The Roller Coaster of Life

Can a person ‘sprain’ their mid-back? Seems unlikely to me since the mid-back isn't as mobile as the upper or lower back. But it sure feels like I strained my mid-back. It’s in the t5 to right shoulder blade area – the same place I always have low-grade chronic pain, but this is different. This is a stabbing pain – like a big knife jabbing and pulling – ripping across my mid-back. It even hurts to breathe. And, I also have pain on the front side of a lower rib. What has changed?

This morning I went to my monthly pain clinic appointment and we talked about this pain. The pain near t5 is the same rib that comes around the front so those two pains are related. Since breathing is important, it’s time to reconsider the procedure that the pain clinic wants to try which shoves a needle in my back and ‘burns’ the nerve in that area, killing the nerve (and hopefully the pain) sensations.

The thought of that procedure used to scare me to a frenzy. Now, the Effexor (anti-depressant) has kicked in and nothing sends me over the edge. The doctor and I also talked about that. I say I’m dull and boring and numb. She says I’m more even-keeled and not prone to such low (or such high) mood swings. Is that a good thing? Boring is not ok by me. Dull is not ok. Numb is not a good thing for me. Now I have to figure out how to become not so boring, dull and numb without the major lows.

The roller coaster of life – and I need to be on the child’s version – small hills and valleys. Blah…..