1. If you screw up your back, however slightly you should so something about it straight away.
2. Soldiering on instead of prioritising yourself and your health is foolish.
3. Going into work when you should be taking care of yourself, because you feel guilty about taking time off, will come back to bite you on the bum.
4. Not feeling guilty about taking time off, even when you have to (because you can't move any more) is harder than it sounds.
5. When you are told to rest by a doctor they don't mean do less they mean do nothing.
6. Doing nothing is impossible.
7. It is also impossible to pick something up without bending. Even if you manage to keep your back straight going down you will lean forward to get back up again.
8. Having a healthy back is essential for your general health and wellbeing.
9. Chronic pain affects your mood. That might sound like common sense but think of it this way: I expect to feel cranky if I'm in pain at any given time but if you are in pain, however mild, and it stays with you for an extended period of time, it's physically hard to feel happy.
10. Chiropractors are worth their weight in gold.
11. My family is very understanding.
12. There is a big difference between knowing that the vacuuming needs to be done and just choosing to ignore it and knowing that the vacuuming needs to be done and not being able to do it. The former makes you feel like a rebel and rather smug, the latter makes you resent your dog for having a coat.
13. I love my dog and am totally blessed that I have to walk her every day. It's probably the thing that's kept me from having a slipped disc and from going potty.
14. Walking in fresh snow is fun. Walking on ice and slush is hair-raisingly scary.
15. My favourite things to do are sitting on my bed daydreaming and tapping away on my laptop. Unfortunately my back hates me doing these. It wants me to lie flat or be walking. Sitting for extended periods - even 10 minutes or more - makes it angry. This is why I haven't been visiting you guys this past week.
16. I have fantastic blogging buddies. Thank you to everyone you've sent me healing Karma, given me awards, sent me well-wishes and not clawed me for getting behind on my challenge.
17. I need to respect my body more - it really is a wonderful thing.
18. Being able to move is fantastic.
19. People who call to your door or phone you don't wait long enough for a creaky person to get to said door or phone. Honestly the number of time this week I've got up to answer one or the other of these to find myself abandoned is … um … lots!
20. Getting better is the best gift ever.
Thank you all for your patience at all this complaining. I'm done now. Shutting up!
18 comments:
What excellent lessons and how I wish you hadn't had cause to learn them.
I deal with feeling guilty by telling myself "You don't have to feel guilty but you can if you want to". Somehow that puts the idea in my head that if I feel guilty it's for no good reason.
I'm sorry you can't sit at the pc for more than a few minutes at time. That sucks. It also sucks that people won't wait for you to get to the door or the phone.
Hope you're improving because being ill sucks.
I'm so glad you're feeling better!
Incidently, the one about walking the dog made me laugh--here, going potty means peeing.
Don't you love that doctors think you can do nothing? That's a very hard thing for a mother to do.
I hope you feel better, and that you stay better!
Hah! Yes, K. I grew up watching the BBC, so I automatically translated.
Janey, love, I do hope it gets better real soon. I know what you mean about being in pain affecting your mood. I get really crabby and cranky. And chiropractors are an amazing lot.
FairyHH I am so much improved today I could sing! I explained to the chiropractor yesterday about the sitting thing and she did this MASSIVE cracking thing in my lower back and today it is so much improved I feel floaty. As for guilt - it is such a pointless waste of time unless it's teaching you something. If you're just punishing yourself then you might as well get a stick and beat yourself. It's the frustration of being forced to be inactive that I've struggled with. But I think that perhaps I need to learn to appreciate my body and all it does for me. I'm getting to an age now where I have to show myself more respect. I love that my body can teach me a lesson or two.
Kiersten - thank you so much. I've sent you an email - go check your inbox! And LOL at the potty remark. I actually knew it meant that but I wasn't thinking as I wrote. I giggled for five minutes when I read it. It's got to be left stand hasn't it!!
Natalie it's impossible for a Mom to do nothing especially when her husband keeps going away on business trips!! I always thought I was the laziest housewife around until I was forced to do the bare minimum. I have realised that even I have standards and there nowhere near a low as I thought they were! Thank you for the good wishes. I doing very very well today.
Sarah I know! I'm still laughing about that wondering how the Pooch could stop me from going to the loo.
As a very optimistic person normally I've been rather taken aback (no pun intended) by how low I felt. Luckily that self same optimism has helped me to look on the bright side and take the positives from this. And I'm very pleased to report that I'm on the mend - improving every day!
Glad to hear you're up and about again.
It's terribly easy to charge around the place trying to get everything done at once and I suppose it's under these circumstances when we put ourselves under more of a strain.
My advice?
Merlot.
Whirl I take your advice very seriously at all times. I think I'll get onto that immediately - purely for medicinal purposes of course.
Ok that's a lie.
Oh dear!
I do sympathize utterly, poor you
quite impossible to do anything in such a state - even think straight.
Do hope you feel better soon.
Pills, wine , massage, time
We forget how lucky lucky lucky we are when not in pain.
Word verification
grumerm
sounds like grumpy and germs not good at all.
sending good wishes your way.
Lots of lessons from this one! Glad you're feeling better. :)
*Nods vigorously at your 20 points*
I'm glad that you are doing better. There's nothing quite like a back that won't let you move. Take good care of it.
Is it because we are 42?
Seriously, take care of yourself. OK,I know you've learned that, but some lessons have to be constantly relearned. (Especially the important ones.)
Yay, glad you're seeing some real improvement now.
No claws in the behind has more to do with your luck than The Koala's benevolence. She hadn't even noticed. However...OK, medical certificate accepted. Although she can't approve fully, because a laptop suspended from the ceiling is an entirely practical option, so it's a Low Threat status for you.
Elizabeth - Pills, wine , massage, time sounds wonderful. Have you ever considered a career in medicine? I'm so much improved now I feel wonderful - definitely not feeling grumpy or germy any more. Thank you for your well wishes!
Thank you Jason, yes feeling much better. I always like to learn something from a challenge.
Thank you Lotus, I'm taking good care of myself now. I've resolved not to get myself into this state again.
Bee - I can't tell you the number of times I've assessed a situation and thought "oh it's that lesson again!" - Sometimes repetition is needed to truly internalise something. This time the warning was loud and clear. I believe it saves a lot of grief when you learn a lesson when it's being whispered to you but sometimes it's hard to be still enough to hear the whispers.
At 42 we've lived with many bad habits. We've also spent years putting our families before all else - which is as it should be. There's no doubt in my mind, however, that my body is now say "it's my turn". It's been good to me - so now I should return the favour.
Hope you feel better soon Bee.
Thank you oh great Koala master. I shall change my threat level forthwith. You are benevolence itself. grovel grovel
I'd agree with pretty much all of that. Shame we have to suffer som much to learn so little, but it's all part of the human condition.
Oh, I love your lessons! And Whirl's advice. That's my husband's favorite medicinal remedy.
And, by the way, while I'm loving everything, may I say I absolutely love the bluebell picture you took!
They are all lessons very well learned, Janey, And good on you for finally taking the enforced rest! Sometimes the body will just conk out on us if we keep sticking our fingers in our ears to all the hints it gives us. Listening and awareness are key to good health - and everything else!
Be better soon - sending hugs, love, good healing karma and a big *mwah*!
Janey, honey, are you gonna do a voice thingie? Are you? Huh huh?
Please......(pretend I'm a whining child. I'll imitate myself whining when we get together in April, if you wanna laugh.)
Are we there yet?
Where's the cake and candles? I'm waiting for your 100th - very (im)patiently.
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