After my lovely day out an about on Saturday, the fun weekend came to a screeching halt sometime during the night. I attempted to get out of bed in the yet dark hours of Sunday morning when pain went coursing through my whole body. I generally have a sore back, made worse when I have arthritis flareups in my knee as I tend to get an odd gate. This was beyond even the bad back ache days. No amount of ice, rest, and ibuprofen was helping. I puttered online a bit, but no significant work could be done because sitting in a chair was excruciating. My brain hurt from panic that I would never feel relief. I had visions of all the day trips I wouldn't be able to take. I was saying goodbye to vacation hikes in Europe, and playing on the ground with future grandchildren. I have a flare for dramatic in my own head.
Having eaten my body weight in ibuprofen, DH was able to help get me to the doctor and some much needed adjustments, and heavier duty meds. Today, I am sore, but functioning. I'm taking just OTC tablets again, and will bring a couple ice packs with me, to rotate through the day at work. I haven't taken a sick day since my surgery in December of 2014, and now will have the dreaded catch up. I'll play it by ear, and if the pain comes back, I'll head home. Fortunately, my car has one of those lumbar adjusting seats and is quite comfortable. I also have a great chair at work, and a standing desk options to break up the day sitting. I won't baby my back, but will take precautions.
Too many straws, and being forced to slow down, despite the dreaded feeling of being behind, was sobering. While I didn't cause the root of my health issues, I did a poor job of paying attention to my body and relieving the side effects. Let this be a lesson to me, that I only get one body. Best take better care of it.
