Diagram of the sciatic nerve

Hey everyone, so I checked my claim status last night and notice there’s a new claim in, a CUE submitted 31 May. Never heard of it so I looked on the sub and got some answers. But I figured ok I’ll deal with it in the morning. Wake up this morning and notice now that on 1 June one of my two HLRs was closed. My CUE is for a condition unrelated to my HLRs and is for a condition I claimed when I first got out. It says, “CUE see RD code sheet dated 05/31/24 -sciatic and posterior tibial nerve issue.”
I’m confused why my HLR would be randomly closed if the conditions in the HLR are unrelated to what the CUE is for. Any information would be appreciated. I already had VERA call scheduled for Tuesday so maybe that will be able to shed some light on it.

6 years ago I pinched my sciatic nerve so bad that I could barely walk. In result I had to take almost a month off from my job and ended up losing it. I was prescribed gabapentin and physical therapy which seemed to work.
I currently work in a job involving lifting special needs children. I use all the lifting techniques and training available to me and I have been fine. Last weekend I took a leisure walk. I decided to walk farther than I normally do and I got a very sharp pain in my leg where the hip and leg meet. This pain I remembered 6 years ago. I took it easy for the rest of that weekend seeing as it was an extended weekend for me. This whole week has been absolute hell for me. On and off the pain in my leg has been between nothing at all or a five to seven. I’m currently treating the pain with either marijuana or ibuprofen. I have also been doing the stretches that my physical therapist gave me six years ago.
Is this normal that I have pinched the sciatic nerve again with just a little extra push in a casual walk? I’m in so much pain right now and I just want it to feel better

Just out of curiosity
Just had my c&p for back/knees/neck/wrist/hands/arthritis
My examiner told me the VA noted my arthritis claim is for RA and would probably be denied (which makes sense because my arthritis diagnosis is for ortho/muscular arthritis) She did say it's obvious I have carpal tunnel and should open a new claim for that.
She also agreed that I have sciatic nerve pain and radiculopathy in my legs due to my back but she can't add that and I'd have to open a new claim. (This is opposite of a lot of info I see online)
Anyone else have radiculopathy added as a secondary condition from their back pain c&p without it being an open claim?
Otherwise it was a pretty positive c&p 🤞🤞
Just curious and maybe could help out someone else starting their claim. Thanks

I’m 19 weeks and have a job where I’m on my feet all day. My lower back is killing me most of the time lately. It’s almost like it’s my sciatic nerve but it doesn’t run down my legs it just stays on either side of my very low back. It’s starting to make me nervous because if it hurts like this now how bad will it be later on?
Does anyone else feel this or have advice for relief? I wear sneakers every day and stretch but it’s not really helping.

Hello, I am not sure all of the rules of posting here but I need some advice… I am currently insured through Blue Cross Blue Shield FEP on my biological father’s plan as per terms of his divorce from my mom. In 2021 I was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis in my sciatic nerves at L5-S1 of my spine. In layman’s terms as i understand it, due to two tiny fractures in the little bones that help keep the vertebra in place on each level of the spine, my vertebrae on L5 was slipping out and causing herniation of the disc space, which compressed my nerve pretty badly. I had worsening pain from my lower back, into my butt, and down through my leg to my toes. My amazing surgeons, despite letting me know that none of the more “conservative” treatments would work, since my nerve compression was due to slipping vertabrae, told me I would eventually need surgery, but that first I needed to try more conservative approaches (epidural steroid injections, soft back brace, and physical therapy) to try and correct the damaged nerve because the insurance required that more conservative approaches were tried before spinal fusion surgery and nerve decompression could be performed. This whole process took about a year and it wasnt until i started noticing function loss in the muscles in my leg that things sped up. By the end of it, I had surgery after 15 months of the nerve/s being compressed. Its now almost two full years since my surgery, including recovery and physical therapy after the surgery and i still have pain when i do “too much” (standing for a couple hours painting at the theatre i volunteer at is usually the culprit), when i have the pain, it still really HURTS, and it comes with tingling sensations in my butt, leg (less often) and toes. The nerve is decompressed, but the damage is possibly permanent. Last time I saw my doctor he said the nerves MIGHT heal. From what I understand, compression of nerves like that for over a year is very likely to cause permanent damage. All because insurance wouldnt approve the surgery i needed to fix my spinal slipping and nerve compression until trying approaches that my doctors said would not fix the issue. Is there anything I can do? Any compensation I may be able to seek for possibly having chronic pain and nerve damage for the rest of my life? This could affect my ability to work (it already affects my ability to work at my theatre). I am worried and hurt and angry at the us health care system.

