Public Service Announcement: Yet Another Reason Why You Should Not Ignore Pain
Last Thursday I bent over to grab a towel off the floor and sneezed. This isn’t a terribly unusual occurrence in any person’s life, but this time a horrible, sharp pain shot from my back to my stomach.
Some time around Christmas, I’ve been having this pain in my back. I thought it was probably just a pulled muscle or something, gritted my teeth, and got on with life. In my New Year zeal, I’ve been going to dance classes and the Y with a vengeance, and I wasn’t about to let a little discomfort in my back slow me down.
Until I sneezed. This was a BIG pain, the kind that sort of catches your breath and leaves you mentally writing a will. So I padded down the stairs and consulted Younger Bro who knows a lot about all kinds of things, including healthcare related questions.
I explained the situation. He asked questions regarding kidney function, shortness of breath, and so on. Finally, he asked me where, exactly, it hurt, and checked one side of my back compared to the other side. (This is what we do in my family to test for abnormalities – checking symmetry. For example, if that strange bump I discovered on the right side of the base of my skull also exists on the left side, then it’s probably just my skull.)
Anyway, he gave me a little pat and said, “I think you need to go to Urgent Care.”
“Why?”
“Well, you’ve got something sticking out on one side of you that you doesn’t stick out on the other side.”
That got me worried. So I headed off to Dr. Wei, who asked me basically all the questions Younger Bro did and then gently probed my throbbing back.
“This is probably a pulled muscle. You said you did this at Christmas?”
“I think. I can’t remember anything specific.”
“And you’ve been exercising since then?”
“Um, yes.”
“You’ve probably been re-injuring it. We’re going to treat this as a pulled muscle, but come back in two weeks if it isn’t any better and we’ll shoot some x-rays to make sure it isn’t a cracked rib.”
“Cracked rib?”
“Yes. Basically you treat it the same way; not much you can do.”
He loaded me up on muscle relaxers, Motrin, and these funky Lidocaine patches that take up most of the real estate on my back and go on cold and wet.
The worst part? No exercise for two weeks. And all my lovely New Year momentum is just slipping away.
The best part – endless excuses to not do any cleaning.
Some time around Christmas, I’ve been having this pain in my back. I thought it was probably just a pulled muscle or something, gritted my teeth, and got on with life. In my New Year zeal, I’ve been going to dance classes and the Y with a vengeance, and I wasn’t about to let a little discomfort in my back slow me down.
Until I sneezed. This was a BIG pain, the kind that sort of catches your breath and leaves you mentally writing a will. So I padded down the stairs and consulted Younger Bro who knows a lot about all kinds of things, including healthcare related questions.
I explained the situation. He asked questions regarding kidney function, shortness of breath, and so on. Finally, he asked me where, exactly, it hurt, and checked one side of my back compared to the other side. (This is what we do in my family to test for abnormalities – checking symmetry. For example, if that strange bump I discovered on the right side of the base of my skull also exists on the left side, then it’s probably just my skull.)
Anyway, he gave me a little pat and said, “I think you need to go to Urgent Care.”
“Why?”
“Well, you’ve got something sticking out on one side of you that you doesn’t stick out on the other side.”
That got me worried. So I headed off to Dr. Wei, who asked me basically all the questions Younger Bro did and then gently probed my throbbing back.
“This is probably a pulled muscle. You said you did this at Christmas?”
“I think. I can’t remember anything specific.”
“And you’ve been exercising since then?”
“Um, yes.”
“You’ve probably been re-injuring it. We’re going to treat this as a pulled muscle, but come back in two weeks if it isn’t any better and we’ll shoot some x-rays to make sure it isn’t a cracked rib.”
“Cracked rib?”
“Yes. Basically you treat it the same way; not much you can do.”
He loaded me up on muscle relaxers, Motrin, and these funky Lidocaine patches that take up most of the real estate on my back and go on cold and wet.
The worst part? No exercise for two weeks. And all my lovely New Year momentum is just slipping away.
The best part – endless excuses to not do any cleaning.
posted by Lisa | 8:38 AM
4 Comments:
So sorry you're hurt!!:( But personally I'd take that last one & run with it.;)lol
*lazily looking up from my book with a mug of hot tea in one hand* I think you're right, Jules. Good advice. ;-)
LOL Shell!! I think I'd take the time, too. Don't think of it is missing out on your workouts, because you were doing yourself more harm than good - think of this healing process as part of your "getting in shape!" It's all part of being healthy!! (so is that tea and a good book!)
Ooooh, that sounds painful!
I'm sorry, but I laughed out loud at the line about "you've got something sticking out on one side of you that doesn't stick out on the other side." Too funny!
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