[medical update] step one complete (?)
Jan. 22nd, 2013 09:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seventheSo today I got injections into the trigger points in my muscles. It sucked. I blacked out, nearly vomited, almost cried, and was shaky for probably ~two hours afterwards. Conclusion: Highly Uncool.
So basically, trigger points happen when your muscles make knots -- not just knots, like I need a massage type knots, but KNOTS. Imagine the fibers of your muscles like, I don't know, the tines of a fork, or spaghetti. Trigger points are when that shit gets fucked up. Instead of generally lined up spaghetti noodles, imagine a tight tangle of bullshit in the middle pulling all the other strands out of whack: but then instead of a tangle or a not imagine a rock made of pain in its place. This is the worst analogy, but basically, that's what it is. It isn't a knot that can be fixed with normal massage or stretching -- the tiny knot of intertwined fibers means that the OTHER fibers AROUND it are already stretched/pulled tight, and so massage or stretching can actually make it worse.
It's hard to prove that trigger points have actually formed -- usually it's the kind of thing you "prove" by curing symptoms. In my case, they definitely aren't sure it's what's happening, because I do have a herniated disc; and they aren't sure which is the cause of the other. How ever, there isn't anything really "bad" that can happen with trigger point injections. Worst case scenario is, they don't work, and I just threw some money.
What they do for these things is mix up an anesthetic and a steroid in a syringe. The doctor then finds the sore place in your muscle - with a basic understanding of where trigger points occur - and sterilizes your skin with alcohol. He then puts in the needle and sort of... Wiggles it, or waits, to make sure it's in the "right place"; then he injects a set amount of the mixture. Inserting the needle hurts, of course, and the injection part stings a little, but then the numbing kicks in somewhat. Today I got... I don't even remember cause I passed out and was confused. 8 of them?
They hurt, but not like a ton - but enough that it sucked. They were also just the worst possible combination of pain, incredibly weird, and horrendously gross.
Of course I'll put up with them if they help - procedures get better once you know what to expect; also they can give me a Xanax - but uh, it pretty much sucked.
Since trigger points are very individual and can be highly affected by variations in body chemistry - and since we all know how shite my body chemistry is - there's no good way to predict when I'll know whether or not it worked. Within a week I should have a better idea.
I spent the day lying on the couch or in bed or otherwise moving as little as I could because my body just felt weird, wrong, and I didn't want to think about it. Today sucked. :/
So basically, trigger points happen when your muscles make knots -- not just knots, like I need a massage type knots, but KNOTS. Imagine the fibers of your muscles like, I don't know, the tines of a fork, or spaghetti. Trigger points are when that shit gets fucked up. Instead of generally lined up spaghetti noodles, imagine a tight tangle of bullshit in the middle pulling all the other strands out of whack: but then instead of a tangle or a not imagine a rock made of pain in its place. This is the worst analogy, but basically, that's what it is. It isn't a knot that can be fixed with normal massage or stretching -- the tiny knot of intertwined fibers means that the OTHER fibers AROUND it are already stretched/pulled tight, and so massage or stretching can actually make it worse.
It's hard to prove that trigger points have actually formed -- usually it's the kind of thing you "prove" by curing symptoms. In my case, they definitely aren't sure it's what's happening, because I do have a herniated disc; and they aren't sure which is the cause of the other. How ever, there isn't anything really "bad" that can happen with trigger point injections. Worst case scenario is, they don't work, and I just threw some money.
What they do for these things is mix up an anesthetic and a steroid in a syringe. The doctor then finds the sore place in your muscle - with a basic understanding of where trigger points occur - and sterilizes your skin with alcohol. He then puts in the needle and sort of... Wiggles it, or waits, to make sure it's in the "right place"; then he injects a set amount of the mixture. Inserting the needle hurts, of course, and the injection part stings a little, but then the numbing kicks in somewhat. Today I got... I don't even remember cause I passed out and was confused. 8 of them?
They hurt, but not like a ton - but enough that it sucked. They were also just the worst possible combination of pain, incredibly weird, and horrendously gross.
Of course I'll put up with them if they help - procedures get better once you know what to expect; also they can give me a Xanax - but uh, it pretty much sucked.
Since trigger points are very individual and can be highly affected by variations in body chemistry - and since we all know how shite my body chemistry is - there's no good way to predict when I'll know whether or not it worked. Within a week I should have a better idea.
I spent the day lying on the couch or in bed or otherwise moving as little as I could because my body just felt weird, wrong, and I didn't want to think about it. Today sucked. :/
no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 03:11 am (UTC)I really hope you get some benefit out of this, because it would suuuuuck to have gone through this without getting a pain relief reward at the end.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 04:01 pm (UTC)I hope so as well. Today it still just feels so weird I can't even tell whether things are better or if my body is just going DONT LOOK AT IT
no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 04:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-24 12:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 04:12 am (UTC)... And an inappropriate discussion right now. I hope that you find out the gross is worth it.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 04:03 pm (UTC)BUT I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT WHEN YOU ARE SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY INSERTING A NEEDLE THROUGH MY SKIN OKAY
no subject
Date: 2013-01-25 01:14 am (UTC)I hope you are better today, bb. ♥