I'm in the Zone.
No, not "The Zone," a la Dr. Barry Sears . . . I'm on prednisone. I'm zonin'. Seems I have a ruptured lumbar disc. Another one. Two years ago, I had L3/L4 repaired. Now, L2/L3 has ruptured, on the right side.
Fortunately, this one is a lot less severe than the one in '04. I have no leg weakness. My patellar reflex is intact. I have some sciatic pain, but it's not that bad. Mostly, I just have a stiff back -- standing anywhere close to upright takes time and stretching -- and back pain.
So, I have some time to try conservative treatments. I started a taper dose of prednisone this morning. 12 days. We'll see how I feel after that. I have been improving daily, and I feel pretty good today, for the most part. It's probably too early for the 'zone to be having an effect, but I'm still feeling mighty cheerful, under the circumstances.
Now, prednisone can play havoc with your weight . . . usually, it makes you gain. I did 'zone two years ago. It didn't do anything for my back pain or weakness, but I lost about 3 lbs while I was on it. Here's what worked for me (bear in mind this is for short-term predisone only . . . if you're taking it long-term, I doubt this will be all that helpful):
- Prednisone increases appetite. What I did, and what I'll do again, is be super-vigilant about how much I'm eating. I'll pay attention to eating volume, for not much in the way of calories.
- Prednisone also causes fluid retention. Sure, this is temporary, but if you're trying to lose weight (or would prefer not to "find" any), it can be disheartening to see a scale increase. What I'll be doing -- again -- is eating very low sodium. I'll prepare fresh foods, and stay away from processed stuff.
I am pretty optimistic about this. If the 'zone doesn't work, we might try a cortisone injection (another 'zone, I guess). That has worked for me in the past (shoulder). And who knows . . . the rupture may heal itself. This apparently happens, most of the time.
If things keep getting better, I'll be climbing on my bike trainer by the end of the week. I've been doing some light stretches, and some light ab work, enough to keep me balanced and strong.
I have also resigned myself to the fact that there'll be no duathlon for me this year. Maybe never. But, one step at a time. It does seem that every time I even THINK about doing a duathlon, I rupture a disc. Maybe I should just leave well enough alone. Third time would mean that I'm snakebit. No, thanks. I think I'll stick with my bike, for now. Which, by the way, I'm going to clean off this weekend. It still is dirty from my last ride -- in December -- in the rain. You never know. Maybe I'll feel like a short spin.
Herniated Discs can Fix Themselves
Treatment Options for Lumbar Herniated Disc
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