When One Leaves, The Other Returns

Trey Smith

Though I certainly do not like the situation I'm in, I have found that I need to take the anti-inflammatory pain medication that I have been prescribed. About one week or so ago, I took it for two or three days and it decreased the pain in my left hip and knee down to a tolerable level. However, within 2 or 3 days of NOT taking it, the pain and immobility returned again. So, reluctantly, I'm back on it.

To be able to walk around using only a cane -- not a walker -- is a big plus. In fact, around the house, I've found that I don't even need the cane! While it is a relief not to feel constant pain in my hip/knee, I am not pain-free. For reasons I don't understand, the sciatica in my right leg has returned. Consequently, when I do use the cane, it's now in the other hand!

I have found it to be very interesting and odd how this seems to work. When my left hip and knee are inflamed, the sciatica on my right side disappears altogether. When the inflammation on the left side decreases substantially, the sciatica reappears. The medication I'm taking seems to have no impact on the sciatica because, over the past 10 days, my right leg only gives me trouble when I'm taking it.

The upshot of this little report is that I seem to be hobbled in one form or another. I suppose, if I have my druthers, I would rather deal with the sciatica problem than the hip inflammation. The latter makes walking extremely difficult, even for short jaunts of a few feet. The former simply impacts my endurance. I can putter around fairly well as long as I don't stand for very long or try to walk very far.

Of course, it should go without saying that I would prefer not to have to deal with either...but that seems to be out my hands!