As I have stated on this blog before, I received disability retirement from my employer due to three different medical conditions I have. One of those medical problems is my back; degenerative lumbar disc disease. I had surgery for a ruptured disc in July of 1995. After my surgery, I had several good months of being free from pain. But, the pain came back with a vengeance after about six months. Doctors since that time have wanted me to go back under the knife to remove scar tissue from the first surgery. I’m just not willing to risk any more pain than I presently endure. So, I keep up with pain killers, do as much exercise as I can manage and go on with my life.

What has become increasingly apparent, however, is that my back hurts even worse when I am driving my ’06 Honda Civic. It has never been easy getting into my Civic because of my height. At 6’1, it is an uncomfortable entry and exit. But, I realized all this prior to buying the car. The ’04 Jeep Liberty was a gas guzzling behemoth I could not tolerate even at that point in time of $2.50/gallon. So, it was a no brainer to buy a car that is getting 40MPG on highway versus one that got 20MPG…on a good day. What I didn’t take into account, when I bought the Civic, were my lumbar discs continuing to deteriorate (and I admit, I should have thought of that).

So, my dilemma is to either sell the Civic, with it’s 40MPG and get a bigger more comfortable car with about half the MPG (and take the chance the pain will subside). Or go a head, have the surgery (with the potential of increased pain…I don’t care what the doctors say) and keep the Civic. I’ve been going back and forth on which course of action to take. I know a lot of people will say go ahead, get the surgery and keep the Civic. Gas isn’t going to get cheaper. I realize all this. But, that’s easy to say when you aren’t the one facing major surgery (and back surgery is major surgery). But, at the same time, I realize I can’t continue to hurt like this for the rest of my life. It hurts to drive that Civic, which is why I drive my Nissan Truck even more now. And buying another big gas guzzler doesn’t make sense either just on the slim chance it will help my back. At this point in time, I’m open to suggestions.

Life can really be hell sometimes.