I Guess it is a Good Time for This Story

I have a bad back. I hate to say things like that when I am only 30, but it is the truth. I think I originally hurt it when I fell at work years ago. Then one day I was scrapbooking on my bed for several hours with my back in a really bad leaning-over position, and when I straightened up, it tweaked something BIG TIME! I couldn't even MOVE! I called Tyler bawling because I couldn't even bend over to put my pants on (you all scrapbook in your underwear, right?) He came home from work and took me to the hospital. Of course I had to kneel down in the front seat because I couldn't bend to sit down (longest car ride EVER).

Once we were at the hospital, I patiently waited in triage with all the other people with semi-emergencies. I was holding my back so I wouldn't move and this old man asked if I was pregnant. I am sure he was being considerate, but I didn't LOOK pregnant, and you don't normally hold your back until your belly is two feet off your body. The fact that I still remember this means you should NEVER ask a woman if she is pregnant unless you are sure. Or at least don't ask her when she is in a lot of pain.

I stood there feeling worse and worse until I told Tyler that I thought I was going to throw up. He grabbed a nearby garbage and a nurse started to walk over. I turned to look at her and before she entered my vision, everything went white and I passed out.

Note to self: Passing out is a really good way to get bumped up the list when you are in triage. They will see you immediately after you hit the floor.

Paramedics came rushing in and they put me on a stretcher. I revived almost instantly during this process but that is probably because they had some misinformation. They were told by someone that a person with a head injury had passed out in triage. So naturally they came in and were very careful with my head, completely ignoring my back. They wrenched me up on the gurney with a scream or two out of me. Tyler asked increduously, "What are you DOING?"
"Sir, we have the situation under control. We are protecting her head."

"It's not her HEAD...it's her BACK!" I'm glad he was there, because by then I was thinking that passing out again might be the best option.

Hours later, after many tests the verdict was that I strained some muscles. That's it?? I was given some nice medicine and told to take it easy. Over the years, I have learned that my back does not like it when I have bad posture or do stupid things, like lifting with my back and not my knees (not a myth apparently). I have back exercises that help the muscles feel better but if I do something stupid, it usually twinges for a day or two. Often I can't bend over for a short amount of time, but it always seems to fix itself eventually.



Fast forward to yesterday. It was Skate Night for the school. I thought it would be fun to take the kids. I haven't been skating in a long time, but it came back fairly quickly. However, it is very hard to skate when you have someone hanging on you or when you are constantly balancing someone else. I spent most laps around the floor holding onto a child's hand and picking said child up off the floor every three feet. This was not the best for my back; I was starting to feel the strain.

Sunny was kind enough to take the baby while Tyler and I switched off children, but I was thinking that I might go back and sit with the baby as an excuse to rest my back. I decided on one more lap with Ivory (wish I could go back and rethink that one). We were almost all the way around and our skates got tangled up. Naturally I was trying to keep her from falling, but I totally lost my balance. I fell most ungracefully, like when your skates go straight out from under you, your arms windmill and you land most unpleasantly on your rumpus. Ouch!
I'm going to have to chalk this one up under 'stupid things I do that make my back hurt'...really badly.

I hobbled back over to Sunny, and I was done. Every step hurt. I could barely bend over.
The good news was that the kids had had their fill too and everyone was ready to go home (well, June wanted to stay for the blackout but I wasn't going to buy her a glow thing). Here is the scene of the crime. I didn't get any pictures of the girls because I didn't have the camera (Tyler did) and by the time he was ready to take pictures, we were leaving).



We got back home and Tyler was great putting all the kids to bed while I rested. I couldn't bend my right leg. I had to walk up the stairs all funny and sleep very carefully. I tried to do some of my back exercises, but that was a joke. LOTS OF PAIN, I TELL YOU!!

The good news is that I woke up this morning feeling much better. I think I am just bruised and throughout the day I have been able to walk up stairs normally and even bend down to pick up some things. Thank goodness. I always worry that one of these times I will do something and damage it for good.

Oddly enough, I really want to go skating again; just without kids. Which is worse: the chance I might hurt my back again, or a thirty year old doing her moves at the skate rink?