A few months ago, starting December 2023 I was speaking to a guy 24(m) who I had met on an app and was from a neighbouring country. He told me he would come to my country quite a bit because he had clients here for his company. It’s only a 1.5 hour flight anyway. I’m 25(f).
He was intelligent, mature and really interesting to talk to. Honestly had some of my best convos with him. I would never have entertained it if there was nothing serious and I would have never expected him to do the things that you’ll read below.
Long story short, apparently, he had nerve root injections for several nerves back in December. I get that done myself but only for my sciatic nerve. He said he couldn’t travel by plane or drive his own car for months, which I thought was strange because you only get told not to drive for 24-48 hours after the procedure in most cases. I thought his must have been a terrible case but again, I’m not sure if this sounds right? This is what put him off for coming to meet me sooner. I’m still quite traditional so I believe the guy should travel to the girl for the first date.
He was also a full-custody father of a toddler and was completely separated from his ex, and apparently she had no role to play in their lives. He doesn’t speak well of her at all and said that she’s a psycho who kept the baby to trap him. Apparently, she was also extremely physically violent and he took full custody of the child for this.
Anyway, he would always tell me how busy he was working and we barely had time to talk at times. I really felt like an afterthought, but because of the child, I thought I’d give him the benefit of the doubt and be understanding since I am childless.
We speak for a month, and one day, a whole month before my birthday, he tells me he’s coming to visit me for the first time on my birthday. Of course, I’m excited and start preparing for the day and cancelled my usual birthday plans for him. A bit strange he can now fly but still can’t drive? Anyway…
Things are going well communication-wise and, in the meantime, Valentine’s Day comes and the guy doesn’t even send me a Valentine’s message (just a message asking if I was okay given I didn’t message him first), let alone flowers or a card. I respond to his message about how upset I was, already I had to put up with him being busy most times and he didn’t even consider a gesture for me at all that day- even though I mentioned before it would be nice if he did. He dismisses me as complaining all the time (not true) and that he was waiting to see me in person on my birthday to give flowers and a card. But he could have sent me a message. For me, it’s the thought that counts.
After our little quarrel, I calm down and ask if we could call to talk it out. I’m really nice at this point. He said he would call but again he’d always have excuses- busy, the kid, work, something. I said I understood and we should talk when he gets a moment. I then ever get that call and he ghosts me despite me being understanding. He drops off the face of the earth and it’s now a week left till my birthday. In the meantime, I tried calling him on both his numbers and the only reply I got was from his 12 year old brother using his social media saying he hasn’t been home for a couple of days. He then messaged a day later when he returned, saying he had to be put to bed by others and he’s not really talking to anyone. Two days later, I contact on iMessage and surprisingly immediately receive a message from a so called employee/friend who said he was physically incapacitated in bed and on strong medication for pain- he’d often complain about this pain before- and that this employee is taking care of him.
Looking back, just by the way he was messaging, that “employee” was him pretending. Anyway, my birthday comes and he’s stood me up. I’m having the worst time because I’m worried about him as I was told he was in bed not able to function without medication. There was also a time back in January before where he was apparently mildly concussed because of an altercation at a protest, and because of this I didn’t hear back for two days. So I was worried something like that happened again.
Radio silence still.
Two days after my birthday, he messages himself and I confront him and he gets very agitated talking about why he ghosted. He said it was scary how I kept calling and messaging but that was because I was told he wasn’t well and was worried for him, plus couple this with the fact he was supposed to see me for my birthday and wanted to know where we were at with that. He said it was a private matter and I should respect that. I ask why can’t I ask for a simple explanation. He then says I don’t listen and tells me never to contact him again.
I leave him alone for over a good month. But the situation kept running on my mind and for some reason I felt like this whole thing was my fault for the argument on valentine’s. So I messaged him on his birthday and he responds. We talk a little bit, but long story short, I find out he’s talking to other women despite lying to me and saying he was just focusing on himself and his child.
When I found out he was back on the app, despite him saying he deleted it, I really wanted to confront him and find out why because how he behaved left me with so many questions. I was devastated and heartbroken.
Long story short, I called him 40 times that one day from different numbers because he blocked me. I just wanted to talk to him and get my answer. We did end up speaking but it was futile and he said I was being obsessed and crazy. I explained how much he hurt me and how I never expected this from him. After that quick phone call we didn’t speak again.
Had he been honest from the get go and spoken to me about this, I would have not felt the need to do all this. But not everyone is honest and I have sure learnt my lesson.
It wasn't a case of a guy not showing any interest at all, and striking me off. But a guy that maybe even lovebombed me (as I've been told), he called himself my boyfriend after a month of speaking loool. A day before Valentine's he was telling me he loved me and then suddenly that stopped on the day. So no this is not a case of me turning batty for someone that expressed 0 interest. He very much did stuff to get me to feel something for him. That was all him. I was not overly interested in the beginning myself.
He was the one who pursued me and expressed interest first. Always initially asking to call and facetime. Once I reciprocated that interest, he professed to love and care for me a few conversations deep and at one point we’d be calling every day. That was all up until Valentine's when it just suddenly stopped and then he ghosted me. But in between, he'd profess to be busy. So some days we didn't talk on the phone or facetime. It was just some messages exchanged.
Another example, given we are both Muslim and don't date for long before marriage, he said he was serious about marriage with me and was open to talking with my family when I was ready. I told him to hold his horses and let's meet first. That was supposed to be my birthday.
I guess given the above context, AITAH?

