What is damage control for a free lance web designer?

About seven (7) months ago, I woke up with some sharp pain in my lower back.  I went to my chiropractor and received some treatment.  My chiropractor worked on my mid and lower back for about ten (10) minutes and then I went to the massage lounge for another fifteen (15) minutes. I felt good.

About four or five days later, my back began hurting again.  I called my chiropractor.  He had me come in for treatment.  He worked on my mid and lower back and had me spend about 20 minutes on the massage lounge.  Again I felt good.  My chiropractor requested that I get some x-rays.  He did not like how I was not standing up straight.  I went to my local Chiropractor School and had some x-rays.  Not sure but, I realized that something was wrong with my back during the x-rays…maybe it was the fact that I had to stand still for about 20 minutes (something that I had not done in a long time).  My back was aching after the x-rays.

A few days later, my wife convince me to go to the doctor.  My condition was not getting any better. My doctor quickly diagnosis me with spinal stenosis and recommended a MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging).  My doctor gave me a steroid shot and a prescription for pain.  It took a couple of weeks before my insurance company approved my MRI.  The MRI was weird.  I was put in a vessel, listening to some jazz music as they took an image of my lower back.  My doctor called me back and referred me to a back specialist.  I had a bulging disc and some inflammation in my lower back.

I went to see my back specialist.  I was given a prescription for my inflammation and asked to visit a physical therapist.  After several unsuccessful visits with the physical therapist, I went back to my back specialist.  I was sent to another therapist.  I was placed on a table and my back was stretched.  It hurt!  Wow did it hurt, but I did some improvement in my back.  It was temporary.

The back specialist would send me to get an injection in my back.  This was the last chance, or I would have to have surgery on my back.  The injection took a while to get approved.  It was almost like a surgical procedure for my back.  I had to have a driver, as the medicine was too strong for me to drive.  The shot reminded me of the stretched therapy, worked at first…but later my back hurt more than before.

Finally I had back surgery.  It was out patient.  I was in and out within a couple of hours.

It has been a week since my surgery.  I am not 100%. I reviewed my emails and will be responding to some tomorrow.  I have an assistant, who has done a wonderful job.  My damage control is to make sure all my clients know that they needs will be taken care of in a timely manner.  Lifestyle of a web designer…

Image courtesy of Jonna Fransa.