Trying to save a lizard's life

Walking home from work on the phone with my sister I look down on the ground and see a lizard being eaten alive by ants. Immediately I tried to move it away from the cluster but no avail. They weren't getting off him and it was difficult to do it on the ground, so I picked him up and took him home which was only a few feet away. My sister thought I was crazy, but to be eaten alive has got to be the worst way to go, especially if it is slow.

When I got home I took him to the kitchen and started tearing the ants off him, they were red ants and had a tight grip on him. He was moving and shaking all over the place obviously in pain. I put some water where the ants were since they would do the ants more harm than it did the tiny green lizard.

After getting all the ants off him (there was one on his eyelid that was particularly stubborn) I gave a few of the dead ones for him to eat, and he did and I saw this as a good sign that he can get better. His back legs seemed immobile and only used his front legs to drag himself along the plate I put him on. I also gave him some water and put some dirt and grass on the plate so he could be more comfortable.

Here he is after I removed the ants

Leaving him for a few minutes to give him some rest I come back and he isn't moving. I tried to move him a bit to see if he would react, like early when he was trying to bite me, but nothing. Surely it was the poison of the red ants that ended him, there were too many and had probably been struggling for a while before I got there. I knew it was a long shot when I picked him up, but I wanted to give him a chance. I think he died more comfortably than he would have if I never saved him.

It makes me a little sad that the world is harsh and cruel, but like my sister said "Well that's how the world goes round." Even so, everyone (including animals) should have a chance and I'm sure the lizard somewhat appreciated that he wasn't being eaten by ants anymore and died away from that, after taking revenge on eating a couple.

How I found out that I have a herniated disc

I have had serious back pain for about three years and as it only got worse I figured I should do something about it. In October of 2013 I got an x-ray of my back and neck and the results came back with no problems, which discouraged me because I already thought that it was just me just complaining all the time when there was nothing really wrong. A few months later I went to see an orthopedic for my back, I was so excited because a professional was going to look at my results and tell me there could be something wrong and schedule an MRI for me.

This doctor was the worst, he basically said I was imagining my pain because there was nothing wrong with my x-ray. He had me do some "flexibility" tests; moving side to side and forward and back. In conclusion he gave me a muscle relaxant and inflammatory medicine and sent me on my way. I was really upset and I almost broke down into tears because it was becoming difficult to get an answer to why I am in pain.

An MRI would really tell me if there was anything wrong or not but my primary doctor couldn't put in a request for it to my insurance, only an orthopedic and he already dismissed me. So I paid for it out of pocket with no insurance (the place I went gave a good price since I was paying with no insurance). I got an MRI of my cervical and lumbar parts of my spine and the results went to my primary doctor.

About a week later I was off to the beach and I get a call with my results, they said I needed to see a neurosurgeon because I had a herniated disc. I panicked because I didn't know what this meant; Did I need surgery? Can anything even be done? Will I be in pain for the rest of my life? My boyfriend calmed me down and said that we will see what the neurosurgeon has to say. I was at least glad that there was something wrong and it could have a possible solution.

My lumbar spine MRI showing herniated disc

I went to see the neurosurgeon and this guy really knew what he was talking about. He told me that my herniated disc doesn't need to be operated on because it isn't touching any nerves and that it can be solved with some physical therapy and strengthening my back and core.

Finally getting an answer and a solution made me very happy because it meant that I wasn't crazy and my constant pain had a reason.