I had three spine MRIs today. First, the good news:

[Redstone]

The MS is not the souce of most of the prblems I'm having; it's continuing to NOT progress.

The bad news is that I have not less than TEN damaged discs, and three damaged vertabrae.

Hello, heating pad. You're my friend indeed.

Redstone

[LynzM]

1. Holy crap, Redstone.

(gentle) :hug: !!

[Redstone]

13. Thank you, m'dear. And happy holidays to you guys!

Redstone

[LynzM]

20. To you guys, too!

:hug: :loveya:

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Yowza.

Maybe you need a heating pad jacket.

[sarge43]

3. Oh jeez Redstone. Can anything be done about the damage?

A very gentle :hug:

[greenbriar]

4. Oh wow, sending great positive vibes to you

its the least I can do

[dysfunctional press]

5. that sucks...the extent of the damage, that is.

the not progressing part is great though- that's gotta be encouraging.

for my last mri, i had to go to a place that does 'stand-up' mri's, because with the fusion in my cervical vertebrae, they couldn't get me into the regular machine.

do you ever get to a therapy pool?

where we used to live, we belonged to a health club attached to a hospital, and i loved going there in the mornings just to float in the warm water, and take the weight off my spine.
it was heaven.

my demon is AS. (ankylosing spondylitis)

[LeftyFingerPop]

6. Redstone, Here's a gentle hug and best wishes that...

your pain and discomfort are alleviated. :hug:

[seemunkee]

7. At least there was some good news

But the bad news is bad. :hug:

[graywarrior]

8. Jeeze.

I don't know what to say. Take care.

[greenbriar]

9. If you got good drugs, you are required to share :)

Just kidding

hope you get to feeling better soon

[Odin2005]

10. OW, OW, OW!!!

:hug:

[jmc]

11. I don't even know where to start.

My heart goes out to you. My mother has 8 bad disks/vertebrae from her neck to her lower back. TEN bad discs! I wish you the best. If you can, find a GREAT pain specialist. My mom's just threw drugs at her for the last 15 years. Don't hear me as down on pain killers, if you need it, TAKE IT!!! Just make sure they are tailored to you. Also, if you can afford it or have the insurance for it, and we all hope you do, look into an intrathecal pump.

We wish you the best.

[redwitch]

12. You poor dear!

Heating pad, tens unit, drugs. And no shoveling for you Redstone!

[Demoiselle]

14. Oh, Redstone, I'm sorry .

...But I believe I wished you a warm glow of a Christmas a few days ago. So I'll repeat that wish, with bells on, and encourage you to just relax in the warmth and admire those pretty Christmas lights. I love heating pads. They are friends. All the best.

[JohnnyLib2]

15. Glad to hear the good part. Otherwise, ouch, ugh.

Sure hope you have times of temporary relief, one way or another. Best wishes....

[libodem]

16. Dayam

That is good news and bad! You know I have the ultimate empathy for all your pain. I've been wondering if I have MS symptoms cuz of all the numbness in my lower legs.

[Powdered Toast Man]

17. You are very fortuante...

The docs can't seem to get my Aunt's MS under control. She goes in for infusions every month. They say it's the stress of dealing with her son's diabetes. He ends up in the hospital at least once a month because he refuses to take care of it; 15 and going to live for ever. Or so he thinks.

[ThomCat]

18. Ow. I am very, very sorry.

I am amazed that they haven't detected that level of spinal degeneration much sooner. :(

I hope there is something they can do to help you keep your spine stable, and hopefully improve your situation somehow.

[LeftyMom]

19. Sorry to hear it.

I kinda know how that goes, my mom's whole side of the family is in the same boat, and thanks to the wonder of heredity I probably will be in another ten years, give or take a few.

:hug:

[Redstone]

24. Hey, sweetie, haven't talked with you for a while. How goes all for you these days?

Redstone

[LeftyMom]

35. I all balances out.

Trying to find and keep work that pays enough to properly starve on in this economy has been a bit of an adventure, but my kid's growing into a young man to be very proud of, and our mutual friend hasn't figured out yet that I'm an idiot (and amazingly enough, I don't think he's going to,) so those are the important things and I try not to let the rest get to me.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

21. A lifetime of backflips eventually catches up to a body.

Time to slow down a bit, guy? :headbang:

But really, the best vibes I have on hand are right now heading your way.

[easttexaslefty]

22. My friend,

you need an gel ice pack not heat. Heat will make it feel better in the short term but ice is the help. And may I add, get thee to a Chiropractor. I have degenerative disk disease, a rotated spine and a fractured vertebrae. Also a massage therapist. After a recent auto accident where I was rear-ended, visited a chiropractor and my back, neck and shoulders have never felt better. I guess I had become accustomed to the pain over the years.

[Redstone]

23. Good advice, thank you. I'll probably be doing all that in concert...

I know that each process helps the others.

Sorry to hear about YOUR spine. Hope you continue to do well.

Redstone

[TK421]

25. The good news outweighs the bad...just try to take it easy, okay?

sorry about the disc damage, I can't imagine how painful that is

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. Wow! Is it a natural deterioration or were you a pro wrestler at one time?

I had one slipped disc once, and that was almost enough to finish me off. I dunno how you are making it through this. *gentle :hug:*

[Redstone]

27. Not a pro rassler, just extraordinately stupid in my younger days.

Redstone

[GreenPartyVoter]

28. Dang! If only you'd known back then how things would go later on. :^(

[Redstone]

32. I'd also have stopped after, maybe, the third concussion. Seven of THOSE

things put big, fat, honkin' holes in your memory.

Redstone

[GreenPartyVoter]

34. I'm not sure if I'd even want to have one, the things we're hearing these days.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

30. "Stupidity" was my second guess

right after Infantry or Artillery

I hope there's improvement.

:hi:

[hedgehog]

29. A little bit of fruitcake advice to go with the season....

Read up on Vitamin D and discuss with your doctor.

(I call my self a real fruitcake on Vitamin D, but it turns out that a lot of us in the North are woefully deficient and it is increasingly tied to MS and other chronic illnesses! I hope this helps!)

[LaraMN]

31. Oh wow, Redstone!

:-(

That's rough- I'm sorry! Big virtual hugs from me- the kind that won't strain your poor back.

[Redstone]

33. Your blog is hilarious! I've bookmarked it.

Redstone

[BlueIris]

36. Ouch, dude.

Wishing you some brilliant neurosurgeons this holiday season...

[Redstone]

37. BI! Good to hear from you again. I hope the holidays are good

for you as well, m'dear.

Redstone