Dr. Jonathan Sayre Allen – Trombonist and Teacher

I have had some old-man issues with my back lately. I herniated (mild) the disks between both the L3-L4 and L4-L5. The doctor has me on prescription strength Aleve (Naproxen), Vicodin (Hydrococodone), and Flexerol (Cyclobenzaprine). Since two of the three can cause drowsiness, I have been sleeping through the night for the first time in years = amazing! The down side is that I am equally tired much of the day. The pain in the back is much less than it was even a week ago. Most of the discomfort I am experiencing is pain down the right leg due to the herniation pinching the sciatic nerve. One of these days I will figure out how to live a normal life without constantly injuring myself (side note: The herniation happened while sitting on a bench at the Cheesecake Factory).