My Back’s Last Laugh
So, it was looking increasingly like my back aches and pains were the fault of needing new shoes, because after getting new shoes things seemed to be on the upswing, with my daily walks accompanied by less and less of the aches and pains.
This afternoon, after getting in my usual walk, then running a grocery errand, then taking out the trash and recycling, I literally was about to message my new primary care doctor that Thursday’s appointment likely no longer would be about back pain.
Before settling down, I wanted to make my post-walk salad. I reached down to the crisper drawer in the fridge and…
…pain…
…in my lower back got me stuck me in a squat on the kitchen floor with the refrigerator door open for several minutes until I could slowly and safely rise.
This evening now becomes about painkillers and a hot water bottle, and frustrating my cat by repeatedly denying her access to my lap because the last thing I need right now is something on my legs, let alone something I need to ditch any and every time I need to stand up.
It also becomes about the least problematic ways to feed myself, and tomorrow becomes about whether or not I get out of bed and if whether or not I can manage my weekly breakfast out, a critical part of maintaining my sanity.
I wish I’d had the wherewithal to take my heart rate while I was on the kitchen floor but the Health app seeks to have taken some measurements during that time and it looks like it was between 100 and 115 BPM. It’s currently hovering around 87 BPM.