Functional Anesthetic Discogram ✔️
I hate this picture. I'm puffy and tired from my flare-up. My surgical scars on my neck are showing. Yet, I still want to post this because it's so important to show people all sides of yourself. If I only post my "best self" on social media, I'll constantly be trying to live up to something that is unattainable.
People have often asked me (with good intentions), "Are you better yet?" and are surprised when I say no. Chronic illness is chronic; there is no cure. That doesn't mean I will be sick forever, but as of now, there is no cure for my disease and limited treatments available. There are treatments for my symptoms though, which is why I got this diagnostic procedure done.
I want to say I was brave and smiling, but when you know you're about to have needles stuck into your discs in your spine, no matter how many surgeries you've had, it's hard to be calm. On top of that, of course, I could only find patient experiences for provocative discograms online, which weren't very encouraging. Thankfully, I had great doctors and nurses, and they helped me feel really comfortable. Since my procedure was one that most residents don't get to see very often, I had a LOT of people in the procedure room. The first level they injected did not help with my pain (which is a good thing because now we know not to do anything surgically to that level). The second level did help with a lot of my pain, which is helpful information for my neurosurgeon. I'm still having a flare, so now it's just rest, rest and more rest!
