured my Doctor highly recommended a epidural that put the medicine right into the area of need...I resisted but husband said I would do it! Well it took less than 30 minutes, I didn't feel a thing other than a pinch...got off the table and haven't felt an ounce of pain since...the medication lasts around 3 weeks...I tiptoed anticipating it coming back but it didn't! Wish I had done it the first week. Pain medication just makes me ill in so many other ways and it takes forever to heal the back. Thank goodness my husband insisted on the epidural..I was teaching then and had to return to work the day after the epidural...went back to work with no problems. |
Tasker's Mom wrote: You know how it goes.... if something can go wrong it will and it is ALWAYS at the worst possible moment.
I can 100% empathize with you! I'm studying for the bar right now and I can't even begin to tell you what a week I've had.... hang in there, and if you haven't already plan yourself a nice trip to Mexico for after your exams (that's what I did!) |
| Maybe you and Marianne can help each other out.
You can take the pain pills, get a buzz and clean her house. She can sit down, rest and take your test. 
Hope you get to feeling better soon! Back problems are a pain in the, well, I guess in the back, but that wasn't exactly what I was gonna say. |
| Great idea Pam!!
Heather, the day after my exam I leave fro two weeks at the beach Great minds think alike! |
| BOOHOO POOR YOU |
| Ginny, I feel your pain - literally. I've doctored with a bad back for years and every time it "went out" I convinced myself that it would just take "a week or so" to heal. Only it never healed completely and the episodes happened closer and closer together because following each episode, it took less and less stress to make it go out again. The only fix was surgery - 3 times over an 8 year period, for 3 separate herniated disks.
Cold compresses always work best for me. Hopefully the potent painkillers will let you be functional enough to get you through your killer schedule, but as a nurse/EMT, you have to know that just killing the pain does not cure the source. Hang in there! |
| Thanks all.
I might be just a tiny bit better, but then again I might be just trying to convince myself that I am........ Today is my last day of prednisone so I'm worried tomorrow will be worse. I was able to lay flat for awhile yesterday, I've figured out how to study flat on my back
I don't have the kind of job I can call in sick for but believe me, if I could I WOULD HAVE this morning!! |
| Ginny I am sorry that you are having these problems at the worst time. Have you tried the back pain strips? They've always helped me. Best of luck on your test! |
| Ginny, I feel for yah! That little Murphy guy has it in for me too!!
Hope you get to soak in a nice hot tub...and not tube but may be your personal preference.. 
Hey, that new place I want, has an indoor hot tub and excercise room! If I get it ...come and visit!! Of course when I saw it , not once did I think for me but ohhhh hydro therapy for Blue and Panda! Perhaps you can go for mesage therapy and won't be embarressed if the mesage therapist turns out to be some hunky guy as happened in my case. 
Hope you feel better soon! Marianne and the monsters |
| A hot bath helps me too.
Hope you are feelling better soon! Wishing you lots of luck on the test. |
wonder where you have been......no emails 
have you done your stretches????? with brians bad back and 2 surgeries..he has to do nightly stretches... laying on your back bring your knees to your chest..hold then twist your lets to the left with your back straight....hold and do the other side....it really seems to help him, IF he does them in the morning and at night.... poor you....feel better and email me..... |
| yea, I have my whole list of McKenzie exercises. |
| Thought I'd post an up date....
MRI on Tuesday showed herniated disc Tomorrow I am having another MRI to see if it is any better. If it has not gotten any worse I'm going to have a nerve block early next week to try to get through til the 19th. If it's worse............. they want to do surgery.
I've always been very against back surgery. This happened to me about 4 years ago, I ruptured a disc and the neurosurgeon wanted to operate, I said no and went through the year from hell while it healed. I don't think I can go through another year like that, so may go ahead with the surgery this time. |
| I'm sorry Ginny. I hope the second MRI shows it's healing. |
| That bites. Hope the nerve block gives you some relief.
Besides working in ortho/neuro, Todd had back surgery about 10 yrs ago for his herniated disc. He has had really good luck. Modified his lifestyle a bit, but still does most of the stuff he wants, and of course some he would rather not (bale hay, shear the sheep...).
Good luck! |
| wishing you the best of everything both for your back and your exams |
| Oooh ... I feel so bad for you!
Hubby had surgery last year for a herniated disc. The week before the surgery he was downing pain pills like candy and could barely walk. The surgery -- done by a neurosurgeon on an outpatient basis -- took 30 minutes, after which, once the anesthesia wore off -- Hubby was up and walking normally! Post-surgery he was told to take it easy, but didn't even need any pain pills. Changing the "dressings" was a piece of cake -- a regular band-aid easily covered the minimal incision. The worse part of the whole experience was the course of antibiotics (which upset Hubby's tummy) and the ride home from the SurgiCenter. I drove and Hubby will tell anyone who will listen that I hit every pothole on the way home. Not true! I'm sure there are a few I missed. My point is, if you trust your surgeon, don't worry too much about the surgery. I know in the past back surgery was dicey, but they're doing wonderful things now. Good luck -- both with your back and with your exams. |
^^^^
The wives always get the raw end of the deal!! I have heard that disc surgery is now very simple and not to be feared like it once was. Right now I would let them do ANYTHING they wanted if it would make the pain go away!!!!!!! |
Tasker's Mom wrote: ^^^^
Right now I would let them do ANYTHING they wanted if it would make the pain go away!!!!!!! I feel your pain right now....
Im in the middle of a bout of sciatica... 
Nothing i do seems to work (any sugestions?)
I wish you well, and hope it will ease off soon... |
Second MRI showed some improvement. Saw the neurosurgeon today but after hearing the pros and cons of a nerve block decided to wait it out a little longer. But the good news is no surgery  Worked today and only had a "few" pain pills. Starting another round of prednisone tomorrow.
Spent a horrible weekend on the floor with the heating pad but it seems to have helped a bit. Wish me luck, my exams start tomorrow (tues). I have two practical exams this week ,this semester there are so many skills they spread it out over two nights (tues & Thurs). If I pass, I go to Rocherster next Thursday for the written. Doug is such a great guy, he is taking a half day vacation and is going to drive me to Rochester so I can lay flat on the trip (it's a little over two hours). I was afraid that sitting for two hours in the car would make me be totally in agony for the exam. My hope is that the prednisone will let me back off on the pain pills enough so that my head isn't fuzzy. You know the "vicodin puff head" |
| I'm sorry to hear you are still in pain. Cross fingers for a clear mind during the test. Best of luck....take care on that drive. Have you tried the Over the Counter back pain strips by Ben Gay? Might help for the drive. |
| well, at least doug wont be able to complain about your backseat driving since youll be laying down...hehe....
kick some butt on your exams! i know youll do great!! you be the smartest people i knows!!!! xoxoxo, me |
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