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Feb
1
If you just want to roll your eyes and click away because you could care less about my whining, by all means, I’ll never know. This post is totally for me and anyone who wants to have some amusement at my expense – which suits me well because laughter is about the only way I figure I’m going to heal up right now.
Back injuries suck. Back pain sucks. Getting older and having degenerative conditions start to degenerate into a condition suck.
But – I’m not dying, I’ve finished a book, I’ve blogged a shitload all over the place, my kids love sitting in bed with me, and my significant other has a new appreciation for whatever it is that I “do” all day. That S.O. also has my gratitude because underneath the exterior that guy who says “just get better” is the interior that is praying that I will in fact get better.
Here’s the post where I talk about the the joint dysfunction the physical therapist said I had – that was Monday. Today is Friday. I was starting to feel like an 8.8 on a scale of 1-10 when it comes to pain (and that was down from a 9) yesterday, but then I had an MRI. The doctor and the PT haven’t been happy that I’m not progressing much at all and so there was concern that maybe I have a herniated disk or something else (arthritis or I don’t know what, in my hips, spine – I’m not even sure). Well, to have to lay on your back for 45 minutes in a too-small tube when it’s your back that’s in pain for starters just about did me in. I was so angry with pain when I got out of the machine that I left without literally half my clothes on. And now I have sore muscles I didn’t have before as a result of them spasming while I was in the MRI. And now I’m told that the MRI might not even be a valuable diagnostic tool because if you have spine issues, laying on your back doesn’t necessarily show the disks in the best way to detect problems.
Whatever.
So – I’m doing some stretches, I’m taking some drugs, I’m trying not to eat (since I’m not really moving at all) and I am trying to get up now and then and walk around so I don’t get stiff.
What exactly can’t I do? I can’t bend over at all – I can bend at the knees just fine. But I cannot reach down or far to either side and my hips areas are so sore and tender that I cannot sleep well in any position – I had a terrible night last night.
On the bright side, the Pt says that the swelling between two crucial joints seems to have gone down. And my kids are doing laundry and dishes and dinner and homework and music lessons and listening to my husband.
But in general, I do not know how people with chronic pain do it. I am sure, if I had chronic pain (which they tell me this isn’t yet and shouldn’t be), I too would figure out how to get through it. The fact is, I do live with pain in my several of my joints and a few other things, but I am so used to them now that I ignore it.
The body you have is the only body you get. And some things that happen to it you cannot control. But for the things you can, don’t wait until it’s too late.
For once I can honestly say that I cannot wait to do all the shlepping I need to do – because it was when I shlepped the most that I thought about myself the least. And thinking about oneself too much is never a good thing.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:27 pm February 1st, 2008 in Blogging
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The spine is an amazing and wonderful thing, and I’m so sorry yours is giving you so much grief and pain. Hope it gets resolved soon and you can get on with your schlepping.
Thank you.
I really didn’t want to write this but I just needed to kind of let it out, lol – I don’t know – my parents call every day but I don’t feel like complaining to them. Wendy Hoke has listened and laughed with me as I get all dramatic and my kids – well, they are actually getting a bit nervous. But I know I will be fine – it’s just so aggravating. And my husband has just been plain heroic – truly.
It will all be history soon I’m sure and I’ll be wishing I could be in bed all day again before I know it.
I can’t even imagine, Jill. I love the shitload of blogging you’ve been doing however
serendipity for the rest of us, not so much for you. Get better!
Hey – thanks Carole – I do appreciate it – even I can’t believe how many entries I had today. Sheesh!
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