A Bad Decision

Yesterday I put on my parka, donned my hat, and headed out for my walk! I hadn’t been out for a walk since last week, being too busy with Attila home for the weekend, and reticent to venture out into the snow and/or rain that dominated this past week’s weather. The day was sunny yesterday, and I was very happy to be going out for my walk at last.

When I opened the door, I found snow drifts in the driveway. I grabbed a shovel and went to work. It was a bad decision. The snow was wet, and heavy, and after five minutes I could not straighten up, and was barely able to get myself up the stairs and indoors again. My back gives me problems from time to time, and this was one of those times. I took Ibuprofen and it didn’t help at all. I found the electric heating pad, and that did help a bit. Finally, late in the afternoon, I remembered that I had Voltaren, an anti-inflammatory cream, meant for my arthritic knee, so I applied some of that to area in my back that was seizing up, and it helped quite a bit. More of the cream at bedtime and I slept painlessly and soundly through the night.

This morning my back was seizing again. I tried the heating pad, but it was no longer helping me. I applied more Voltaren, which helped. Then I remembered that I had a back brace, which I had needed in the past during trying times with my back. I found it, put it on, and it helped tremendously. The catch is, I cannot sit down for more than about 15 minutes, or the pain returns.

I have to drive to the city for the CAD test tomorrow, so I think I will take more Ibuprofen tomorrow morning, apply Voltaren to my back, and wear my back brace to the appointment. Hopefully all of these precautions will allow me to get there and back without incident.

I wonder if all this is psychosomatic, because I really don’t want to attend all of these medical appointments. I have almost zero faith in the walk-in clinic Doctor who ordered the tests, and I expect they will all come back normal, yet require another visit to the walk-in clinic so that I can be told that everything is fine. Of course, life is full of surprises, so I could be wrong about how this will play out!

Since moving around results in pain, it has been a quiet day here! I did manage to bake another batch of muffins for Attila’s lunches. I had one overripe banana left on the counter, and a bit of leftover pineapple in the refrigerator, so into the muffins it all went. Sampling the results was definitely in order. I like this combination of flavours, I hope Attila does too.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

4°C
Date: 5:00 PM EST Thursday 12 January 2017
Condition: Fog, Periods of Rain
Pressure: 101.1 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: 3.8°C
Dew point: 3.4°C
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WSW 11 km/h
Visibility: 0.6 km

Quote

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
Carl Jung
Letters Volume I, Page 33
1875 – 1961

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TopsyTurvy (Teri)

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your back problems. I’ve had a time or two like that but fortunately they didn’t last long. My favorite med for back problems is the generic version of Robax. You can get it with ibuprofen, acetominophen or aspirin, so you can mix it with other drugs you might be taking and not overdose.

We’re headed to a big city tomorrow, too. I have my post-op visit with my surgeon. One more hurdle, one more level of closure.

Bex Crowell

It’s very weird and unfair how,the older you get, the easier it is to “injure” one’s back! I can be just sitting here and end up with what feels like a pulled muscle somewhere in that back area, no idea why. Getting out of my bed, which is high off the floor, is a challenge too, and at other times I’ve pulled the muscles specifically needed for pushing up and into a sitting position, oh that was fun!

Sandy

I hope your back gets better soon. I second what Bex said. I’ve actually gotten out of bed the wrong way and strained my back. Take care!

Still the Lucky few

Maggie, I’ve used Voltarin and a heating pad, and most of the time it works for a mild strain. If it continues to hurt, you may have to give it time. Sometimes, that is the only thing that works!