So my dear juniors, I thought of helping y'all with the diagrams that you need to practice for boards. They are just some diagrams that you need to pay attention to and if they don't come in the exams, don't come back at me saying I'm the same as that mausi wala 😭😭

1. Structure of Chromosome**
   
2. Mitosis (all phases)**
   
3. Plasmolysed Cell
   
4. Turgid Cell
   
5. Structure of chloroplast**
   
6. Structure of stomata
   
7. Structure of RBC**
   
8. Structure of WBC (all types)**
   
9. Structure of Platelets**
   
10. Structure of Heart (LS)**
    
11. Structure of Artery**
    
12. Structure of Vein**
    
13. Structure of Kidney (LS)**
    
14. Structure of urinary system**
    
15. Structure of renal tubule**
    
16. Malpighian Capsule**
    
17. Nerve Cell**
    
18. Reflex Arc**
    
19. Structure of Brain
    
20. LS of Eye**
    
21. Structure & Correction of myopic eye**
    
22. Structure & Correction of hyperopic eye**
    
23. LS of Ear**
    
24. Location and structures of all endocrine glands**
    
25. Male reproductive organs (all)
    
26. Female reproductive organs (all)
    
27. Structure of human sperm**
    
28. Structure of ovum**
    
29. Tubectomy**
    
30. Vasectomy** [** very important diagrams] YOU CAN RELY ON ME, I SCORED 99 IN BIOLOGY!! (still took pcm lmao)
    

I made a joke post about being pregnant. It was a clip from instagram of a woman saying she'd like a prize or reward for going through the whole pregnancy thing while the husband doesn't have to suffer at all.
My sister responded. We obviously had very different pregnancies. Hers was 21 years ago now so even if it was hard, she's clearly forgotten, although she did say hers had been easy.
Mine however, has all day morning sickness, exhaustion, wild hormonal fluctuations, nightmares, acid reflux, pelvic seperation pain, any number of trapped nerves, sciatic pain, (I am actually having to use crutches at the moment just to get around the house), gestational diabetes (for the last one, I need to take a test for this one), and so on and on and on.
I haven't posted anything at all on social media about being pregnant until now and she literally JUST came for a visit where she could see I was unable to walk and how hard it's been this time around. All with a 4 year old to boot.
Can't she just let me have my ONE complaint? ONE in 7 months?
Her - Takes 2 to tango
Me - Yes but one gets to have fun for 3 minutes and the other gets 9 months of pure hell. :P
Her - That’s one way to look at it! However what about 3minutes of fun compared to the miracle of your body growing and creating this tiny human? ;)
Ok I'm done. Thanks for letting me rant.

I have been struggling with intense sciatic pain for about a year and a half now. It's an issue with my sciatic nerve around my ischiofemoral space (between femur and sit bone). I was diagnosed with "ischiofemoral impingement" though I also had a nearby hamstring tendon tear with adhesions on the nerve visible on ultrasound, so I believe that's a more obvious cause. In any case, it's an issue with my sciatic nerve, just outside of the spine.
My tendon tear was fixed with PRP and the scar tissue flushed off the nerve with several nerve hydrodissections. That fixed some electric shock type jolts I was getting but I still have persistent pain that has just continued to ramp up. Apparently my sciatic nerve looks normal now on ultrasound. Now I'm on nortriptyline and it's helping a bit but not enough. I have an MR neurogram scan scheduled but it's still a few weeks away. My hope is there will be enough evidence to indicate a surgical procedure is warranted. Maybe a sciatic neurolysis where they go in and just clean any remaining junk off the nerve.
Anyway, that's a wall of text but I just wanted to throw that out there in case anyone else has a similar condition and has any tips to share or just wants to commiserate. At this point my entire life unfortunately revolves around this problem.

