I have three concerns about this right now.
#1) That it is old age related and is going to be permanent. I've not had this kind of pain in the back before. #2) I have a balloon to wrangle on Thursday. #3) I love exploring the outdoors - especially in this weather - and not being able to is intensifying the grumpy caused by #1.
What follows is my way of getting the details written down and out of my head. A) so I can remember them if I do have to tell the doc and B) Once written down I can let them go to a certain extent and ease the anxiety from thinking about it too much. (or so I'd like to think).
So about two weeks ago I started to feel pain on my spine. Unlike the radiating pain of muscle spasm or a pulled or strained muscle this felt very localized to the bone itself. The best way I could describe it is it felt like a bone bruise. I happened to have a routine physical appointment a few days later so I mentioned it to the doc. I would not have made an appointment for this but since I was there anyway .... Doc had me bend this way and that and said nothing appeared out of order and there was no visible signs of bruising. She suggested I stay tuned to it and come back if anything new happened or if got considerably worse.
This pain is behaving like no other back issue I've ever had. It's in my lower back and shows itself mostly after sitting. (Yes, I know that's likely a clue.) While sitting I don't feel it but upon standing it makes itself known in varying degrees of volume depending on how long I've been sitting. Until Thursday this week I was able to walk it off. Not completely but enough that it was reduced to an annoying jab rather than a movement stopper. I hiked both days of both weekend since it started. The hiking didn't bother it at all. In fact, I didn't feel it while hiking. But after the car ride home (even the short distance from RCSP to my house) it was back. :(
On Thursday this week, it got worse. I couldn't walk it off and added to the bone bruise feeling was a tightness/burning all around it. I did my best with ice, heat and rest on Thursday evening but it was still there on Friday. I decided it was best to cancel hiking this weekend. Although that didn't seem bother it I wonder if I was aggravating whatever it is and the endorphins that flow when I'm outside moving on the trails were masking it.
I'm doing a little better today. I felt much better first thing out of bed (which has been the pattern every morning) and I'm being careful in my movements and watching my posture when I sit. And I am a poor sitter. It is taking a lot of concentration to mind that. The pain and tightness are still there but much much much less than the past two days. I have an appointment with the doc for Dec 4th. Here's hoping I won't need it.
Keep smiling and keep moving. (I'm doing my best with both today)
-Paula
No comments:
Post a Comment