I spent the day yesterday in the ER at NY Methodist (which may be the worst place in the world) because of some bad side effects from one of the meds I'm taking. I laid on a gurney in a busy hallway for an hour, then got put in a bay and waited another hour and a half before I was seen by a nurse, which is par for the course at this hospital. The woman I was sharing a bay with was there for a heart issue and wasn't seen for 2 hours. The ER is filled with the noises of people constantly yelling and screaming, and the only reason I was finally seen by a nurse was because I screamed out I NEED A NURSE at the top of my lungs. Good times. I'm feeling a lot better today though, and so happy to be home and not there. Much love and thanks to Pete, Alice and Rachel for coming and taking care of me and being my advocates.
On Wednesday I had an appointment with my pain specialist, where we reviewed an MRI of my thoracic spine that she had ordered. Previously I've had an MRI of my chest, where inflammation was found at one of my costochondral junctions, which my doctor says is where the rib connects to the spine. This MRI showed facet arthrosis in my mid/lower spine, most pronounced in T10-T11, which is where the inflammation was seen in my other MRI. My doctor says facet arthrosis is fluid buildup along the spine, which is something that happens in younger people as a result of inflammation. So she wants to try doing another shot of steroids directly into the spine where that fluid is, with the hope being that it is the source of the pain that radiates all the way around my ribs. Previously I got injections in the front left side of my ribs, and on each side along my back, but I haven't gotten any along the spine yet. So, it's promising, but I am still skeptical because every injection I've gotten up until now has caused me nothing but extreme pain. Now all I have to do is pick a day that I want to be in a lot of pain and make an appointment! I'll post an update once I've gotten the injections.
In the mean time, I'm still slowly building up to the full dosage of Cymbalta. It's taking me awhile because I'm really prone to nausea, but hopefully I'll be up to the full dose in 2-3 weeks. As of now, no change in my pain, but that's to be expected because I'm not at the full dose yet, and it can take a month to take full effect.
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