Sidelined with a weird one
I am actually not even sure what to say here, but I need to put this out there because I'm actually depressed over what ever is going on with this injury. Sorry in advance form babbling.
I have both X-rays and MRI of my lumbar spine and sacrum. X-rays negative for fractures, MRI show typical disc degeneration mostly around L5 and S-1, where my disc is pretty must collapsed, this was Dx in 2013, and after one epidural injection I never had sciatic nerve pain again. This pain is NOT from my collapsed disc, rather pinpoint S2-S3 to the left and a little above my tailbone. Ironically, at S2-S3 there is a 10 MM Tarlov cyst launched inside my sacral canal. Unbeknownst to me these Tarlov cysts are asymptomatic and usually appear on MRI's.
. UNLESS there's some sort of trauma introduced, one will never even know they're there. Side note, asymptomatic or not, 10 MM is impressive.
Here are a series of events leading up to this pain in my a**:
March 6th-- crashed in living room when my bike came unlatched from the trainer. I feel over bike, trainer and broke a coffee table. The injury seemed to be more upper body marked with bruises from breaking the fall. A little discomfort to low back/sacrum area but nothing to worry about.
March 20th- rode GMR (Glendora mt. Road) on newly fit road bike not tri bike from the trainer incident.
. Noted, I did not like the location of the saddle, felt it was digging into left inside "sit bone".
March 27th- rode NPC (Newport Coast) and Pelican Hill repeats on Road bike then ran 2 miles off bike El Moro Trail. Noted, it did not feel good somethings were off, oh yeah, I forgot...I do not like the road bike fit, saddle feels off and too low.
March 31- Told Personal Trainer I was feeling funky in my sacral area. I did reverse weighted lunges off a step, woke up the next morning and haven't been the same since.
I got into Physical Therapy including glute exercises, massage and elecro stem. Did not improve so I went to Chiropractor for additional therapy; massage, manipulation and h-wave. I was not getting better but worse so I had the Chiro write an Rx so I could get an MRI, (knowing I would take the MRI to my Ortho who Dx'd me with the collapsed disc in 2013. My appt. isn't until late May because he's so popular.
My PCP got me in to see a local Ortho who says, "there's nothing on the MRI, no pinched nerves, no abnormal disc herniation or bulge. He took 60 seconds to say it was from the fall and I kept training, the PT pissed it off and just need to rest. Of course I can do IMLP he tells me. Not sure how that works since I can't sit let alone bike or run, and if I do swim it's with a pool bouy because it hurts to kick. I can't even do yoga!!!
PCP- wrote Rx for steroid pack- did nothing for pain. PCP- wrote Rx for Naproxen- does nothing for pain. Tried Ibuprofen -800-nothing for pain.
PCP also sent my MRI to Neurosurgeon and my appointment isn't until May 16th. The Neuro's RN called me said my symptoms were weird, that she saw nothing on my report, other than the Tarlov cyst, was of notable size. I mentioned my fall, and she said, "Oh...Oh...okay, well that may change things." "You may want to call your PCP and get some pain meds." 
I do have an Appt. May 2nd with a colleague of my Ortho (the guy whose booked until late May). He's an Ortho but has background in Neuro which makes me feel better.
To summarize, I am out for St. George, my PCP thinks this sounds like I damaged/stretched the ligaments around my sacrum and NOT to book any non-refundable rooms or tickets to IMLP because he thinks this is a nasty injury to rebound from, he's seen 6 months to a year!!! I still need to have a Neurosurgeon look at the Tarlov cyst because of the size and the fall back in March.
I am super bummed out and in need of input, advise and moral support. At what point do I say 100% no IMLP? If it were a local race it would be different, but the cost of getting there is no joke. It's a foundation slot too, so out 1,500.00?! I am trying to look at it like only the entry fee because the foundation part is a tax write off, but that's not making me feel any better. Above all, I want to know what's wrong with me 
Dana
Comments
You're doing the right thing by focusing on your health and recovery. The races will always be there. I'll miss you in St George!
Lots of EN support to you. I am not a medical professional, but am struggling through re-habbing my body after a series of injuries.
For my back stuff, I have used Miracle Balls for my back (these were recommended to me by my nieces who are professional dancers). They are smooshy balls that you can orientate to different positions on your body. When you lay on them, your body sinks into balls, taking pressure off of sensitive areas. http://www.elainepetrone.com/
Another resource I am currently using in my body re-hab are Yoga Tune Up Balls. They are more accessible and safer than trying to position a foam roller on different points on your body. https://www.yogatuneup.com/.
Perhaps a qualified rolfer or functional chiropractor could help too.
I hope you get some relief and please keep us posted.
Beth
Thanks Gabe. I was looking forward to seeing you :-(
Beth, thank you for the links, my biggest concern is the PT/Chiro ( I trust BOTH these professionals), my PT is probably the most well respected in my town, and even her therapy made it worse. Robert Sabo, if correct and it's trauma/contusion related, wouldn't ball therapy, rolling or a rolfer aggravate it more? Even H-wave which improves circulation and pumps out toxins from injury seem to make it worse?
Robert, I realize Tarlov's are common, I know it's benign, my thought was 10 MM is nearly 1/2 an inch and could be causing the nerve route to be pinched. If anti inflammatories are putting a dent in the pain, it would be from the trauma of the fall causing the cyst (which has been there most likely most of my life), to fill with fluid. Also, the fall happened on March 6th and I wasn't sidelined until April 1st. That's weird to me!
I will live, just not sure how to recover and rehab if therapy mades it worse. And...when I make the absolute decision about IMLP.
Dana