Wonder drug fails me

There is a saying in medicine: When a new drug comes out, make sure you use it while it still works.

The first two doses of the Baclofen worked great, eliminating the muscle spasms that feel like someone sticking a hot knife between my ribs. The spasms drop me to my knees, make me gasp and shriek simultaneously, and bring tears to my eyes. But the dose I took at 1 AM only lasted two hours. I didn't get much sleep after that. The next couple of doses only lasted two hours also, and the stuff makes me feel like I'm in a cloud.

So, now I'm just learning to move in such a way that the spasms don't occur. I'm getting better at it, but it's pretty delicate.

The X-ray showed some age appropriate degeneration (translation -- normal for a 45-year-old spine). There is probably some mild disk herniation there, which unless it starts causing neurological symptoms (numbness, weakness, tingling) is just treated conservatively.

Wonder Drugs

I never cease to be amazed by the power of drugs. This morning, I was screaming (literally screaming) with every time I tried to sit down because the the back pain. I crawled down to the orthopedic surgeon at CHC, Dr. Ruben Arafilis, who told me the pain was coming from a muscle spasm, and put me on Baclofen. Thirty minutes after taking the pill, the pain stopped. The spasm is happening either because of a herniated disk or a compressed disk -- neither of which is good. A compressed disk can be seen with a simple X-ray, so I got one today. If it's normal, then I may have to go to Guam for an MRI to evaluate for a herniated disk.

In the meantime, no soccer for me I've been waiting all year for the co-ed season to start again, and here I am sidelined, as the games get underway.