In April 2018 I had sat in a chair and it collapsed. Since I had that experience my lower back has been giving me a lot of problems and my left leg feels weak and gives out. When it first happened I was in complete shock and I felt like I was in a daze. Within a few minuets I noticed that my back was hurting a bit. I decided to go to the emergency room to get checked out and they just told me I had a contusion and to take some ibuprofen and put some ice on my back then sent me away. Well, the next day I went through a drive through to order some food and all of the sudden it felt like an electrical jolt went from my lower back, through the back of my leg all the way to my left foot. Oh, it was a painful experience too. Right when that happened my whole leg and foot literally fell asleep. I was a bit freaked out and decided to go right back to the hospital in the ER. When I went there the Doctor told me that he wants to do an x-ray to see if I broke any bones in my back. The x-ray came back negative for any breaks but the radiologist thought there was a fracture so they did a CT scan. The CT scan did not show a fracture so they told me that I had sciatica and sent me home with a prescription of some medicine.
The pain was not getting any better even with the medicine they gave me and I was constantly having the electric jolt run down to my foot from my lower back. It felt like a numb tingling sensation on my leg and foot too. It was really messed up that I was having all of this happen because it rocked my whole life. I was at school a few days later to explain to the teacher that I was not able to study for my exam because I had so many hospital visits. As I was walking at the school my whole leg went numb as well as my privates. It was at that point I went back to the ER and told them my privates are going numb. I was freaking out because of this. The doctor sent me to get an MRI and they said that I have some disc bulges and nephropathy. Then he gave me some steroids to reduce inflammation and some more medication. To make a long story short I ended up going to physical therapy but it did not reduce pain and it actually made it worse. Then after a few months I was sent to a neurosurgeon and he said I have a lumbarization of the S1 and he said that when I fell on the ground from the chair collapsing that it caused nerve damage. He ordered a epidural injection to help with my pain from the ridiculopathy.
The day that I went to get the epidural injection I was kind of nervous. I mean after all, the needle that they use is like 3.5 inches long. As I was in the hospital room waiting for the doctor to give me the shot a nurse came in to take my vitals. Then the doctors assistant came in and told me that the doctor will be in shortly. Like an hour later the doctor came in and told me to sit up with a pillow on my lap. He was talking me through the whole process. The assistant was holding my head down and she told me to look into her eyes. The doctor said that he is going to sterilize my back with some iodine and give me a shot of numbing solution before the epidural injection. I said ok then I felt him wipe the cold sterilizing solution on my lower back three times. Right after that there was the little sting from the needle used to numb my lower back. Really it was not that painful. Then the doctor told me that I am going to feel a bit of pressure. The assistant told me to keep my head down but all the sudden I started getting really light headed. Sweat started dripping from my forehead and I felt like I needed some air. I asked the assistant if I could put my head up so I can breath. She said yes then I told her that I feel light headed and I feel like to pass out. She said for me to look into her eyes. Then the doctor asked me if I would like to lay down on my side as he finishes putting the medication in my spine. I said yes and the assistant help me lay on my side very carefully on the bed that I was sitting on. My I really felt like I was going to just pass out and the assistant just kept saying my name and telling me to look into her eye and to stay with her. Then all the sudden the doctor said he is all done. As I lay on the hospital bed I was very exhausted and light headed. Then the assistant said that she wants me to drink some water. I told her that I was very hungry and she brought me crackers and water.
After the injection and the assistant giving me crackers and water another nurse came in the room and the assistant told him to check my vitals because I had a vagus effect and my heart rate dropped really low. I think she said it dropped in the 40's. Then the assistant said that I need to lay down 30 minuets before I can leave the hospital. After I left the hospital it felt like someone had hit my in the back with a bat. My kidneys and stomach were in a lot of pain too. I left that hospital feeling worse than I did when I went there for sure. That happened yesterday and today the pain in the kidney area has went down but I am still in a lot of pain where the injection took place and in my lower back. It was actually a lot more painful that I was expecting. The doctor did say that it may take a few days for the pain to go away so I will find out.
Some things that I learned from this experience is that the most pain that I experienced was not by the doctor giving me the injection but what I felt like after I left the hospital. I also discovered that my body reacts differently that some other people that get these kids of injections. I just hope that the injections will help me to not have the sciatica causing me pain because it can be a real pain in the back when I get the debilitating flair-ups.
