I just *KNOW* you guys have been wondering where I’ve been the last week and a bit. How about flat on my back in hospital having bits removed from my back? I’m very ouchy these days, I only just got home today. However, here’s the story... As you may have read previously, I was having problems with my back but it was improving till New Year weekend when it started to get worse and worse. Then New Years Day in the evening, I was at home and found myself stranded on the sofa in absolute agony unable to move. In the end, I called my ex and when she got here, I called an ambulance (I called her to stop the ambulance people breaking my door down as I literally couldn’t move). They basically said it wasn’t worth taking me to hospital as they’d just give me more of the same pain killers I’d already been issued and send me home again so instead they gave me gas and air (Entenox) to get me to my bed so I could lie down. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO.... I’m lying there in agony unable to sleep most of the night, knowing I can’t really call an ambulance and wondering what the hell to do when I decide I need to have a wee... So I use the bucket helpfully left by the bed for me by my ex and have a wee... Then I put myself away again, only to find I’ve now wet myself somewhat as I was unable to tell that I hadn’t finished having a wee. So I called NHS Direct and told them what had happened to ask them for advice due to this mild incontinence and they said “Oh no! We’re calling an ambulance straight away!” I had to call my ex back round and ask her to come round to let them in to save them breaking down my door... So, I got taken to hospital and initially was on Entenox but when I got there, the doctors said I wasn’t allowed it any more so they could see what pain I was in. Are they sadists or what? I was crying with pain so much I ended up biting down on my hand to try and stifle myself that I bruised my fingers. Cutting a long story short, I got admitted to local hospital for a few days whilst they tried to sort out the pain, then they did an MRI scan which was horrid and scary and sent the results up to Kings College Hospital. KCH then asked for me to be sent there asap when they’d viewed the scans. I was operated on the next day and whilst the pain has more or less gone, I instead have numbness and pins and needles in my right calf and foot. I can’t drive, I’ve needed physio to help me walk, god knows when I’ll get back to work This isn’t good considering the time I had off last year with depression. Just to get really embarassing, I’m slightly concerned whether I might be slightly impotent now as well... However, that could be all down to the huge amount of pain killing medication I’m on now and the fact that hospital is really not the sexiest of places! I’ll be sure to let you know later However, on the REALLY good news side of it, I’ve given up smoking. I was under a lot of pressure from family to do so and basically, I last had a cigarette on the 2nd January whilst I was waiting for the ambulance. Not allowed to smoke in hospital and I can’t walk very far so I can’t go and buy fags. Nobody is gonna buy them for me so I’m cold turkey on fags. I know it’s not the best way to give up but it’ll have to do. Besides, with all the other medication, who needs cigarettes? lol