On the Road to Recovery

Back at the beginning of November I had an annoying cold which consisted of sneezes and a runny nose. No cough or sore throat just a lot of sneezing and nose blowing. I'm one of those people who doesn't like sneezing in public and so tend to hold them in when on the train to or from work. On the Friday I had a bit of back ache which was annoying, but nothing unusual for me. Then I woke up on the Saturday and realised I had sciatica again.

For anyone who doesn't know what sciatica is when a disk in the spine bulges and presses on the sciatic nerve which runs down each leg. As well as being incredibly painful it can make life very difficult. For me it meant I couldn't walk far or stand for long without being in agony. It was also very difficult to lie down so sleep became harder and harder to come by. I could sit but only if I leant forward and sleeping meant sitting on a chair and leaning on a pile of cushions/pillows to get 2-3 hours before my legs went numb and I had to wake up and change position.


This meant that instead of travelling to Sheffield in January to see my beloved Charlton play Sheffield Wednesday I went to the Liverpool Royal Hospital for an MRI scan. I wouldn't want to go through that experience again. I'm not claustrophobic at all, but that is a place that can make anyone claustrophobic. The top of the tube is only a couple of inches from your nose, the sides are close and it is incredibly noisy. I had headphones on listening to the radio but could still hear the very loud clunking noise it makes. Luckily for me it was only 15 minutes, but at the end of it I was pleased to get out as I was now finding it hard to lie down and lie still.


About 10 days later I was off to my GP to get the results of the scan. It was then confirmed that I have a slipped disk and that it is something that will never clear up. I have to strengthen my core muscles, keep my weight under control and keep fit. 


So approximately 12 weeks after the start of this attack I am almost pain free and can start my rehabilitation. Sadly it's going to take some time to get a reasonable level of fitness but I will get there.