Just feeling super stressed nowadays. In the front of my mind, my financial troubles, and the pressure and confusion of finally deciding what to do with my life, plus wondering if I want to marry my boyfriend or not. Wondering if he will ever ask me to be his wife, or if I have to make the initiative. Edit: to make matters worse, my health problems. i have bad seasonal allergies. My lower back constantly hurts, I have a bad leg that hurts from the sciatic nerve down to my front and back thigh, my knee, my calf and then down to the toes. I also have bad gastric issues. :(
in the back of my mind, my anxiety and my nerves about my sister’s Quinceanera coming up.
among all these worries, I’m just super glad to not have kids, haha. ☠️

Anybody able to talk me off the ledge? Struggling here. I was diagnosed 1b on my foot, and waiting to get surgery on June 7. My surgical oncologist said 15% chance it has spread to lymph nodes. I've had a pretty sedentary life the last couple of years, working from bed & just being lazy. I have sciatica pain on my opposite leg. Got MRIs of my back about 3 months ago & was told bilateral mild arthritis of lower back. Now, I can't help but think the cancer has spread hence the sciatic pain. Any tips to calm my nerves? :((

Does anyone have a suggestions on what’s worked for you when it comes to leg/knee pain? I cannot identify if the pain is coming from the front bottom of my knee or my sciatic nerve radiating down from my hip area down to my knee. Usually I feel worse in the winter and amazing in the summer but this localized pain hurts so bad. It hurts so bad when I move from a sitting to standing position and vise versa. I currently take a low dose of baclofen and some Tylenol rarely. Do you think a knee brace would help? I’ve been on Kesimpta for a couple years and things have been great. I’m positive it’s not a relapse. Please send any tips or suggestions. At this point I will do it buy anything to ease the pain.

