Oh, my aching back!

So I got my MRI results last week, and the diagnosis is a disc bulge and lower lumbar muscle strain. The disc with the bulge (hee) is between my L5 and S1 vertebrae, down pretty low. I asked the doctor if that is what was causing the pain in my butt (if you'll pardon the expression), and he was pretty vague. I guess there's debate as to whether or not a "disc bulge" will cause pain or not. Well, I'm here to tell you, it does!

At the very minimum, my lower lumbar muscles are strained. I have physical therapy twice a week, where I get a massage and do some stretching exercises (like the one pictured above). I feel awesome when I leave; unfortunately, by the time I get to work everything is tight again from the half hour drive in, and sitting at my desk is VERY uncomfortable. I stop a few times a day to do my stretches and that helps a lot. I'm also still on the drugs: Flexeril once in the morning and once at night, 4 Advil at least twice a day and depending on the pain, a Vicodin at night with the Flexeril. I tried to skip the Flexeril this morning, but by lunchtime I had to give in and take one.

So, yeah, I'm still hobbling around. I hope it's still warm out when I get home so I can go and float in the pool.

Oh! I almost forgot - I uploaded vacation photos to Flickr. I'll post a few when I get a chance.