Hello World

So my lovely friend is doing a 365 days of lupus blog and it gave me the idea to try one of my own. I know it's not the first so I'll be doing it until the 8th of 2015.

My name is Lee. Hello.

I have multilevel degenerative disc disease. What is that you ask? Well, I have tears and bulges in about 5 of the discs in my lumbar region. This pushes against my spinal nerves and the peripheral nerves that come off the main column causing sciatica, numbness and the like. It's also really sensitive and my whole lower back will get inflamed quite easily and often cramps up. The years of this has really trashed the muscles and ligaments in my back and the pain often radiates into my hips and legs. My balance is trashed because my legs are numb so often they don't always work right and even on good days I still hurt. The chronic pain and inflammation has made it so my whole body aches regularly and on bad days I can barely move. I'm on a whole host of medications to help calm things down and even more when I have a flare up.

My immune system is shot from the meds but I do what I can to stay healthy. I walk every day. Back and forth down the street since I don't always know when I am going to have to stop. I live on a mountain so if I walk too far there is a good chance I won't be able to get back up to the house. Since I can't work because of my back I don't have the money for a cab and unless it's really early there isn't a bus in most of my area. I would live somewhere I could walk further but I can't afford rent, not working as I am.

I just applied for SSI again today. Hopefully I get it. That would help greatly. I did get my insurance card in the mail today. yay for insurance! If even a couple of my medications are covered then it will be huge. I think I will be able to start physical therapy again and even see the pain specialist at OHSU again. Even with my parents help there is no way I could afford to see him without insurance. Just need to get the last of the paperwork in and I'll be seeing if I can go.

Today I am sore from swimming too much yesterday and tired because I couldn't sleep again last night until about 6 this morning. I tried to go to bed at midnight because I was tired, it just didn't work. Ah well. Hopefully tonight will be better. I feel bad because I was grumpy at the stream guys over on krazycaley's stream. Easily provoked is me when I hurt all over and am sleepy. Went for a walk in the rain to cool off and am just tired now. Better than tired and grumpy I guess.