PART ONE THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN
[Previous Chapter] [Next Chapter] [The Beginning] [Patreon+2]
Sunday
Mason straightened at the sound of an incoming message on his phone, lifting the screen just enough to read it. Then he jumped to his feet.
Khai: I’m here.
“YES!” he shouted, slapping his hands together as he took off for the living apartment’s front door. He knew Khai wouldn’t have come the mortal way and, as such, fully expected him to be on the other side of that door rather than the massive entry door to the whole floor.
“Mas’n!” Maddy cried, causing Mason to skid to a halt. Both Maddy and Levi were sitting with their backs to the wall the living room shared with the half-bath, watching the big screen TV above Llyr’s chair.
Well, Maddy was. Levi looked partially lobotomized.
“Hey, guys! I didn’t expect you to still be here.”
“Lucas ducked out to grab us some supplies, though he should be back by now.” Levi patted himself down and must have realised he was only wearing boxers and a shirt … as in no pockets for a phone. He eased himself forward and gently balanced his weight on his medical boot before shoving up onto his feet in one move.
“You know, medically, that’s not doing you any—”
“Zip it,” Levi grumbled, waving his lecture aside.
“Where ya goin’, Daddy?”
“I’m just going to our room to get my phone and find out what’s keeping Uncle Luke.”
“Unca Lu-cas,” Maddy corrected, emphasising the second syllable.
The fact that a three-year-old could get it right and her father couldn’t had Mason snicker-snorting, though he quickly covered his mouth and nose with both hands to hide the evidence.
Levi’s filthy glare still said plenty. “Right. Uncle Lucas … and Auntie Charlie,” he drawled without looking back at her. He hobbled around the couch to the hallway. “Be right back, Peaches.”
Mason would’ve loved to stand there and chat, but his boss was at the door. He moved through the alcove and opened the front door. “You came,” he said, beaming up at his newest mentor a beat before stepping back to let him in. “Come in.”
Khai stepped into the apartment and removed his shoes without asking before entering the living room. “This is more like what I was expecting of Llyr’s residence,” he admitted, spotting and dismissing Maddy sitting on the sofa, who was staring at him wide-eyed.
“It’s okay, bunny. This is my boss from work.” When Khai didn’t answer, Mason nudged him. “Say ‘hello’ to Maddy.”
Only then did Khai’s eyes find the little girl. “Hello.”
“How in the world are you a father?” Mason muttered more to himself, then overcompensated with a huge grin. “He’s gonna help me study so I can get even smarter. Isn’t that cool?”
But Maddy’s eyes never left Khai.
Meanwhile, Khai focused on Boyd’s carving on the coffee table. “A housewarming gift from Kala?” he asked, gesturing to the piece.
“No,” Mason chuckled. “Though the big guy’ll get a huge kick out of knowing you thought so.”
Khai frowned and moved closer to the carving. “Are you sure? This is exceptional work…”
“Positive. Llyr gave him some … errr … special tools, so there’s no stopping him now.”
“Ahhh,” Khai said, with a nod of understanding, his eyes flicking once more to Maddy. “Well, your friend had better be careful. History is littered with people getting their hands on those types of special items or gaining some manner of assistance and then deluding themselves afterwards into thinking the outcome was their own. Look at Jason and the Argonauts. He had no idea he had Zeus’ son in his crew when Hercules accompanied him on his adventures.”
Knowing all that information would flow right over Maddy’s head, Mason squinted at his boss. “That’s the golden fleece dude, isn’t it?”
Khai’s painful wince would’ve been funny under any other circumstances.
“Hey, I’m a vet. Not a mythological historian.”
“Anyway, please tell him not to believe the skill is his. It never ends well when they do that.”
Mason didn’t want to argue anymore, despite knowing Hell would freeze over twice before he’d say anything of the kind to Boyd. “Did you want some lunch before we start?” he asked instead.
“No, I’m good, thank you.”
Mason turned his attention to Maddy, who was still staring at them like a deer in the headlights. “You stay right there, baby girl, okay? Daddy said he’ll be right back.”
“’kay.”
A few seconds later, Levi passed them in the hallway on their way to Mason’s room. “Hey,” Levi said, nodding at Khai before extending his hand. “Levi. Levi Dobson.”
“Khai Nasc—Khai Hart,” Khai returned, shaking his hand without exerting any other emotion.
Levi grinned, obviously catching the slip. “I figured you had to fit in somewhere to be allowed into the inner sanctum.” He glanced at Mason. “Luke said he was—Lucas! I mean Lucas said he was on his way back.”
Mason smirked and nodded. “We’ll be in my room if anyone’s looking for us. Studying,” he stressed when Levi raised an eyebrow. Mason pointed briefly at Khai. “His wife is expecting, and his sister is my boss. So get your head out of the gutter. He’s here to help me study for my finals.”
“Nice,” Levi said, bobbing his head. “Sorry, in this household, anything’s possible.”
“You have no idea,” Mason muttered under his breath as Levi headed back into the living room. And speaking of oddities, he suddenly remembered Brock was still using his gaming system. “Before we go in, my youngest roommate is in there playing online games in the corner. But he’s truly in the inner circle and knows all about you and the divine, so you don’t have to watch what you say or use the phrase or anything because it won’t work on him anyway.”
“You have an interesting household, Mason.”
You have no idea, Mason repeated in his thoughts as he reached for the doorknob, opened the door and stepped inside. “It’s awesome, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He gestured briefly at the gaming machine on his way to his desk. “Brock, Khai. Khai, Brock.” He didn’t bother looking at Khai. “He probably won’t hear you, but just covering bases in case he’s in a lull between fight scenes.”
Khai didn’t respond to either of them, so Mason assumed he’d done something to know Brock was, in fact, fully submerged in his game. “Here, you have my seat, and I’ll go and steal another from Sam’s office.”
Mason returned a minute or so later, pushing Sam’s giant executive chair ahead of him.
“I thought you said Sam was against wealth.”
“Yeah, well, he’s drowning in it, so it’s a case of sink or swim.” Mason twisted it beside his own and was about to sit down when Khai lifted himself out of Mason’s chair and slid into the new one.
“You sit where you usually do. I’m the only one between us who can stretch enough to reach everything,” he said in explanation.
A few minutes later, Khai showed him precisely what he meant by elongating his arm over the five-foot desk to take control of the Sectra table with fingers that sprouted dozens more to program an image of a feline’s shattered back leg and hip. With so many fingers working at once, Mason couldn’t ascertain what the parameters were before the image appeared on the screen.
“Okay,” Khai said, pointing at the display. “You have a distraught client in Consult Two, bringing with her a large Maine coon who was hit by her father’s plough while it was clearing snow. She’s had the cat now for over ten years, ever since her mother died.”
“That’s a low blow,” Mason growled at him.
“You were the one to point out the emotional element, Mason. Now, back to the board. You’ve done an initial check of the hip and found it broken in numerous places and the foot is hanging by the skin with the bone exposed at the ankle. After an x-ray and CT scans, this is what you see.” He refocused on Mason. “What do you do?”
Mason took a deep breath to clear his thoughts, putting himself into the roleplay. The x-rays showed the hip had been wrenched free of the spine, with the left side shattered in several places. His first instinct had been to end the animal’s suffering, but the owner’s connection became part of the equation. “How long ago did this happen? What does the bloodwork show?” Maybe there was a chance to salvage this. Maybe.
More buttons on the Sectra table were pushed, creating a fake bloodwork report that showed no sign of blood poisoning yet, which only meant the accident was recent enough to have not had that complication. More proof that he was a beloved pet that had been rushed to the clinic.
The rest of the information was far from good. “We need to find out how bad the damage is to the sciatic nerves in both hind legs.” He stood up and went over to the scan, pointing at the crushed bone and the subsequent mass on the CT. “It’s caught up in this mess, it could be damaged as well as pinned. If he’s really lucky, it might just be pinned, in which case surgery to release the pressure is an option.” He looked Khai in the face. “Right?”
Khai tilted his head. “Depends. What do you tell the owner?”
“The truth. Always the truth. We can’t tell the extent of the damage to the legs until we operate, though, at this point, it’s not looking good. In fact, I’d let her know before we proceeded that it was as bad as she feared and that euthanasia was a strong possibility.
“She needs to know that if she agrees to the surgery and we open him up and find the nerves in both legs are severed, no amount of work on our part will make a difference. I’d also tell her to stay close to the phone, for we’d need her to make that final decision.”
Mason’s heart ached under the weight of the news to an owner that didn’t even exist. “And then I’d offer her a hug because I think she’d need one.”
“How do you do that?’ Khai asked, breaking the illusion of the role play.
“Do what?”
“How do you engage so thoroughly with people … even ones that don’t exist? You act like you personally know them…”
“I put myself in their shoes, Khai. Or I put someone I care about in their shoes. If it’s an older woman, I put Mom there. If it’s a young kid – I picture my sister there. Either way, I make it personal.”
Khai hummed thoughtfully.
“What?”
“Just thinking how unfortunate it is that most of my immediate family are too old for this to be applicable…”
“Isn’t your wife—uh…mate—whatever you call them…isn’t she pregnant right now?”
“She is,” Khai said cautiously.
“Right. So, there’s your touchstone for pregnant women. You wouldn’t be blunt if it were her, would you?”
“I would,” Khai admitted. “Choi is a warrior. She’d rather have all the facts as soon as possible.”
“Even if the fact you had to relay was one of your other kids had accidentally been killed due to goofing off with their siblings while she was away?”
“That would then become a case of self-preservation. She would literally kill whoever had been tasked with watching over them and failed, even if it were me.”
“Your wife sounds scary.”
“She’s a blooded warrior, like all border veterans. Cross her at your own peril.”
“Okay, well, what about your kids? What if one of them comes in with a native pet that they’ve attached themselves to, and it’s been … I don’t know … bitten by a poisonous snake, and they want you to fix it.”
“Then I would.”
“I’m beginning to see what the problem is here,” Mason huffed in frustration. “C’mon, bossman. If you want to feel empathy for your clients, you need to see the heartache or the hope that that person has in your ability to cure their beloved pet and ask yourself ‘how would I feel if that was….’ And put in a name. It won’t take long for that stance to become a default setting because caring and healing is what we’re all about, right?”
“That may work here, but once I go back to the border, empathy isn’t a luxury I can afford.”
“Maybe not in the heat of battle, but once the emergency is over, a little empathy for those around you might bring you into a tighter team.”
“Why did you want to be a vet?”
Mason was startled by the question. “What do you mean?”
“You could make a lot more money going into human medicine, and your personality, for the most part, is well suited to psychology. Why did you choose animals?”
Mason’s grin was immediate. “Maybe because they can’t tell me no when I’m trying to help them.”
“Don’t deflect.”
Mason hadn’t meant to, but that had always been his go-to answer and no one had ever called him on it. Now that Khai had, he honestly wasn’t sure about the whys of his decision. Thinking about it now, he realised while farming was in his blood, it wasn’t what ignited his passion. “I can’t picture my life not being surrounded by animals, but I wanted more out of life than just raising them.”
“High IQ and EQ.”
“High enough, anyway,” Mason argued, lifting his chin towards the gaming console in the corner. “Brock over there is a real genius. If he sat for an IQ test, he’d probably reset the top score.”
Khai glanced back at the machine the young man had wrapped around him. “Perhaps that’s why he seems so intent on trying to decrease it with computer games.”
Mason snickered.
[Next Chapter]
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((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I’d love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗))
I made a family tree/diagram of the Mystallian family that can be found here
For more of my work, including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here.
FULL INDEX OF BOB THE HOBO TO DATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!!

