Dang, Tmug. I sure hate to hear that. I' ve got the same stuff going on in 8 levels of my back, but only 3 of the discs are ruptured. The rest are just herniated.

The shots were only worth about a week' s relief each time I got one. That' s really all they' re worth, just a little temporary relief that you pay big bucks for. And it makes you feel just good enough to get up and overdo it, so you' re in even worse shape when the stuff wears off.

My big problem was they made me so dang hungry that I ate everything in the house. I COULD NOT control it. Went from 245 to 425 in 6 months and have been fighting it ever since. Of course the weight gain is the worst thing that could have happened to me and the idiots kept telling me that as they pumped that crap in. If you do have the shots, have all food removed from the house and tell your wife not to let you have any cash.

I really do recommend you go to see a chiropractor. All the docs told me to just learn to live with the pain and take pain pills when it was too bad to handle. And I just kept going downhill. The chiropractor has actually helped me, even restored a little function in my arms and shoulders, to the point where I can shoot my longbows again. I get as much pain relief from an adjustment as I did from the injections, without the out-of-control munchies. I hate to sound like an advertisement, and I' m really kinda embarrassed to even suggest it. I always distrusted chiropractors immensely and thought they were all quacks. Pain will lead you to do things that are out of character though, and I found out I was wrong.

They do like to get paid though.