I'd Laugh But It Hurts

 I think I have already shared here a joke I once heard about aging. The comedian reminded us all that if we got hurt when we were younger, it was due to playing rough sports or having a vehicle accident. The minute we get past 40 though, we can get hurt by just getting out of bed in the morning. I was laughing until it actually happened to me. And this is why I have not posted here in a good minute or two...

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night (another symptom of geezerhood) and, as soon as I stood up, I felt a sharp pain in the middle of my back. I felt as if I had cracked a bone or something. I hobbled on to use the bathroom and, before I went back to bed, I took a couple of acetaminophens.

When I got out of bed for the day, my back felt better but was still a little bit sore. Weird, right? During the rest of the day, my back had mood swings. I could function normally for a couple of hours then I'd have pain if I turned a certain way or bent over in the slightest.

I've had this happen before and, usually, taking aspirin and being careful not to twist and turn a lot would take care of the problem. After a couple of days, I'd be good as new. Not this time.

I've been using a heating pad and avoiding sitting in chairs. I will lay on the bed and use the computer and eat standing up. There are times when I can move around almost like normal - the other day, I even walked to the store a couple blocks away - and then, out of nowhere, I can't even roll off the bed without wanting to sob. And I am not kidding about the sobbing part. The last time my back hurt like this, I took a couple of Motrin and felt awesome - until I remembered that I am not supposed to take Motrin, Ibuprofen, etc. Do you know how limited the OTC pain reliver options are when you cut out Motrin? I think I am down to asprin, acetaminophen, and sugar pills.

I already had an upcoming appointment for a checkup with my GP. My back, which had been in Sore Mode all morning, was suddenly all better by the time I got to my afternoon appointment. 

My doctor, who is wonderful at monitoring my general care, tries to keep a sharp eye out for anything to do with the sarcoidosis. Even though my back was miraculously better at the moment, she warned me to let her know if it flared up again. Apparently, sarc can affect the muscles and bones - okay let me look up the word my doctor used: musculoskeletal. Don't ask me to pronounce it. 

Here's the thing, I am aware that all my doctors have shown concern about possible problems with my joints. Somehow, though, because I have neurosarcoidosis, I worried about my nervous system more than I did about anything else. 

Well, yeehaw.

Honestly, I think now that my back pain might be from all the crazy stuff I did when I was younger: dancing like a madwoman, running and jumping and leaping like a superhero - you know, the stuff you do when you have energy and good muscles and undamaged cartilage. I can't wait to see what happens down the road to all these gal who spend so much time twerking. If they only had half a clue...

Anyway. I did get myself a back brace-type belt to use for when I have to sit. It seems to help a bit, although it's not the most comfortable thing to wear. It sure doesn't look this comfortable on me as it does on the guy in the product photo:

My doctor says that if the pain persists, I might need muscle relaxants and physical therapy. Ugh. I told her that I would hold off for now. I dread taking another pill and I really dread trekking out to P.T....I will give the back belt a try and see if it helps. 

Instead of a prescription or other narcotic type pain reliever, I am drinking a little cumin water every day. It may be an old wives tale but, for me, the cumin water helps relax me and it seems to help with the pain. If I make the cumin water extra strong, it will knock me into an instant nap. For real. That stuff is like a date rape drug.

The thing about cumin is that it has a very strong odor. VERY strong. I can't describe it well, but it smells like sweat and dirt combined. To help with the smell, I will add rosemary water or mint water. If I make the water extra strong for a bedtime drink, I really can't deal with the smell. In that case, I will add a hit of pineapple juice and just slam down the entire 4 to 8 ounces.

My back is behaving for the most part. As long as I keep the belt on and don't sit wrong, I might be okay. In the meantime, I have cut back on the cumin water - which is, I forgot to mention, a traditional Indian beverage that they call Jeera water. I want the Jeera water to be at its most effective when I need it so I don't want to build up a tolerance. 

I will be back to blogging here pretty soon. I'm pretty sure my next topic will be about how much I love making and drinking these herbal waters.

Peace

--Free