5 days to go before I leave for India and I'm almost prepared. I picked up my visa this morning and was unpleasantly shocked by the price of one single tourist visit to India - €120! Had to just bite the bullet as what could I do about it? A good whinge on Facebook but nothing else.
I picked up another CD full of X-Rays from the hospital on Monday. I must admit I am becoming slightly obsessed with looking through the images. I have focused so much on the degeneration of my discs that I had momentarily forgotten about all the other things wrong with my hapless spine.
The picture here on the left shows the scoliosis in my spine. It is by no means severe, in fact on it's own, it would probably cause me no problems at all. The radiologist report says "Scoliosis convex to the right with obvious disc disease level L3-L4 disc with discogenic narrowing and sclerosis of surrounding vertebral bodies. No vertebral collapse"
The X-Ray on the right shows, according to the report, "Extreme L4-L5 disc disease. Elapsed lumbar lordosis. In flexion and extension, there is
no local mobility."
It is fairly incredible that so-called medical specialists are always labelling my narrowed disc differently, I do have an extra vertebrae in my spine (not a particularly rare occurrence) which obviously causes the confusion, some count down from the ribs and some count up from the sacrum. I wonder if this mix-up has sometimes lead to me having injections in the wrong part of my spine.........
All my scans and X-Rays are 4 years old so it's probable that things, one way or another, have got worse, the pain certainly has. Anyway, medical lesson over for the day.
It's incredible the amount of stuff I need to take. Usually when going away, things like shower gel, shampoo and moisturiser are provided by even mediocre hotels but not where I'm going so I have to take the whole caboodle, 5 weeks worth and it weighs a tonne. The heavy price to keep clean and smell sweet. Hmmmmmm.....at least I won't need to take my boots, coat nor many warm clothes.
The reality of what I have signed up for is beginning to hit me. This is not a 5 week holiday going from one exciting place to another with friends or watching cricket, it's a 4 week voluntary sentence of healthy being, away from everyone I know (apart from Soren for the first 6 days) and away from all my comfort zones, well one really - Mulligans. I'll miss the craic, the Guinness, the music and one particular barman. I'm sure there will be much merriment at the bar over the next few weeks imagining me drinking my herbal tea, eating my rabbit food curries and striking Yoga poses imitating trees. I really hope I won't regret this.
The picture here on the left shows the scoliosis in my spine. It is by no means severe, in fact on it's own, it would probably cause me no problems at all. The radiologist report says "Scoliosis convex to the right with obvious disc disease level L3-L4 disc with discogenic narrowing and sclerosis of surrounding vertebral bodies. No vertebral collapse"
The X-Ray on the right shows, according to the report, "Extreme L4-L5 disc disease. Elapsed lumbar lordosis. In flexion and extension, there is
no local mobility."
It is fairly incredible that so-called medical specialists are always labelling my narrowed disc differently, I do have an extra vertebrae in my spine (not a particularly rare occurrence) which obviously causes the confusion, some count down from the ribs and some count up from the sacrum. I wonder if this mix-up has sometimes lead to me having injections in the wrong part of my spine.........
All my scans and X-Rays are 4 years old so it's probable that things, one way or another, have got worse, the pain certainly has. Anyway, medical lesson over for the day.
It's incredible the amount of stuff I need to take. Usually when going away, things like shower gel, shampoo and moisturiser are provided by even mediocre hotels but not where I'm going so I have to take the whole caboodle, 5 weeks worth and it weighs a tonne. The heavy price to keep clean and smell sweet. Hmmmmmm.....at least I won't need to take my boots, coat nor many warm clothes.
The reality of what I have signed up for is beginning to hit me. This is not a 5 week holiday going from one exciting place to another with friends or watching cricket, it's a 4 week voluntary sentence of healthy being, away from everyone I know (apart from Soren for the first 6 days) and away from all my comfort zones, well one really - Mulligans. I'll miss the craic, the Guinness, the music and one particular barman. I'm sure there will be much merriment at the bar over the next few weeks imagining me drinking my herbal tea, eating my rabbit food curries and striking Yoga poses imitating trees. I really hope I won't regret this.
Nice pics Kate, I'm surprised you don't need an orthopedic shoe.
ReplyDeleteThe next 4 weeks will allow you to be. That sounds fab to me, a human being, instead of a human doing and struggling because every day there's a nagging nemesis not far away. Backpain is CRAP. No one gets it until they have experienced it and even then, their experience wont relate or transfer. Doesn't stop them though does it. lol
I reckon that you will become more aware of stuff that you already know but you didn't realise.
And if nothing else happens, you will at least have 4 weeks off from people including me asking you ...have you tried, or I know a bloke who, knows a bloke... blah blah.
Just imagine not having to bite your lip when you really want to say BUGGER OFF.
Have a blast, relax, let them do their stuff. early mornings are easy in places like this cos it's warm and the dawn is gorgeous.
I wanna come too.
Bev xx
It's very quiet, have you gone cold turkey/lentil yet?
ReplyDeleteLove Sis