I'll just pick that basket upppppp...OOOOWWWWCCCHH!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Stupid, stupid, stupid back. Stupid. Yes, it lacks intelligence. Shut up. When I’m in this much pain, I can choose whatever adjective I want.

So I was doing laundry. After putting three loads in the washers, I went to pick up my laundry basket and felt a twinge in my back. Not bad pain, but rather more like a warning–“Be careful with me today.” I walk back to my apartment, put down the basket, and accidentally drop some quarters in the basket. I start to bend down to get the quarters, and ssssshhhhhHHHHHHHIIIIIIITTTT!!! Pain. Not just pain, but PAIN. I was physically frozen in place, unable to move, in some serious effin’ pain. Tried to walk, YOOWWWW!, nope. Tried to stand straight, SHIT!, nope. Tried to sit, GAH!, nope. So, I slowly managed to get myself on the floor, laying flat on my back with my knees bent. Finally, in this position, the pain subsides, but I’m stuck.

I started giggling. I just found my complete inability to move, and the frequent (and unpreventable) howls of pain amusing. (I pride myself on being able to laugh at myself…I mean c’mon, what else can I do? Get pissed? Cry?) Inigo, my cat, nonchalantly strolls up next to me on the floor and promptly plops down and curls up contentedly next to me. “Inigo,” I say to the uncomprehending feline, “this was not on today’s agenda.”

Somehow, I managed to crawl to the closet to get the heating pad, the bathroom to take 800mg of ibuprofen, and the sofa to plant myself for the next several hours. Bri, wonderful Bri, came over to help finish my laundry for me, and is currently getting some grocery items for me, Alieve among them. Some time on the heating pad–and, of course, drugs–has improved my mobility, but walking is still a serious problem.

So, the appointment I made to get a TB test done tomorrow (I need one every four years to continue teaching) has been extended to TB test and FIX MY EFFIN’ BACK! Of course, they’ll just give me drugs and tell me to lay down, but at least their drugs will be better than anything I’ve got.

I’m 27, dammit! I’m too young to have a body acting this old! Frick. What a way to start summer vacation.

2

I know what you are going through. I had-have- back problems. The last time by far the worst,I spent a month stuck in a stooped over position. I did nothing to hurt it so I thought it would go away.Wrong.It seems that a compressed disc does not cure itself over night.I couldn’t stand,I could not sit,I could not lay down,without great pain.Sometimes you have to do all three.
A month of excrutiating pain,1000mg tylenol every 4 hrs and finally two epidural spinal injections and I could finally straighten up.Doc said don’t lift anything over 12lbs.Well I have since ignored that 12lb thing but I realize the shot did not fix it.I am very careful.
In my early days I went to the chiro when I hurt my back. they seemed to be able to fix it.It usually took about a week for it to go away.
The only advice I can give you is to do stretching exercises and try to strengthen your abs.Thats what the physical therapists told me.

3

So far no back problems yet, but I already have problems with my right knee getting dislocated easily, and I’m only 17.

4

I’m guessing this was all just a ploy to get “Bri, wonderful Bri” to pay more attention. Feeling a little neglected were we?
Nah – sorry to hear about your pain, Ruff (wonderful Ruff). I’ve had occasional twinges but nothing serious, and I’m considerably older, as in your father’s age. Mrs. Pluto and her mother (Mrs. Pluto-in-law) both suffer occasionally from incapacitating back pain. However I don’t think I’ve ever been referred to as Pluto, wonderful Pluto, when it occurs. Something more along the lines of “unsympathetic bastard” or “lazy SOB” is much more likely. This is the difference between young love and “comfortable” married life. I’ll betcha can’t wait!

5

Oh my! I hope that you are okay and get your mobility back. I have a really bad low back and I understand what you are going through. If you want to talk about what works to help prevent this and how to fix it a bit let me know, my email is in my profile.

On the upside, you have the SD to amuse you while stuck on the couch.

