Back to my back

We left before daylight this morning for my El Paso appointment. Facing a gorgeous full moon, I wanted to stop and take a photo of it, but my husband refused, so this is all I got in the swiftly moving car.

We liked the doctor. He seemed to really know his business. However, the only relief he could offer me was spinal fusion of my L5/S1 vertebrae. That disc is totally gone. I decided it was too drastic a step. Major surgery with scary complication possibilities, and a long recovery time. Besides, I have four badly degenerated adjacent discs, so we don't know which disc is actually causing the pain. I'm thinking that if I evermore don't lift anything over 20 lbs. and do a high protein diet, things will improve. That's my plan. My family doesn't think I should get the fusion either. So I'm glad that chapter is closed. And only 70 plus days until my spring will begin....

During our long car ride today, I finally got my husband to tell me what had been wrong with the car on my trip to Lower Rio Grande Valley in late October. (He thinks I should leave car stuff to him and not question anything. But that's not who I can ever be.) It was the coil. Makes total sense too.