Saturday, May 28, 2011

Proned out...

And not in the fun long distance rifle sort of way.

Thursday afternoon, round about the time I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch, something Very Bad happened to my back. Every muscle seized up and I couldn't move without screaming. (&this after chiropractor appointments all week. But, hey! My neck feels great!) I was upstairs, alone in the house...and my phone was down in the kitchen. I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the cops, what with the sounds I made going down the stairs.

Practically crawling, somehow I made it into the kitchen and managed some (probably horrific-sounding) phone calls while squatting next to a dining room chair, my forehead braced on the seat. When Mike came home about 15 minutes later, I was still in the same position. Good thing I have strong thighs.

Anyway, I've spent most of the past two days on the living room floor plotting revenge applying ice, heat, and ibuprofen (& plenty of vodka that first day. I'm told livers can regenerate). I feel a bit like Goldilocks - the floor's too hard, and the bed's too soft so today I'm going to try the recliner, it may be just right.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

24 comments:

Bubblehead Les. said...

You have my number if Big Mike's not available, okay? Of course this would happen to you on a Holiday weekend, but under Murphy's 17th Law....Take Care, Neighbor.

PPPP said...

Breda -

Similar thing happened to me three years ago. Long story short - severe vitamin D and calcium deficiency. The spine just couldn't hold the position the chiropractor was putting it in.

Just a suggestion, and if it is what I had, be patient. It was a couple of months before I had enough calcium and D back in my system to notice improvement. A year before it was pretty much all back to what passes for normal.

Guffaw in AZ said...

Not to be nit-picky, but proned or supined?
I can't imagine such back pain facilitates reclining on ones front?
Regardless of which one, get better, soon! gfa

Roberta X said...

Please go to a real doctor, Breda. Most chiropracters do no harm but they're operating using a map that doesn't always match the territory and that can be a problem.

lv4921391 said...

jesus go to a chiropractor get an adjustment, dance outta his /her office...

Anonymous said...

Been there...

On your back, knees up (pillow under, or something), or curled on your side.
It will take a few days, but if you don't have pain shooting down one hip/leg, you will be OK.

Later, more situps or leg lifts will keep your core aligned and prevent recurrences.

Mad Saint Jack said...

My chiro told me when I started that the neck can cause problems elsewhere in the body.

I mentioned before there is a chiro talk show at 8pm Sundays on http://www.55krc.com/main.html

This is the system he talks about a lot.

http://www.pulstarfras.com/Welcome.html

Feel better.

instinct said...

I would recommend a massage therapist/ acupuncturist. Had a Kung Fu instructor who used one for her fibromyalgia and she swore by them for relaxing the muscle and allowing the body to get back to the right position.

Never used acupuncture, but a good massage therapist is a dream

Groundhog said...

I feel your pain, literally! Mine just "goes out" occasionally. Sometimes bad enough that I get a ride to the hospital in one of those fancy vans that get to ignore traffic rules :)

Get well soon!

Robert Langham said...

Awful! Hoping for a quick transit!

Carteach said...

My friend, I know you are going to get a metric ton of sympathies and advice.

You have mine as well. My own back problems... spread over most of a lifetime... were 90% cured with massage therapy. I am very, very lucky to know two woman who are world class at the practice.

If that seems like something you wish to try, seek out whoever your local pro-sports team uses. They know the score.

PT said...

No offense but do not go to chiropractors. I have already run into a few patients who have had major back injuries missed for a long time because some chiropractor was adjusting their back 3 times a week for 10 weeks (one had a broken vertebra with nerve involvement).

There may be some real good chiropractors out there, but I would personally stay away.

If you get any tingling or numbness or muscle weakness, see your MD asap!! (nerve involvement)

Comrade Misfit said...

You have mine sympathy as well. I've had bad back spasms; found that a really heavy-duty painkiller would help break the spasm cycle.

And then: exercise, specifically crunches and cobras.

Anonymous said...

But hey you can still blog!

I hope you're back on your feet soon.

Christina RN LMT said...

Awww, man! I'm so sorry, Breda. I wish there were something I could do, like virtual massage. :( Sending good thoughts your way, anyway. Hope you feel better soon.

Old NFO said...

Sorry to hear you're down Breda. Hope you get the back 'fixed' quickly. Sending good thoughts!

Glenn B said...

Feel better soon. Maybe consider going to a doctor who will try to diagnose the problems you are having before treating them, like an orthopedist. Only a good check-up by a qualified doctor will let you know what is the problem and how to have it corrected.

I have had disc surgery, had a disc completely extruded and it had to be removed. I had a lot of symptoms but not all pointed to the disc. No shooting pains down the thigh to the toes, no movement problems most times, but lots of pain and spasms. All the kooks told me one thing, a GP said it was a sprain, another GP said it was muscle spasms, a chiropractor wanted to lay hands on me and heal me as did a physical therapist who also wanted to use shock therapy. Then an orthopedist listened to me and ordered an MRI. Were all the kooks surprised but I had severely herniated disc and got removal surgery and all is well in my lower back since then! I also have had arthritis in several joints for years probably due to injrues and Lyme Disease. Then I later developed terrible pains shooting down an arm, in my neck and upinto one side of my head. The kooks said this or that and recommended a chiropractor or therapist. I went to see a rheumatologist. She paid attention and ran tests behyond useless xrays, she sent me for an MRI of my neck & found a pretty big cyst. I had it removed and my arm, neck and upper back have improved markedly. Still have the arthritis but nowhere nearly as much pain as I had before. These things were nothing a chiropractor, physical therapist or masseuse could have addressed.
Maybe you don't have anything serious, I hope not, but let a qualified doc check you out.

Chris M said...

I've felt your pain. Spent most of a vacation lying on my back on a friend's living room floor because it was the only position tolerable. It turned out to be muscle spasms irritating nerves that cause muscle spasms that irritated nerves... ad infinitum. Chiropractor gave brief relief. LARGE doses of naproxen sodium (Alleve) finally gave relieve. 800mg tablets of ibuprofen didn't faze it. Try naproxen sodium.

JB Miller said...

Loss of sleep was always the worse part for me when I hurt my back.

Recliners are good.

Anonymous said...

Get Well soon.

I had a very similar problem, only I could barely walk straight for 6 months.

Calcium and magnesium pills help.

Do not take multiple pain killers at the same time. (the liver doesn't fix that kind of damage)

Alleve is great. But watch out for side effects. They are listed on the box but heart arrhythmia needs to be addressed immediately (it is very rare however.)

If the bed is too soft, wooden boards between the mattress and box spring help.

Or use cushions or blankets on the floor.

Camping stores have mats for placing under sleeping bags. Those may be useful.

Call or email if you have questions.

Hopes this helps. And hope to see you at the rifle range this summer.

Dave said...

Feel better soon. It always hurts more when your down for the few weeks of summer we have..

dr mac said...

As a fellow sufferer, I am so sorry.

DaddyBear said...

Damn girl, if you were able to crawl down the stair and into the kitchen like that, you must be harder than chicken lips! I had some lower back issues and all it too for me to curl into a ball and whimper was for the sciatic nerve to twinge a bit.

Sorry you had to go through that on a holiday. Hope you feel better!

Home on the Range said...

Breda,

I'm sorry. Truly.

I hope you feel better soon.
B.