By Nellie Curtiss …
The pain was more than I could tolerate, and tears welled up automatically even as I shrieked. My service dog didn’t know what to do, but he stayed close by as I finally decided to call 911.
I wasn’t thinking about how many others are dealing with these low back pains, sharp hip stabs or shrinking spines when I took that step from my bed and collapsed into a door frame hug. Something like 577 million deal with Sciatica or low back pain each year according to the National Institutes of Health.
I had spent the day taking Tylenol, using hot and cold packs, trying simple leg movements, and adjusting my chair. Plus, I researched low back and hip pain. Sciatica was defined by Oxford dictionary as: “Pain affecting the back, hip, and outer side of the leg, caused by compression of a spinal nerve root in the lower back, often owing to degeneration of an intervertebral disk.”
So now with throbbing increasing despite all my efforts, I knew I better ask for help. I also wondered if I might be reacting to a new medicine.
The emergency operator was very patient with me despite my screams between words. How the heck he got my address and my details, I still don’t know because I was louder than a train whistle. He stayed on the line as two officers arrived and were directed to an unlocked door for entry.
The ambulance arrived and I was gathered onto a stretcher. Emergency Medical Technicians Dru and Kendra saw to my vitals and started a saline drip before Kendra drove the ambulance to the Alamosa hospital emergency room. There, Randy was the registered nursed assigned to me and Victoria was the certified nurse assistant. When Dr. John Michael responded to my case, he was kind and listened to details about this episode. I tried to ask was I having a reaction to new meds, or if it was low back pain? Blurting between the sentences, I kept noting, “It feels like my hip gave way and disappeared before I collapsed into the door frame.” My cousin Edna waited in the room with me. Thankfully, Dr. Michael ordered a non-steroid pain injection, then he diagnosed my pain. The discharge said Sciatica. His instructions were for me to follow-up with my primary. Knowing that Edna was there with me made the drive home easier. The team at the hospital all cared for their patients like me—and thank goodness the analgesic was still hiding those “belly-aching” bones.
I told my primary Jackie Bennett that if an MRI was ordered, I’d have to be sedated since I was in so much pain. X-rays showed arthritis and lower back pain. That’s what we figured. A minimal steroid was prescribed and for a few hours I coasted. Until I didn’t and the hip was talking too loudly. On Sunday, I visited Express Chiropractic and Dr. Chada’s adjustments alleviated those sharp jabs for a while. It’s clear this sciatica, low back pain, arthritis combination requires as much bravery as I can muster and that it is all part of my aging. Clearly, I have to increase joint exercises in order to keep these screaming meanies under control.
So that brings me back to so many people suffering from these ailments. My recent bout with pain has made me want to be more patient with people who walk a little slower, who catch their breaths, who search for words even as they fumble through thought-interrupting pain. We’re not alone in the universe with any of our discomforts or misfortunes. Sometimes its Tylenol, Ibuprofen or Aleve that calm the nerves. Still, so many kind and knowledgeable peace officers, operators, EMTs, x-ray technicians, doctors and nurses are like blessings in ER coats that were there when one more person with Sciatica punched in 911 for help.
Nelda Curtiss is a retired college educator and long-time local columnist. Reach her at http://www.columnsbynellie.com or email her at columnsbynellie@gmail.com
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