Saw a neurologist for the first time yesterday. It was a complex appointment due to my complicated nerve pain and headache history.
He agreed that my current flare up of pain, numbness, and paresthesia in my lower back and down right leg matches the profile of sciatica, but then said a bunch of stuff that seemed like the opposite of what I see here. He claimed that because my CT didn't show any significant findings, an MRI probably wouldn't either. That it was "probably muscular" and I should just go to PT, and he talked about piriformis. He showed me the CT images and explained that it looked quite good to him, though the doc who initially reviewed them had labeled some mild bulging in the findings. I felt a bit like he was mansplaining to me, as if I couldn't possibly know better. He didn't even do any focused physical examination or test for this area. He is doing extensive testing for my other nerve issues, and seemed to feel maybe it could be something entirely different causing it all (that it's part of a larger issue rather than just a coincidental flare up of many at once?). Has anyone here learned their sciatic issues were caused by some other weird condition?
I don't know. I'm uneasy. I explained that I had been reluctant to do PT without certainty of what the cause was for fear of doing damage, and that my PCP had told me to prioritize resting right now. He acted like this was being overly cautious. I left the appointment in significant pain yet with no plan to address my current flare up beyond doing sciatica exercises, despite a battery of tests and labs ordered to figure out other things I talked about.
Luckily, I had convinced my PCP to pre-emptively order a lumbar MRI (she ordered without contrast), so that's still going through insurance right now. If it gets authorized, we will still be able to have some information from it. Meanwhile, I still feel like I'm walking around delicately, terrified of doing anything that might strain my pelvis or spine. I have connected with a local PT office but they can't get me in until the end of June.
Am I really just over thinking this? I find doctors incredibly difficult to trust. I have a lot of medical trauma and historically often end up being the zebra. It's so confusing and frustrating to be getting different reactions from every single doctor I see (urgent care doctor vs ER doctor vs PCP vs neurologist).
My leg is definitely healing, it's much better now than it was 1 week ago. Maybe that quick turn around is also more aligned with a muscular cause?
Interested in the experiences of others. Just want to add that getting a second opinion would be extraordinarily difficult where I live, but could probably be pushed for with great effort and absurd patience. I figure getting all the imaging ordered completed first would be most beneficial.

