Blew out my back on Wednesday. In retrospect, it’s been a problem for a month+, and prevented me from a catch-up trip with Mitzi Liossis — I thought it was muscle spasms.
Sadly, so did my chiropractor, and the exercises I was given.. well, they’re exactly the opposite of what you should do when there’s a disc at risk. This misapprehension had some unfortunate effects. It got worse instead of better, culminating with a point when i bent down.. and couldn’t get back up.
Going to the chiropractor wednesday was a mistake – in that i mean getting in my car. I already knew I couldn’t bend, but i forced the issue, and spent the night on the floor as a result.
Finally managed the futon, and was stuck there. Not a fun time. Pain killers don’t really help when you get caught in a back-spasm that just won’t stop.
Christina Greengrass went and got me a back brace, which was enough to painfully make it upstairs to the bed, where I was stuck for a full day.
Since then I’ve managed to make it to the washroom (one of those problems google-fu doesn’t cover AT ALL) with some help, and then eventually by myself.
This morning I was able to stand again with only moderate pain (not bend however), and I have a finer appreciation for verticality. I’m apparently looking at up to 6 months for this to recover.
Not a lot can be done in the near term. When I’m well enough to get into a car (Ie mostly healed) I’ll need to get to the doctor and get some imaging done. In most cases, this just has to heal naturally — the exceptions are NOT cases I want to consider.
I’m extremely glad I didn’t panic and call an ambulance. Emergency room response times are normally 12+ hours, and the local hospital is generally over capacity. The most they’d be able to do for me is better pain meds, but then I’d be stuck there – a horrifying thought. If the outcomes are the same, I’d rather be at home in pain vs a crowded and loud hospital.
Take care of your backs folks.