I’ve managed to aggravate my sciatic nerve again. The constant throbbing, numbness, and sharp pain radiating up and down my right leg are all too familiar – it feels like I’m stuck in a cycle of relapsing and remitting sciatica hell. Through my friend and rheumatologist, I’m seeing a professor of orthopedics later today. I’m not sure what new insights he will offer that I don’t already know… other than to tell me to take it even easier and not assume that I’m improving just because the pain subsided.

Update: The friendly professor gave me something no other healthcare professional has been able to provide so far – clear-cut information about the exact source of my pain. According to his examination of my right leg, the one that aches me, the pain comes from a specific area in my spine, vertebra L5. I’m scheduled for an MRI in a couple of weeks, which will hopefully reveal the extent of the damage to my sciatic nerve and hopefully give me a better idea of how long it might take to fully recover.