Well, He Didn't Run for the Hills

My appointment was fairly successful.  The doctor was actually pretty excited to see my packet/notes.  He couldn't believe all of the information I had put together.  You have to stay organized when you're chronically, I mean fashionably, ill.  The secretaries on the other hand didn't seem so fond of it.  With a history as long as mine that includes procedures, medications, and allergies, the electric sign in sheets don't exactly work well.  If you've never seen them, it's like an oversized iPad that you use to complete your medical history.  You can check off conditions that you have, medications that you take, procedures that have been completed, and allergies.  In my case, I have all of this information on typed spreadsheets.  The electronic thing barely lists the medications I'm allergic too and when you choose other it gives you one line to type them on (hunt and peck style).  Note to the machine:  there is a reason I have a list.  It's because they won't fit on one line.  Needless to say, the staff had to hand type them into the computer.

The doctor recommended more physical therapy, strengthening, and eventually another rhizotomy (nerve burning) to my back.  Some of the pain comes from my SI joint and he says that he can burn the connector nerves in the area to reduce my pain level and hopefully get the joint to close up a little bit.  From what I gather, the twisted vertebrates have left a large gap where my SI joint is and my other muscles have overtightened to compensate.  This could be impeding on the pudendal nerve or causing all of the pelvic floor problems that I've been having.  I was also asked to revisit the rheumatologist, just to make sure there weren't underlying problems.  I wanted to sign up for the nerve burning right then and there.  I've had it before on some other joints and it worked, so I was ready to jump right in.  Unfortunately, I have to do some other things before he'll delve into that.  He also mentioned prolotherapy to help strengthen and rebuild my ligaments.  It's controversial and it would be highly recommended that I go out of state for the procedure.

With all of this strengthening and physical therapy, my spine continues to pop.  I've had physical therapy about every other year or more for the last 12 years and it continues to pop and wiggle.  My question to him:  if we strengthen it crooked, how will that help the situation?  Needless to say, he was a little perplexed and gave me a magic 8-ball kind of response.  Will my back stay crooked?  Probably so.  Perhaps not.  Ask again later.  And so, here we are at a standstill.