My ailing back

Twenty years ago I herniated a discs in my lower back. I was underemployed and uninsured at the time so the only option available to me was to undergo a surgery "sponsored" by medicare. The surgery was mostly successful as it got rid of the pain shooting down my left leg. Sadly the surgeon who operated on my back was a complete asshole. He apparently was not very happy with the fact that he only got paid a fraction of what he would have gotten had I had health insurance. He even went as far as to show me the invoice and the payment he received. He also only scheduled one follow-up visit. Based on his attitude toward me I would not be at all shocked to find out that he half-assed the surgery.

Why does that matter? It matters because of one major side effect...Arachnoiditis.

What is Arachnoiditis?

Arachnoiditis is a neuropathic disease caused by inflammation of the arachnoid membrane, which surrounds and protects the spinal cord. Inflammation can include the nerve roots. Scar tissue grows in the cerebrospinal fluid, binding nerves to each other and the posterior wall of the spinal canal, causing intractable pain and a host of other debilitating symptoms. The disease usually progresses the rest of the sufferer's lifetime.  Two-thirds lose bowel and bladder function. Most end up requiring morphine. Some are even bedridden. Though it can be caused by infections or trauma to the spine the most frequent cause is medical interventions such as surgery, myleograms and epidural steroid injections.

I was diagnosed with Arachnoiditis several years after that surgery and was told that it was the direct result of the trauma caused by the procedure. Awesome!

Earlier this year I had another lower back surgery for yet another herniated disk. This time the doctor was very attentive and seemed to know his stuff. He was after all the head of neurosurgery at one of the best hospitals in New England. Just like the first surgery, pain shooting down my leg was gone. What remained is numbness of the back of  my leg, starting from my butt and going all the way to the heel of my right leg. I am now also experiencing other symptoms such as electric shocks going down my leg causing my foot tremble uncontrollably. I feel pain in both of my hips and on occasion, such as a couple of nights ago, my lower back feels like it is on fire while being kicked repeatedly by a steel toe boot. The pain is so intense that I feel like I am going to black out. I am certain that it is Arachnoiditis saying "hello".

At this point my only salvation is Advil.