A difficult injection

Monday I ate breakfast and dressed in my workout clothes then went downstairs for my 9:30 am pick-up. The driver wasn't waiting on me again and I called the Stem Cell Institute to find out if there was a problem. Ana told me that the driver was running late and would be there in about five minutes. She also said that there were schedule changes and that she would fax the changes to the hotel. The driver showed up about 9:45 and took me to physical therapy. John and I decided that he doesn't need to go with me for the therapy sessions.  It's an hour of shear boredom for him and I'm busy working out with the trainer. The driver dropped me off in front of the building, unlike the other driver who had escorted us up to the therapy center. The elevator system in this building is quite confusing and luckily Jimmy, the other MS patient undergoing therapy here, was leaving as I arrived and he showed me how to punch in the codes and work the elevator. Ivan was waiting for me and I explained that the driver was late.

Therapy today was quite a bit different from the first day, and as I thought, the first day had been an evaluation day. First Ivan stretched me out then we worked on coordination and balance doing walking exercises. We then did leg strenght exercises using a step and more balance exercises where Ivan pushed on me while I stood on two squischey half-ball like things. Next I did leg presses and leg extensions on their weight machines. I did more walking exercises carrying a two pound ball then did a five minute cooldown on the stationary bike and then more stretches.  The driver wasn't around so Ivan escorted me down to the lobby and found the driver waiting in front of the building. Ivan told the driver that he had to escort me up to the bio-fitness center and pick me up there and couldn't be lazy and just wait in the van.

When I got back to the apartment John had a smoothie waiting for me and I rested while John worked on the computer. At 2:30 we went downstairs for our pick up. Again the driver was late and I had to call Ana. She said the driver was stuck in traffic and she would call Dr. Pichel and Dr. Hernandez and let them know we were on our way. I picked up the schedule changes Ana had faxed at the front desk.

We arrived at the Royal Center where I get my Intrathecal injections. Dr. Pichel was waiting for us in the reception room and asked how I was feeling. I told her I was feeling okay but still sore from the lipo. She took me right into the exam room and made preparations for the injection. Dr. Hernandez and John along with Dr. Pichel's assistant were in attendance. The picture above is Dr. Pichel's assistant hooking me up to the blood pressure monitor. Dr. Pichel examined my skin and the rash had diminished since I had been wearing a shirt under the girdle. She swabbed my back with bentadine and I steeled myself for the injection of anesthetic. The anesthetic needle felt more like a bee sting this time. Dr. Pichel said she used a baby needle for me. She waited until the area was numb then John said she began trying to insert the short larger needle though my backbone. John said she was having problems and kept pulling the needle out and reinserting it. A couple of times she had it in over an inch deep and once tried inserting the long skinny needle to no avail. John said she was poking me so many times that he began to get queasy. All I could feel is the pressure of the needle being inserted and at times pressure going all the way down to my sciatic nerve. Finally she shot me with more anesthetic a notch higher in my back and John said the larger needle went in almost effortlessly. She then inserted the long skinny needle and began injecting the stem cells that Dr. Hernandez provided from his cooler. I was scared and crying, but I tried to just relate what I was feeling rather than screaming. This time I felt pressure only in my right hip and I was much relieved to be done with the third injection. Just five more to go. OMG.

I felt a little queasy and they had me lay down on the table for a few minutes. John asked Dr. Pichel why she had so much trouble inserting the needle this time and she said that it might have been inflamation or muscle spasms from the previous injection. She explained that she could inject anywhere along the spine but that the higher she went the narrower the spinal column became and the harder it was to put the needle in the proper place without hitting a nerve.

They had thrown a blanket over me and John was rubbing my bad leg. I decided I had to get up and get out of there because I was nice and warm and cozy and began feeling like I could spend the night on that little table. On the way back to the hotel in the van I experienced a warm sensation in my lower body almost like I had stepped into a hot tub up to my waist. Back in the apartment John gave me juice and I laid down to rest. John went down to the hotel gym and I lay in bed until Monday night football started then I ate some watermelon and laid on the couch. It was a good game but I fell asleep in the fourth quarter.