My back hurts today, and actually has me in tears which is a rarity for me. So I thought I'd share the story with you why my back sometimes treats me like a wayward step-child.
Almost two years ago, I was hit by a car. I'd just gotten out of my car and was walking across the street when BAM I got hit on the side by a damn Lincoln Continental going about 25 MPH. I got launched 15-20 feet and landed on my back. All I heard was CRRAAAACCCKKK and SNAP. I wasn't in pain then, but was instead trying to stand myself back up and keep walking.
"Well damn, aint this some shit" I thought to myself when I couldn't will myself to stand up
Along came the ambulances and all the EMTs. As much as I wanted to tell them I was fine, they stuck me in one of those neck braces that you see people wearing on The People's Court when they try to juice money out of the offending party. At that point, the adrenaline started to wear off and I knew something was way out of whack.
Once at the hospital, I was immediately sent into x-ray, MRI, and damn near everything else that involved imaging and radiation. It was found that I'd broken two of my vertebrae (L4 and S1--those of you with bad backs know what I'm talking about). So it was decided that I needed surgery. Two days later, I found myself getting 2 hooks, a rod, a cage, and a chunk of my hip bone put into place around my spine. I really thought I was being set up to be a quadriplegic, but to my surprise I was up and walking the next day. Not voluntarily though, the doctors and physical therapists forced me to get up and move to help build up my muscles and such.
After 6 days and a whole LOT of very painful physical therapy, I was allowed to go home. I had to use a walker, cane, or wheelchair for about a month, but with the physical therapy, I was walking freely on my own in about 3 months. My doctors told me that if it hadn't been for the muscles I'd built from dancing forever, I might not have fared so well. I made it back to the dance studio in 5 months. It took me a while to get my legs under me again so to speak, but I was back doing what I loved.
While my back has healed in the best way medical professionals could have hoped for, I'm still left feeling wretched when the weather is going to change. I always used to think it was funny when my grandmothers would say "Oh, it's going to rain/snow/do something" based upon the pain in their joints, but now I understand it all to well.
I'm back to functioning at about 90% of what I was pre-accident, but I still get up and do everything I want...and usually do it pretty much pain free. Some days however find me literally crying because I'm in so much pain. I have to go into a different place in my mind where I'm numb to the feeling of pain on those days to maintain a baseline function, but those days are few and far between, Thank God. Never again in my life will I ever get angry at an elderly person who is moving slowly because they're in pain. This mess is no joke.
Ok ok ok, enough pity party...
Almost two years ago, I was hit by a car. I'd just gotten out of my car and was walking across the street when BAM I got hit on the side by a damn Lincoln Continental going about 25 MPH. I got launched 15-20 feet and landed on my back. All I heard was CRRAAAACCCKKK and SNAP. I wasn't in pain then, but was instead trying to stand myself back up and keep walking.
"Well damn, aint this some shit" I thought to myself when I couldn't will myself to stand up
Along came the ambulances and all the EMTs. As much as I wanted to tell them I was fine, they stuck me in one of those neck braces that you see people wearing on The People's Court when they try to juice money out of the offending party. At that point, the adrenaline started to wear off and I knew something was way out of whack.
Once at the hospital, I was immediately sent into x-ray, MRI, and damn near everything else that involved imaging and radiation. It was found that I'd broken two of my vertebrae (L4 and S1--those of you with bad backs know what I'm talking about). So it was decided that I needed surgery. Two days later, I found myself getting 2 hooks, a rod, a cage, and a chunk of my hip bone put into place around my spine. I really thought I was being set up to be a quadriplegic, but to my surprise I was up and walking the next day. Not voluntarily though, the doctors and physical therapists forced me to get up and move to help build up my muscles and such.
After 6 days and a whole LOT of very painful physical therapy, I was allowed to go home. I had to use a walker, cane, or wheelchair for about a month, but with the physical therapy, I was walking freely on my own in about 3 months. My doctors told me that if it hadn't been for the muscles I'd built from dancing forever, I might not have fared so well. I made it back to the dance studio in 5 months. It took me a while to get my legs under me again so to speak, but I was back doing what I loved.
While my back has healed in the best way medical professionals could have hoped for, I'm still left feeling wretched when the weather is going to change. I always used to think it was funny when my grandmothers would say "Oh, it's going to rain/snow/do something" based upon the pain in their joints, but now I understand it all to well.
I'm back to functioning at about 90% of what I was pre-accident, but I still get up and do everything I want...and usually do it pretty much pain free. Some days however find me literally crying because I'm in so much pain. I have to go into a different place in my mind where I'm numb to the feeling of pain on those days to maintain a baseline function, but those days are few and far between, Thank God. Never again in my life will I ever get angry at an elderly person who is moving slowly because they're in pain. This mess is no joke.
Ok ok ok, enough pity party...
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