A Shot and a Long Night

A Shot and a Long Night

Dear Louie,

Allow me to use you and a letter as an outlet to an amazing night of no sleep.

Yesterday, I received bilateral injections of an epidural nature in the L4-L5 anatomy to hopefully relieve low back pain for aging spinal stenosis.  About ten years ago, I had an episode of back pain and was given a course of steroid injections with amazing relief.  This year, I irritated my condition by diligent gardening and, I suppose, by kneeling and praying for rain. 

Both results were less than hoped for, but both caused aggravation of lower back pain. Exercise helped, but the pain persisted. 

Then the usual MRI, the damnedest in tunnel experience, showed a tight age-related stenosis and Spondylolisthesis (maybe not correct- but the movement forward of L4 on L5), for your sake, a true pain in the ass.  Exercise must be a balanced program, and too much is also bad.

But I went to see the "injectionologist," a guy who spends most of his day injecting the lower back and the rest on the "course" where he is improving his skills-- I hope his results in the injection lab are as good as his handicap of 6 has become.  My handicap is age-related, 20, and is as painful as the low back handicap-- maybe some relation.

But let me tell you of the night.  I retired at 11 p.m., slept until 2 a.m., and then awoke in a most hyper acute state. I could not sleep; my mind was years younger, and the thoughts were multiple, disjointed, and occupied me--that is, The Unsleepable James, for 3 hours. 

I thought of Prime numbers, did multiplication tables, problems, and division of four and five figures, all correct, and thought of Beatty's Geometry and our friend Leander, a true genius, unrecognized until shot in Korea. Then I spontaneously shifted to biochemistry, essential amino acids (I looked them up this morning-- I recalled little), followed by reading of Obama's traits, which I fear greatly.  

Then, finally, it dawned on me as to the cause of the insomnia and the hyper acute 

state.  It most probably was those damn steroids.  The amount, I don't really know how much, but the bolus was significant, and as it was absorbed, insomnia of major magnitude resulted in a disturbing night.

I have insomnia often, but only for an hour or so; this was a different state, a most hyper acute state.  I only hope the effect might be transferred to the lower back, but why should I be so lucky?

This morning, I have a flushed face, rosy cheeks, another side effect, and a lesser pain in the back as I sit and type.  It will be 

interesting to watch the natural course of recurrent low back pain as hopefully modified by injection therapy, exercises, and soon hydrotherapy in the therapeutic walking pool at the Rec Center.

I have many Letters to Louie, many articles given on local TV and articles of interest from practice, and composed in a book form  I intend to publish at some time, or to leave for my daughter to dress up, correct, and publish. 

What the hell some thoughts are original, and were interesting at conception. Why not allow the maturation of recall and documentation?

I wonder if you have any suggestions to a publisher of trite, but interesting, books?  You obviously have had contact with houses of publication in Minnesota during your active time with the Legal Publishing. 

Any thoughts?

Thank you.

Keep the Faith,

Jim.

—--

Dear Jim,

I'm really sorry to fail a fellow insomniac, but I must promptly establish that I have no knowledge of the publishing business. The peculiar case of the West Publishing Company was once familiar, but even it, I think, has moved out of the paper business.

Louis Frey <clouisfrey@gmail.com>

Sep 9, 2012, 10:47 AM