Hi! I'll be getting a microdiscectomy on June 3rd, but they want me to be off of Nasids. I have been normally take meloxicam and Excedrin. I take them hours apart and been helping the most with my nerve pain. I take gabapentin 100mg, it feels like nothing. I have even double or even triple dose to help cover with the no Nasids. Still nothing. Currently I am relying on my muscle relaxers to help with most pain as I have piriformis syndrome. I also have magnesium supplements I take.
I am in a ton of pain. I can do ice and heat. Baths are very difficult for me to get up and out. I wish I had a pool to sleep in lol. Massages are difficult due to the sciatic nerve being extra sensitive.
If you guys have any OTC meds that could work that is not a blood thinner before surgery I could use. Or just something to help with nerve pain so I can sleep.
Thanks!

Has anybody here attempted to free solo cables? What was it like? What gear outside of standard 14er gear did you have?
I am planning on climbing cables this summer and I am trying to figure out if I want to free climb or free solo. The only reason I am debating is because I have sciatic nerve issues when carrying a heavy pack (rope). I am an experienced climber and “14ereer”and have free soloed the 2nd flatiron many times as well as other 5.easy routes in the area.
Any advice is helpful!

Hey bumpit!
I’m kind of worried because I’ve been experiencing radiating hip pain all day, and the research I’ve seen says it’s because my baby is hitting my sciatic nerve, but I’m still in the first trimester and as far as I know - babies at 8-12 weeks are usually the size of a raspberry, so I’m worried it’s something else.
Anybody else experiencing this? At what point should I go to the ER?

