Thursday, June 30, 2005

I'm Old and Deteriorating Rapidly

I've been having arm, hand, neck and shoulder pain on the left side for a while now, and had a nasty spasm on my left side a couple of months ago. I've had a number of injuries to my neck going back 23 years at least, including the football variety, the head-on and T-bone variants of the bad car wreck, and hundreds of mountain bike, wakeboard and snowboard bell-ringers. And I probably shouldn't have gone on a ride in my friend Mike's Cobra recently, but that car is wicked gorgeous and such a sensory assault it takes a while after you get in before you can think straight. I honestly did think to ask Mike to turn around to get some duct tape to secure my head to the headrest, but I got mesmerized by the overpowering sensation of that monster. The exhaust rumble that vibrates the city block around you and squeezes you as tight as the four-point belts, the invigorating smell of a big American race-prepared motor running perfectly, the completely unchecked wind and blazing exhaust heat pouring in above and below. Not to mention the violence of the assault on the road, and Mike wasn't getting particularly crazy. It's just a super light, seriously tight, overpowered devil car, and I love it.

The MRI I had this Tuesday found a herniated disk on the left side of my C5-6, and this morning I had a cervical epidural injection of Celestone Soluspan and Lidocaine. I've had Dr. Harris of Spine Austin stabbing me with needles so long I have ultimate faith in his ability to not paralyze me, but looking at that diagram give me a touch of the willies. Not much room for error.

So far I feel about 50% better, with occasional nasty twinges, and hope to feel even better tomorrow, so the wife and I can go to my family reunion in the Texas Hill Country Saturday and not be too ruined physically to have fun. Go Celestone Soluspan!

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