I am here to chat...and to learn how to be well.

Symptoms:
Low back pain radiating to right lower extremity. Depression.

Diagnosis:
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Bulging Disc
Degenerative Disc Disease
Bone Spurs in the Back
Pinched Nerve in the Back
Sciatica
Neuropathic Pain
Chronic Pain
Depression

Treatment Options: (Additional surgery not recommended)
Do nothing - live with the pain, Medication Pain Management, Physical Pain Management, Epidural Steroid Injections, Facet Injections or Inter-articula Injection, Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS)

Current Treatment:
Physical Therapy, Pain Meds, Ice, Heat, Exercise, Rest, Lumbar Laminectomy Surgery, Pain Management, Epidural Steroid Injections, More Medication, More Physical Therapy (at home), so far.........

Current Medication:
Prilosec, Tricor, Naproxen, Lyrica, Cymbalta, L-Tyrosine, Omega-3 Plus Glucosamine, Multi-Vitamin

Current PT:
Dr. and I agreed that with "Work Hardening" Physical Therapy I might be able to build myself back up to physical requirements needed to go back to my job. (Construction & maintenance for Electric Power Company). The "Work Hardening" is where the PT sets up work similar to what I actually do in my job, then slowly gets me back up to speed by doing progressively harder work. Unfortunately, the PT people say that private insurance will not pay for this, only covered if under Workmen's Comp., when WC would cover the cost. Since my claim is not yet WC, Dr. and I agreed that I should just continue to work out at home on my machines, doing exercises that I've learned in the past two years by being in so much PT.

UPDATE: Returned to work 1/5/09. I work for Electric Power Company, Substation, doing construction and maintenance. Inside and out, hot and cold, rain snow or sunshine. Dig ditches, climb steel, high and low voltage wiring, construction and maintenance. My fellow workers are really helping me out as I have returned to work, doing lot's of my share of lifting and physical part of job. Worked with many of them for the last 25+ years...but it's hard mentally to watch them do what I can't. I am continuing to finish my college degree in industrial technology, and hope to find an opening for a job at the same company that is less physical in the near future...we'll see. I am stable thought, it seems, with my condition and the meds that I am on, loosing some weight, and getting stronger, mentally and physically, thanks to my medical team and all of you here at SH.

Namaste!