Advice
Hey everyone,
I’m 27 and about to be 28, about two weeks ago I woke up with severe pain starting on the left side of my back, radiating down to my left calf. Sometimes it feels like a tingling sensation/my whole leg is asleep.
I’m pretty active and work out hard on the treadmill and lifting at the gym. Based on some research I am pretty confident this pain is related to my sciatic nerve. For the time being I can workout through the pain and do my daily activities but it is getting worse.
Does anyone know of any home exercises/stretches to help with this pain and hopefully get rid of it once and for all?
Big thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,
I’m 27 and about to be 28, about two weeks ago I woke up with severe pain starting on the left side of my back, radiating down to my left calf. Sometimes it feels like a tingling sensation/my whole leg is asleep.
I’m pretty active and work out hard on the treadmill and lifting at the gym. Based on some research I am pretty confident this pain is related to my sciatic nerve. For the time being I can workout through the pain and do my daily activities but it is getting worse.
Does anyone know of any home exercises/stretches to help with this pain and hopefully get rid of it once and for all?
Big thanks in advance!

Hey all,
So... I'm an odd case. I have multiple disabilities including hemipeligic migraines, narcolepsy, HKPP, and Chron's. I've had my entire colon removed for UC. Both the UC and Chron's seem to have been exacerbated by gender dysphoria, so I'm in the midst of a transition.
If you know those disorders (or looked them up)... you'll notice 3 of them include temporary paralysis. The first one, hemipeligic migraines, causes stroke-like symptoms so identical nobody can differenciate between them and a stroke without a CT or MRI. That includes aphasia... including periods where I can only speak my 2nd languages and not my first. I changed GP's last year and that particular symptom during one of my ER visits due to Crohn's has given him pause and he's started leaning into the psych route.
Full disclosure, I do have a psychiatrist... for depression and anxiety... mainly because I'm also autistic. (told you I'm an unusual case).
Well, for years I've noticed I've been unable to bend my toes on either foot unless I bend my leg and knee a certain way. The left foot has always been significantly worse than the right. For years I mistakenly believed it had *something* to do with my hemipeligic migraines because they *also* cause paralysis on the left side. But it never made sense to anyone, including my migraine specialist neuro. He suggested it might be a "pinched nerve" but as long as I could walk, it wasn't going to be worth the effor to try and fix. I agreed, and just got used to not flexing my toes.
Around 4 years ago while dealing with a kidney stone the did a CT in the ED and found my L4 was chipped. I recalled hitting it rather hard on a desk as I was getting up from underneath the counter at my old job where I was IT guy and was routing cables. My wife and I let out a collective "Ah ha!" but it didn't really change much... there still wasn't any point in trying to correct things.
So... flash forward to roughly 6 months ago. I'd been having intermittent weakness in my left leg... really nasty weakness to where I couldn't lift it up the stairs. I could still walk on it... by swinging it around like a peg leg... but I could at least bear weight on it. I thought maybe it was the HKPP, it's much more-likely to cause weakness rather than paralysis, and tests showed my electrolytes were indeed low. Due to Chron's I suffer chronic anemia and issues with electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, etc...
Well, a few months ago I'd turned while seated in my chair to grab something, and discovered my legs wouldn't move... either leg. Much like the toes, my legs only appear to function in one position, while my hip and back are straight. As soon as I turn / twist at the hip, both legs stop functioning instantly.
I mentioned this to the docs while in the ED with the Chron's I mentioned previously... I was starting to wonder if the nerve issue could be at play with my GI issues. But... I suspect that only gave them more red flags for the psych route.
So flash forward to the past few days... left leg keeps having intermittent weakness. It'll work reasonably well and then I'll be dragging it again like some bizzare "red light, green light" game for the past few days. Yesterday I think I had 4 differerent bouts of weakens over a span of 6 hours. So with the frequency and duration of these bouts of weaknesses it's become increasingly obvious it's neither the fault of the Hemipeligic Migraines nor the HKPP.
So I started looking into other possibilities today and I came upon sciatica as a potential culprit. Some things I'm unsure about... the literature says that bending at the waist and other movements can trigger it... What's the timescale on that? Would an instant response due to posture be included?
Otherwise... yeah I've had a lot of sciatic pain over the years intermittently. My mom has also dealt with sciatica since she was my age. So when I first started experiencing it I just figured "well, that's just something I've got to deal with now". I have a pretty skewed pain tollerance level due to Chron's. I've had intermittent burning, tingling, and numbness on my upper thighs. My lower back, near the L4 is intermittently in pain as well. And the other thing I'd mention is that the weakness seems *far* worse after having done strenuous activity... usually for a few days after something like a long hike and caving campout with the Scouts... but also for a short while after a BM. And having no colon... you can imagine how "problematic" that's been.
Anyway... I want to have this looked into... but ya know. I don't want to look crazy.
Thoughts?