Act 1, Scene 5: SDH Part 2

It's been a couple of days since I got diagnosed with SDH. Was reading up in Wikipedia on the symptoms and treatments available.

Apparently, the type of SDH that I have is a fairly common one, occurring 15 times more frequently than the other. It's called Lumbar Disc Herniation. It occurs in the lower back. As I was reading, I thought through all the times I had experienced pain in my lower back. You see, when I was playing rugby in school, I used to have a punishing gym routine which focused alot on my triceps and back. As such, I would be bench-pressing 3000kg total in one gym session. Well, combine that with my playing position of a prop, and I'm set up for back pain. I stopped playing because of a muscle spasm I suffered during my second year in JC. At that time, 2 different doctors diagnosed it as just a muscle sprain and put me on Anarex, a pain killer. Although I was given many different types of analgesic gels, I hardly ever used them as I found them terribly inconvenient.

Over the years, I have been experiencing many episodes of lower back pain. Usually, they will involve the two muscles on either side of my lower spine. Pain there will generally range from me feeling heat or a sharp pain. The pain is aggravated especially when I do not get enough sleep. As such, I have always dismissed it and to remedy such episodes, I would just go to sleep and often feel better after.

The problem with SDH is this. It can occur to about 50% of us. But pain is only felt when the gel in the disc protrudes out and pressurises one of your nerve bundles on your spine. Itmay remain dormant for a long time, only surfacing as minor pain as in my case, but because of one slight episode, it will cause the gel to protrude or bulge. People who are more at risk include those who have to sit while doing their work and even more so in those who have to do lifting in the course of their work. Thus this increased my chances of getting a SDH by double.

Apparently there are two causes to the pain by SDH. One, as I've explained earlier can be remedied by the taking of anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the swelling and protrusion. The other cause of pain is by the presence of chemical triggers called tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF). This molecule is the chemical cause of inflammation and pain. And what's even worse, it contributes to disc degeneration.

SDH takes about 6-12 weeks of rest and drugs to combat the inflammation. This is the usual remedy for most patients who are experiencing SDH for the first time. After 6 - 12 weeks, the pain will usually subside, returning every few months for the same period or if triggered by an over-exertion of the disc.

Surgery is only recommended if, after 6-12 weeks, the pain does not subside and there is no improvements to the general well-being of the patient. There are many different surgeries involved, including the removal of discs and replacing them with an artificial one. Conservative treatments, including the taking of anti-inflammatory drugs, yoga and bed rest, are also recognised as helpful. Some doctors believe that early surgery are more beneficial in the long run as compared to conservative treatments followed by surgery, even though both work just as well.

As for combating the TNFs, certain inhibitors are available to specifically deal with the molecules.

So after all that reading and understanding, I guess I'll just have to be patient and hope for the best. 6 weeks is a long time and I think I will have to continue fasting during Syawal to maintain and reduce my weight so that there will be less compression on the disc. So that means no sweet drinks, no rendang and ketupat, no kuih raya... Haha...

Wish me luck.