It's been ... a day.

[sraun]

So, last night was thunder storms. Precious doesn't deal well with those - she climbs. And jumps off the bed, and wants back up, and has to be picked up, and climbs (she tries to get all the way to the top of the headboard), and has to be taken down and petted and reassured, and then she jumps down again, and the whole cycle repeats. Well, about 3AM I'm picking her up, and I feel a wrench in my lower back.

This is not good.

30-60 minutes later, I ask iraunink to go get me some hydrocodone - my doctor wrote me a prescription to keep a small number on hand, just in case. With that, I got some sleep. The alarm went off at 5AM for me to go to work - I got up, used the furniture and walls to get something approximating vertical, and then ended up on the floor on my hands and knees about half-way to the bathroom - on the 1-10 scale, I'd call it about a 7, maybe an 8. Not good. I called in to work and told them I wasn't going to make it in. Got back in bed, got ibuprofen and slept for a while. Another hydrocodone about 9AM, more ibuprofen about 10AM, I was finally able to stand and stay standing about 11 or 11:30. I've had another two hydrocodone (just had one), and ibuprofen with each. My back is now to the point where, with a cane, I can get vertical, and after about 30-60 seconds I can hold myself vertical and not need the cane. It still hurts down there.

I think it's time for dinner and bed, to see if I can make it to work in the morning - I'm expecting to be able to. But I'm going to take meds up with me when I go to bed.

Comments

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

In the "old days" I had a couple of spells that sound like yours ... hope you've got it under control!I'm assuming this is more than a muscle situation? We both have found a ... semi-intuitive stretching thing learned from a therapist who specializes in back issues to be a great help, it kind of reminds me of the old "girls push-up" things they did when I was in high school...

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Good luck!

I wonder if a ramp that Precious could use to get back on the bed would be useful?

[jolest.livejournal.com]

There are also pet-stairs for exactly this purpose. (I think most well-stocked pet stores carry them.) If you are interested and can't find them, drop me a note and I'll track down where they're sold in the TC area.

[sraun]

I'm going to have another go at finding something like that - the problem we have is that there isn't a lot of clearance around the bed to put one up.

[jolest.livejournal.com]

They have them for sale at Walgreens for $10. Don't know about how well they'll fit area by your bed.

Assembled dimensions are 12" x 14" x 18". (This IS different than the "package size" listed on the Walgreen's page. They're shipped disassembled.)

Walgreen's page w info on them is here: http://tinyurl.com/2loktm

They are apparently out of stock at many Walgreen's so if you want one and can't find it in your area, let me know. I've seen them at two stores in my area in the last two days.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

I know of dogs and thunderstorms. The puppies have been pleasantly good about them but our old dog, Brandy, was the exact opposite of your Precious. She'd would want to get under things and was big enough to topple them in her efforts. Her idea of a good thing to do in a thunderstorm would be to herd her humans to the basement were we could all curl up under the utility tub. (Pretty smart, really, when you think about it; just not very practical.)

Hope your back heals well. I encourage you to take it easy and not push yourself so that you do additional injury. Ericka has been dealing with some knee problems this week and so slow, steady healing is on my mind.

[kerianth.livejournal.com]

I hope you're feeling a lot better soon! I normally recommend yoga for back problems - it's helped me a lot! - but you have to be able to move first ... I do hope your back has improved after a good night's thunderstorm-free sleep.

[qnofhrt.livejournal.com]

Having been there and done that, I'm surprised your doc didn't suggest muscle relaxants. The vicodin's great for pain per se but won't do a lot to relieve the spasm.

I would second the advice to see somebody who deals with this sort of thing. A chiropractor could probably help - I know I'd be lost without mine!

[sraun]

From experience, muscle relaxants don't do much for me when this happens. Ibuprofen really helps it heal - I'm much better today, and will be petty good tomorrow. But I'll still be careful about it for the rest of the week.

[qnofhrt.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...anti-inflammatories to the rescue. Get your doc to give you the 800 or 1000 mg bad boys. Much better than taking the OTC stuff in multiples. (You don't really get 800mg by taking 4 of the 200mg ones.)

[threeringedmoon.livejournal.com]

I hope you recover quickly: it sounds very painful.

[davidwilford.livejournal.com]

Hope you're back is feeling better today!

[sraun]

Yes, it is. Not perfect, but much better.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Ow. I will never understand how anyone can take hydrocodone for more than a few hours' worth (for me, the side effects are almost worse than the pain from shoulder surgery [wry g]). I hope you can get off of it soon.

[sraun]

I have no bad side effects from hydrocodone - at least, none that I've recognized. It knocks a significant chunk of pain away - it took it from about a 7 or 8 to about a 4. Then I could sleep. Of course, part of this may be that I have a high pain tolerance, and some of it may be that I'm not actually taking enough of it. But I can sleep, and that's what counts.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does. For me, the side effects (it slows every bodily system I have, not just the obvious ones, down to a stop and it takes weeks for some of those systems to get back to normal) rebound, and I find myself worse off for far longer than the temporary positive effects of the stuff lasted.

Still, do what works. I won't argue with you that the stuff kills pain.

[pmrabble.livejournal.com]

Vitamin I is a wonderful thing. I ended up taking about half of yesterday off myself with back spasms - I think mine were from wrestling with a tarp in the storms down around Cannon Falls Saturday evening. It's definitely a "take it easy" week from here on out.

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

It's a long time later - are you ok now? I've done the back thing too. Have you done pelvic-girdle-strengthening exercises in the past? And if not, why not?

[sraun]

Pretty much so. I've been given some exercises to do in the past - they haven't been identified as pelvic-girdle-strengthing per se.

I've been told that my rowing machine is pretty good for my lower back.

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

Please ask a thereapist or doctor or someone about pelvic girdle exercises- they help -loads-!