[runner]

Skip the above message, it was interrupted by dinner.

The full message is this:

Hi Phylly,

Thank you for your concern.
Now, I am only doing PT twice a week. Since B only allows 24 visits a year, I thought I would stretch it out and do some more exercising on my own.
I am not allowed to do Pilates; haven't been on the reformer since I "hurt" my back in August/September. My PT won't let me do much. I was doing the ellyptical trainer and now I am just doing the plain old treadmill. If anything causes pain, we back off. Plus it takes me a few days after the ESIs to be able to go back to PT.

I have pretty much backed off anything I used to call exercise. I walk and I do the home exercises.

I figure that the stronger my core muscles are, the better.
The problem is that my nerve pain isn't really settling down, however, there seems to be a little less numbness. Thanks to the ESIs?

I really don't believe this is a flareup of my surgery level (l4/5), and neither does the pain doc. Rather there is definitely L5/S1 nerve (root) compression. The back pain is almost what I had before the big op, except this time, I have killer sciatica. So I don't really see myself getting off the lovely Gabapentin anytime soon. The back pain has slowly been increasing since Aug/Sept. In Jan/early February, I saw Grand Torino (using minimal drugs) and last Friday, I could barely stand sitting (using more drugs). (Is that an oxymoron, how can you stand and sit? Hee, hee, hee).

I know what is the coming feature for the pain doc appt, which is Thursday, now instead of Friday. Can you give me an "E", give me a "S" and give me an "I". What does that spell? ESI.

The pain doc already told me what he plans to do. I am not exactly looking forward to having another ESI next week. I don't know about what they do to you, Phylly, but with me they mess up my sleep patterns. It is like the opposite of the Gabapentin. Ten cups of Starbuck's best caffeinated beverage here we come.

Don't worry I am laying on my giant ice pack quite regularly and behaving myself. I know that the better shape I am in, the better it is for my back so I am watching what I eat, getting some exercise and getting help around the house when I need to. My husband has been sick this week so he has been laying low too.

I just keep thinking that I have been out of work for almost two years. Not exactly what I envisioned at this point in my life. Anyway, got to eat dinner. I made a dish that is a cross between fettucine alfredo and beef stroganoff. Yum Yum.

Phylly, please take care of yourself because you know what they say, you are early days. Don't do too much.