It takes a lot to keep a storyteller like me away from the forum I've created, but frankly, this one has got me.
I have been aching in my lower back for a few weeks now, but took turns blaming it on my bed, my office chair, long walks, bad shoes, PMS—you name it.
When I got back from the weekend in San Francisco and went to bed Monday night, I had no pain, and practically no memory of it at all. My back had not been an issue all weekend and for that I am grateful.
Tuesday morning, however, I woke up and realized that I could barely sit up in bed. Bending over to get my shoes on was impossible. Leaning to the coffee table to retrieve the Netflix I wanted to return almost sent me head over heels, and not in the good way.
I was in trouble.
Boarding the bus (stubborn, aren't I?) I took a seat near the back, and winced and moaned over every crack in the road or bump in the highway. I was almost in tears by the time the bus arrived at my office. I limped inside, feeling and looking 90 years old, and eased my way into my very pricey Herman Miller chair. Only to cry out in pain.
At this point, I could no longer deny there was a problem. I made an appointment to see my all-knowing internist at Northwestern, and raced over (ok, hobbled is a more appropriate description) that afternoon. She declared that she believes that I have a dislocated disc (L5/S1) and that a course of steroids and a round of physical therapy would be enough. She hesitated to send me into X-ray due to the radiation (that may come too close to my woman-things-on-the-inside) and didn't want to subject me to a MRI just yet.
I also received a prescription for a codeine generic to deal with the pain, but she advised me against taking it if I was going to be back at work. What with that whole "it'll make you drowsy" thing. So I didn't.
Needless to say, Tuesday night and yesterday at work were sheer misery. Replacing my Herman Miller with a shorter, harder, more upright model was just the first step. Really I should be standing up, as that doesn't hurt as much. My coworker suggested roping me to a dolly so I could stand upright, and be wheeled to the lunchroom or a meeting room, should that be necessary. I didn't give in. The image was far to Mummy for me.
Anyway, I'm now taking the codeine, while at work, and despite having less feeling in my arms that I'm totally comfortable with, it has helped. A little. Meaning, I don't audibly moan every three minutes. Incidentally my office-neighbor thought I was enjoying myself FAR too much in here until I limped over and explained that the exact opposite was true.
So, those great blog posts about my San Fran trip, or other interesting things that have happened to me since we last spoke? Yeah, those aren't going to happen.
I'm tempted to just write about how sympathetic I now feel towards those I've known with back pain before (Shannon!) and for all of those people who wince as they get up from a seated position, or struggle to bend to retrieve something dropped. And, for the record, I drop a lot of things, apparently.
Finally, I have a whole new sensitivity to old people if this is any indication of how it feels when your back starts to give out and your body starts to go.
Thank God the mind's all there.
I think? Could be the narcotics talking.
(Photo at top? Not me.)
Update as of 9/5 at 1 pm - it is NOT a dislocated disc! It is mechanical - according to my adorable physical therapist. Which means my vertebrae aren't cooperating and going back where they are supposed to when I move, so it hurts. But, the good news is that with PT and anti-inflammatory meds, I should be back to normal within 2 weeks. Yippeee!
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