And the Fun Continues . . .

Rack another one up for the MRI queen. I’m going to get yet another test on Monday. Seems I re-hurt my back just when things were getting back to normal. My doc says we have to figure out why this is happening. Is it a complication from my surgery 2 years ago? Irritated nerve endings? Another bulging disc? Inflammation around the scar? Dumb luck?? Stay tuned.

Just when you have adjusted to a “new normal,” life throws another curve ball. Sigh. Right now, I’m hurting worse than I did when I strained my back just before New Year’s. I’m actually at home, because I can’t get around well enough to go to work.

And, truthfully, I’ve probably been pushing things a bit. I’m a charge-ahead, get-it-done, damn-the-torpedoes type of gal. I don’t have time to be sick, so as soon as I get the least bit better, I forge ahead, full speed. I have so much on my plate at work that last week I worked late, very late, 3 nights. I had to take Friday off to supervise some final touches on our newly-renovated 2nd house . . . and by the time Friday rolled around, I’d already logged more than 40 hours at work.

I was working late this past Monday, when around 9 pm or so, I noticed that my back was hurting in an odd way. One muscle just kept hurting, badly, like it was being stabbed. I took note of it, of course, but kept going. The next day, Tuesday, I could walk OK, but changing from sitting to standing, and vice versa, took a bit of painful doing.

Yesterday? I hurt badly in the morning, and by afternoon, I could no longer stand up straight.

I’m beginning to think that I may be pushing a little hard. Maybe my body is telling me that I need to slow down a little.

How can I have enormous patience with weight loss, but none at all when it comes to illness or injury? Because truly, I have no patience at all when it comes to physical restrictions. If I am told to rest, I do, grudgingly. More often than not, I will get moving as soon as I can. I did try to use common sense this go-round . . . I did some gentle stretching, some ab exercises that didn’t hurt, some gentle spins on my training bike. As my hurt diminished, I started moving around more. I figured if it didn’t hurt, I was doing the right thing.

And who knows; maybe I was. Maybe I really do have something going on back there that needs to be tended to, that‘s not necessarily the fault of anything I‘ve done or not done lately. Guess I’ll find out. Whatever it is, it will get resolved. I am nothing if not stubborn, and I will do whatever it takes to get back to a relatively flexible, pain-free state.

And yeah, I know. That’ll take time.

I may lose a little fitness on the way. I’ll just have to suck it up and accept that. I have been through this before, 2 years ago. I couldn’t do any real cardio for nearly 2 months, and it was 6 months before I could go back to weight training. If that’s the case again, well . . . been there, done that, hopefully learned a thing or two that will make this time a little easier.

What’s really ironic is, my weight is dropping some. I know that when I can’t exercise, I have to eat less, and that’s what I’ve been doing. In 2004, while I was injured but before my surgery, I dropped 5 lbs. That loss enabled me to finally reach my WW goal. Isn’t that a hoot?

Maybe this time, I’ll get into the 120s. I’m not pushing it, I’m just eating well and being careful not to overeat: about 1700 - 1900 calories a day.

Maybe this resting thing isn’t so bad. At least I can watch TV without guilt!

Pass me the remote, will ya?

* * * * *

If you enjoyed this essay, please send it on!

Want to subscribe? Check the top of the page . . . on the right.