6

Ruffina, I know exactly what you’re going through. I’m also 27, but my first bad back experience happened on my 21st birthday. (In the morning hrs, I was still sober, so it was nothing I did in a drunken stupor)

After my car accident, I’ve been a mess of twinges and stiffness ever since. Nothing too serious, but my right knee and left ankle tell me what the weather will be. I feel like an old man. I feel a breeze, a little humidity, then my knee stiffens up and I hear myself say, “It’s gonna rain today.”

7

I can empathize with your plight. I pulled my back quite badly just over a year ago doing something stupid, twisting and bending with an 80lb sack of cement. I actually felt a “pop” but fortunately, it wasn’t hard damage. I was royally messed up and it scared me because it was the first time something like that didn’t just get better on its own. Doc didn’t do anything but give me muscle relaxer and pain meds but after many weeks, the PPO gave me a referral to physical therapy. This was the best thing in the world as it got me functional again and taught me several innovative exercises and stretching methods that have kept my back healthy. I take this very seriously, as I’m the only guy in my immediate family that has a healthy spine. Baby brother has two-dimensional scoliosis and dad is paralyzed at T10.

8

I’m 20 and I have issues with my back/neck. Look on the bright side, nothing is worse than throwing out your back, and NOT having a “Bri, wonderful Bri.” to help you.

9

I wound up in bed for two weeks after severely straining my back at the time. Though the pain was not as intense as this, it last a helluva lot longer–like, 3 months longer. I was incapacitated on flexiril, wonderful flexiril, for a week. :wink: Muscle relaxants…good…

I’ve hurt my back several times in the 10 years since then, and it certainly has acted up and gotten cranky, but this is ridiculous. I didn’t do anything to aggravate it! I wasn’t even bending over all that much–I have one of those 3 1/2’ tall laundry baskets, fercryin’outloud. Something similar happened in September; I was getting ready to go to work, was on the floor putting on my shoes, and as soon as I bent down to put one on…yoooowwwwww!!! I went to work, only to turn right back around and be bed-bound. At the time, I blamed the kind of stomach crunches I’d been doing for the injury. This time…well, no stomach crunches. There was the heavy labor of moving all that crap out of my classroom last week, but I haven’t been moving anything since Thursday! Why get hurt on Monday? Grumble.

I’ll let y’all know what the doc says; I go in about two hours. Sigh Time to throw down some of those thar Aleve…

10

Gee it usually happens to me on thursday or friday thereby ruining the weekend.

11

I generally describe my back problems as heriditary.

My father had serious back problems, so he made me do all of his heavy lifting.

So now I have back problems. Thankfully, I have I girlfriend who has no aversion to lifting heavy objects for me. Eventually, we’ll have a young son who can take charge of doing all of my heavy work, and then he’ll get back problems handed down to him.

It’s a lovely cycle.

12

Ruffian, I feel your pain. I too have a bum back. According to my doc I have a bulging disk and every once in a while I get reminded of this fact by an excruciating pain. If you have not seen a doctor about it please do. Mine prescribed physical therapy which helped immensely. Feel better soon!
John

13

Well, the doc and doc-in-training did some poking, prodding, testing, teasing, and came up with this:

Probably sciatica, inflammation and irritation along the sciatic nerve. But, there is a chance it’s a herniated disk (I kept hearing them say “L5” while they were prodding me), and so it’s treat, watch, and see.

I’m on 800mg of ibuprofen + 1000mg acetaminophen 3x a day, and he gave me flexeril, wonderful flexeril, too–but it knocks me so stupid that I only take it at night. (I slept 12 hours last night as a result of that stuff). If I get better on this regime, then yay. If not, well, it’s testing time.

The weird, and not so happy weird, thing is I have tingling in my left foot and toes, particularly when I walk. It feels like it’s asleep half the time. Hoo-ray.

The interesting thing is when I first injured my back 10 years ago, I was prescribed bed rest for 10 days, only allowed to get up when I had to go to the bathroom or shower. Now, they’re encouraging me to move around as much as I can stand so the muscles don’t weaken. Interesting, and hey, I’m all for not lying around all day.

So, there yah go. :slight_smile: