My Health Journey--Getting Healthy With Degenerative Disk Disease

I’m going on a health journey, and I hope it helps you on whatever path you’re on. If you’ve looked at my site, The Single Sick and Broke Traveler, you know I have many illnesses: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy, and Congestive Heart Failure among other issues. But now I’m fighting another chronic issue—Degenerative Disk Disease. In 2022, I got my L4-L5 fused because it basically disintegrated. The surgery was a success. With physical therapy and time, I was able to travel Europe with very little back pain.

Unfortunately, the fusion put pressure on my L3-L4 and within the last year, that disk is bulging. All of this has caused me severe pain. I haven’t been able to walk properly, and any type of physical activity was nearly impossible to complete. Because I was unable to move, I gained over 60 lbs. This has slowed me down even further. I feel uncomfortable and I hardly recognize myself.

After a series of tests, my spine surgeon has given me 3 months of physical therapy and pain management (cortisone shots in my back). If that doesn't work, I'll have to get surgery. I don't want to go do surgery again. I'm on a mission to get healthy to either prevent surgery or at least be strong if surgery is necessary.

I didn't document my last surgery with my back. Now I wish I had. It would have been good to look back to know how I felt, and how I got through the process. This time I will. Every week, I’ll blog on this journey. I know there will be good days and more challenging ones, but I'm going to put it out there and be totally real.

I'm hoping this journey will help you too. Are you on a health journey, or know someone who is? Do you want someone to talk with or just vent to? I'm no doctor, but I'd love to hear from you. E-mail me—nessa@singlesickbroketraveler.com. Know you are not alone. We all have something we're struggling with. You should have a community that will hear and support you. So let me know what's going on with you.

Here we go! See you next week!

Chewbacca and me at Star Wars Celebration in Japan