Hi Dave,So sorry to hear about your new troubles with the L4/L5...

Hi Dave,

So sorry to hear about your new troubles with the L4/L5 disc nerve problem ...... and treatment with cortico steroids. Probably wont surprise you to know I had similar problems ( about 60 years ago..... heck!) as I have been a bit over the top in telling posters about my problems, but I think we can all learn a bit by sharing health experiences. Admission......... I have just had an icy cold can of Guiness which has made me a bit talkative, as usual!

When I was a young Uni Engineering student I fell down the slope of a rockfill dam and did damage to my spine. It hurt like mad and the recommendatikon from an Orthopaedic surgeon was to have my L4/L5 fused together. I was smart enough to reject this advice and instead put up with the pain for about 20 years, living on anti-inflammatories and frequent steroid injections into the spinal area. At age 47 the pain was getting too much and affecting my abilities to do many things. XRays revealed a badly bulging disc between L4/L5 which, during subseqent surgery(a micro disectomy) was found to have wrapped itself around my spinal cord. The surgeon said I was foolish to wait so long for treament and was lucky to have any feelings in my feet. The GOOD news is after the surgery I felt as if I had been born again. So happy was I that I recommenced my absurd DIY craze again and developed bad pain in myL5/L6 . Surgery was recommended again but I took advice from my Physiotherapist daughter and got into daily flexibility and back strengthining exercises, but still needing to take anti-flams and steroid injections. All this kept me sort of pain free.
After retiring from paid work I commenced renovation of our home and over a period of some 3 years have had 4 shoulder reconstructions,(2 in each shoulder) necessitating more anti-flams.... but thankfully no steroid stuff.

Fast forwarding to my diagnosis of stomach cancer, one of the many chemo regimes I had, contained Dexomethosane, which I understand is a cortico steroid. I became seriously delusional, admitted to a specialist hospital, where a clinical pyschiatrist (spelling?) identified Dexamethasone as the problem. The chemo regime was changed and I was back to normal again.......... a new normal I guess is a better description.

Dave, I certainly hope 2024 is a great year for you. I hope also you can get the right treatment for your L4/L5 problem. Good health is so important.........you miss it so much when you dont have it........... you are not able to be much help to others which can affect your self worth feelings if you aren't careful. For 50 years I was a blood and platelets donor and, after retiring, a bone marrow volunteer who was never allowed to donate because of prostate cancer treatment. I was also a Telecross volunteer for 2 elderly ladies for the Red Cross. However all these activities have gone since being diagnosed . It can all get you down if you let it. You need to fight it and reassure yourself that there are so many people worse off.

I am confident that we are all on a winner with ANP........... $5......... Yep.

Best wishes,

cheers............Learner