It's adult isthmic spondylolisthesis

I can't even say it but this is what's wrong with my back. Way back in the day of the dinosaur, I took a bad fall in the parking lot of a mall. It was very embarrassing to say the least. I'd slipped in an oil slick and went down hard on my tail bone. I wanted to slink away but unfortunately there were witnesses and I was escorted to the mall office. The mall later gave me $2000 not to sue them and replaced the clothes that were ruined. I figured I made out like a bandit.

Ha.

Now it's 1992 and I'd been having trouble with my back the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy with Kristin. I was having what I believed to be sciatica. After Kristin was born, I couldn't walk. Now, that was scary. It lasted for about a week and so the doctor sent me for a CAT scan. At that point, they saw a healed fracture surrounded with major amounts of arthritis and decided all of that and Kristin's head pressing on my spine had caused my nerves to become inflamed and that's why I wasn't able to walk for a week.

Now we come to 2008 and the new MRI I had because of the increasingly painful and worsening symptoms in my back. Once again, I was having pain radiating down my leg--sometimes both legs. I was also having these weird cramps in my feet. I was pretty sure it was related to the old injury in my spine and I was right.

That old cracked vertebra has slipped forward over the ones below it and that is what is called adult isthmic spondylolisthesis. So what happens now? First of all, let's not go near the "s" word yet. The doctor wants me to try physical therapy first. If that doesn't work, then he wants me to try spinal epidurals--like the ones TB had. And then if they don't work, surgery.

Fortunately for me, my back doesn't hurt intensely all the time. In fact, in the last two weeks it's been a lot better now that I know what's wrong with it. I've been very careful not to bend over and not to lift things.

I still have to go back for more tests. The doctor that read the MRI thought he saw cysts on my right kidney.

Enough already, right? Listen, folks, if you are overweight and out-of-shape, 50 seems to be the magic number for things to start going wrong! It's never too late--get back in shape!