The view from down here...

This post comes to you from the guestroom, where I've spent 85% of my time this past week. I injured my back last Monday - current best guess is that it's a herniated disc, though I can't confirm without an MRI, which I'm hoping to avoid needing due to the cost. 

Originally I was recouping more quickly, until an errant sneeze caused my back to seize up and completely set me back. So while I'm seeing progress, it's annoyingly slow going.

I've been icing my back in 20 minute stints, with an hour break in between. Alternating between lying on my back and left side have been the most comfortable positions, other than walking (now that I can do that more comfortably). My right side is still rather uncooperative and I think part of the original problem. At my first (of 5) chiropractic appointment last week, my hips were misaligned, with the right one hitched up about a half an inch higher than the left (so weird). 

My days have been spent hanging out in the guestroom, since the couch proved to be too squishy to lay on...ditto for my bed, other than to just sleep. The only times I've left the house have been to visit the chiropractor, two very brief trips to work (half an hour last Thursday to go through the mail and today to check in & drop off my coworker's bday present) and Mass last night. That was a good test run...I now know that 45 minutes of sitting & standing take me to the limits of my endurance (that's with sitting for a grand total of 10 minutes combined). Sitting is the absolute worst.

Work has been great...and timing-wise this could have been so much worse. Session just ended - literally the Friday before this started - and my boss is out of town this week, so things are really quiet at the office. There's a manadory committee clerk meeting tomorrow that I can't miss, so I'm planning to stop in just for that. 

It's weird the records you break when recovering from a back injury - this is officially the longest I've gone without driving since I got my first car, the most consecutive days I've gone without wearing makeup since I was a teenager and the least amount of coffee I've consumed in at least 10 years (I'm drinking less than a cup a day since I can only drink when I'm standing up...still can't sit for more than a couple minutes at a time). Some improvements the last couple days have been that I can walk (still slowly) instead of shuffle, stand for longer (if I'm walking in place) and, though it takes a little creative maneuvering, put on socks. Yay me!

This is all new for me...I've had back problems before, but never to this life-interfering extent. And it's definitely never taken this long to bounce back. I'm hoping I've finally rounded a corner and will start mending more quickly! Any prayers in that regard would be greatly appreciated! 



~ Katie Q. 🐧